Proud and Filipino

The sneaker industry is extremely competitive. Foreign brands have staked a claim on the higher end of the sports consumer market. Roughly four decades ago, local brands made a run at their chunk of the spectrum, boldly appearing on the broadcasts of the PBA games. Sadly, those brands are now defunct, and have been relegated to collector’s items in the dustbins of history. 

Now a bright, new, proudly Filipino shoe brand is turning and has quietly won the hearts of athletes themselves. Finn Cotton started with a $1,000 investment and is now valued at slightly over $1,000,000. Impressive growth for an independent local shoe maker in a cut-throat industry.

“I was among the businessmen who lost money when everything shut down during the pandemic,” recalls Finn Cotton founder Paul dela Fuente. “After I had built momentum from selling so many things online, I finally fulfilled a lifelong dream of starting my own sneaker brand.”

Finn Cotton uses most of the same light, durable, breathable, flexible materials as foreign brands and brings together traditional workmanship with bright new colorways to catch the attention of buyers. Dela Fuente calls this “style for the styleless.” People don’t necessarily buy brands. They buy products. The logo, meanwhile, is a wing, to symbolize elegance, flight and the power of dreams. Currently, the brand is already in two malls in Metro Manila. 

“Our next step is to find investors, so that we can fulfill the dream of competing internationally with other brands,” the long-time sports fan says. “Hopefully Filipinos will be proud of having a local sports shoe that can hold its own as a global brand.”

Celebrities, athletes and leagues have already reached out to Finn Cotton for sponsorship and purchase. The company’s growth is steady and healthy. There’s no looking back. The sky’s the limit.