In 2025, Vivaia is betting on the world’s fashion capitals. After establishing itself in New York and then London, the footwear brand has opened its second French store, on the outskirts of Paris at the Westfield Les 4 Temps shopping centre in La Défense. Inaugurated on December 9, this new location follows the first Parisian boutique, opened in 2024 at the Carrousel du Louvre, and underscores the brand’s strategy to expand its physical retail footprint. The Les 4 Temps boutique spans 135 square metres and offers the full range of Vivaia collections.

The brand was founded in 2020 by Marina Chen, who had previously worked in fashion at Camuto Asia, and Jeff Chan, a Chinese entrepreneur who describes himself as the co-founder of the Nordace travel backpack brand. The duo envisioned a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand with a focus on using recycled materials. The brand says it works with certified suppliers, including Repreve, to transform recycled PET plastic bottles into yarn used in the manufacture of its shoes. Production also relies on 3D knitting technologies, helping to reduce waste and incorporate recycled materials into the collections.

Since its launch, Vivaia has developed more than 200 models, from ballet flats to trainers, Mary Janes, and boots, with a particular emphasis on sole comfort and the fit of elastic uppers.

The brand has been accelerating its global roll-out, appointing Howard Herman as managing director in 2022. A former executive at Li & Fung Limited, the global supply-chain giant, he brings expertise in retail development and international strategy.

Vivaia is operated in Europe by London-based Stroud International. However, the brand rights are held by Shenzhen Starlink Network Technology Co (Starlink), a Chinese company specialising in international e-commerce. Established in Shenzhen around 2016–2017, the company, led by co-founder John Lau, was conceived as a platform for creating consumer brands to be sold directly and via marketplaces outside China, particularly in the US and Europe. Starlink, not to be confused with the company behind SpaceX, is therefore the parent of the Vivaia women’s footwear brand, as well as an athleisure label called Fanka. In 2021, the group received strategic investments from ByteDance, owner of TikTok, and Sequoia Capital, giving it the means to accelerate its global expansion.

Today, Vivaia does not disclose its turnover, but according to several media outlets it generated around €180 million in 2024. The brand is now present in 61 countries, with two directly operated stores in France and 75 internationally, including Milan and Rome, as well as in key Asian cities such as Tokyo, Manila, Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong, Macau, and Kuala Lumpur.

In the US, the brand is stocked by major department store chains Dillard’s and Von Maur. Still absent from China, like Shein, the brand has also recently entered new markets such as Brazil and Australia, a sign of its ambition for international expansion.