This is our
story.
Ethical thinking, planning, and acting is in ethletic’s DNA.
CONSCIOUSLY CHOSEN. MODERN DESIGN. FOR EVERY DAY.
Since our first fair-trade football in 1998.
The story begins with a fair-trade football from Pakistan. This ball forms the starting point for the subsequent development of the Ethletic brand.
1998 · Historic milestonePremium payments for football stitchers at the first factory in Pakistan.
Together with Talon Sports, a Welfare Society is established. Employees participate in deciding how additional local premiums are used.
Participation since 2002Ethletic establishes supply relationships for cotton and natural rubber, which are used for sneaker production.
Ethletic pays additional premiums to the Welfare Society at Talon Sports.
Ethletic introduces a sneaker with Fairtrade-certified cotton. The certification refers to the appropriately labeled cotton.
Fairtrade Cotton · historic milestone
From Brighton (UK) to Lübeck (Germany). From here, the brand is expanded, and new styles and models are developed.
The range grows to include ballerinas, slip-ons, slippers, and flip-flops.
Ethletic receives the 2016 Fairtrade Award in the Manufacturer category. The award refers to that specific year.
🏆 Fairtrade Award — Manufacturer Category
Initiated by Ethletic, a Fairtrade cotton cooperative is established in Pakistan.
Ethletic modernizes its logo and expands the range of vulcanized canvas sneakers.
Repair instead of throw away — Ethletic subsidizes the repair of old sneakers at the startup Sneaker Rescue.
With “tip me,” customers can give an extra tip to the workers involved in production in Pakistan. Ethletic bears the processing costs; 100% of the tip is intended for the workers.
Go to Tip Me ↗
The HIRO II receives the PETA Vegan Fashion Award 2021.
🏆 PETA Vegan Fashion Award 2021
TRACYCLE makes information about supply chain stages visible. The QR code on each model shows which data is available for it.
TRACYCLE · since 2022
JESSE and CARL complement the range with recycled materials. The exact material composition and certifications are listed for each model.
New sneakers · 2023Not just a sneaker — an icon.
The Ethletic crew wanted to develop a sneaker that combines good design with comfort.
Jesse brings a new silhouette to the Ethletic collection.
Peace out — Your Jesse
Ethletic is moving to Frankfurt am Main – and with this new location, a new phase begins for the brand. People who have long shaped Ethletic are working together with new minds and perspectives. What was important to us from the beginning remains our compass: the collaboration with our production partners, a close look at materials, and products with their own story.
At the same time, we are opening Ethletic up to new ideas. Our first clothing items are expanding the range beyond sneakers. A new online shop gives the collections and the stories behind them more space. And this is just the beginning.
The team is developing further products and ideas that will shape Ethletic in the coming years.
The world is changing. New rules such as the EmpCo directive, societal challenges, and crises demand that we constantly question and evolve our work.
We want to clearly show what we do, what we can substantiate, and what we are still working on. Transparency will be our "seal of quality."
Our story continues. We want to write it together with you, grow with you, and translate the values that have shaped Ethletic into new ideas.
A football with a new idea.
James Lloyd and Dr. Martin Kunz launched fair-trade footballs from Pakistan in 1998. They focused on the working conditions of the people in manufacturing – at a time when child labor and poor working conditions in football production were being publicly criticized.
Ethletic sneakers don't start in an air-conditioned office. They begin in a production hall in Pakistan.
Women decide independently.
Since 2002, the workforce has decided for themselves which projects the welfare premiums are used for — school education, pension, healthcare, microcredits.
Through “tip me,” customers can give the workers involved an extra tip. Ethletic covers the processing costs, so 100% of the tip goes directly to the workers. Further information on the process can be found on the tip me website.
Pioneering work that is recognized.
Wear a shoe with a history — and write your own.
Board feel. Performance. Responsibility.
Ethletic sneakers are also worn in the skater community. Canvas models, board feel, and their silhouettes are part of the look on and off the board.