El Naturalista targets 15% growth in 2016, chiefly in the USA, Canada, China and Israel

By

Gianluca Bolelli

Published
Feb 29, 2016

"Our 'vegan' shoes are manufactured without using any animal-origin material, whether in their uppers, lining, treatment or finishings. They are produced using high-quality textiles, mostly microfibre and cotton, to create a leather-effect material that imitates natural leather perfectly," proudly pointed out José Maria de la Peña, El Naturalista's Marketing and Communications Director, from his booth at TheMicam trade show in Milan.  

The Pamplona-based Spanish brand was created in 2001, and is inspired entirely by nature. Its range of eco-designed footwear features a special, plant-based tanning method combined with natural raw materials such as wood or bamboo. The lines consists of boots, ankle boots and brogues for women, and boots, slippers and classic urban shoes for men (retailing on average for €120). The wide range of colours is one of their strong points. El Naturalista's shoes targeted to vegans are among the brand's key products. They are chrome-less, with inner soles made of recycled material, natural rubber soles and bamboo-fibre uppers which are breathable, hypoallergenic and a natural antibacterial.

El Naturalista owns a mono-brand store in Paris, opened in September 2014, and is available in 3,000 multi-brand stores in 45 countries. "I can reveal that we're working towards the opening of other mono-brand stores in several European cities. Almost certainly the first will be opened by the end of 2016, in the heart of Amsterdam," said Juan de la Peña, formerly El Naturalista's International Sales Manager, who left the brand's Spanish headquarters in 2013 to take charge of the new US division.

"Revenue in 2015 was stable, but in 2016 we are targeting a 10-15% growth, expanding chiefly in the USA, Canada, China and Israel, as well as on our main European markets: Italy, Spain, France, Germany and the UK. Of our total revenue, 10% is generated in Spain, and 90% abroad. As for our suppliers, 90% of them are Spanish, 10% German (for special leather) and 10% Italian, to add a stylish finishing touch to our footwear," de la Peña added.