On the surface, the world doesn’t need another shoe brand. But brands don’t begin with logos or launch calendars, they begin with a problem.
Every founder goes through a few defining stages when starting something new. The first is always the same: identifying a need. Or more accurately, recognizing the absence of a real solution. That recognition usually comes from deep interest, lived experience, or hard-earned knowledge. Sometimes all three.
For me, it was impossible not to see the gap.
I noticed it first in my personal life as a runner, trail runner, and avid racket sport player. I felt it every time I trained, raced, or competed. Then my academic studies reinforced what my body already knew: there was a better way to build shoes. Finally, after more than ten years working in the footwear industry, specializing in natural footwear, I saw the same issue from the inside. The demand was there. The solutions weren’t.
Once that realization sets in, something irrational kicks in. Passion takes over. You stop thinking about whether something should exist and start thinking obsessively about how to build it better.
That’s when Notace began: with product top of mind.
Every long-lasting brand is product-first. Always. Trends fade. Marketing changes. But if the product doesn’t solve something real, nothing else matters.
Because of my background, my passion naturally lives in performance. I’ve been around competitive sports my entire life. Tennis was the first, starting at four years old. It It shaped how I think about movement, efficiency, and durability. Performance isn’t about excess; it’s about intention.
The first product I imagined wasn’t flashy. It was versatile. A trail running shoe that was genuinely comfortable, adaptable across environments, and functional enough for real movement. A shoe with a flexible midsole, a wide toebox, and no unnecessary constraints. Something people could actually live in, not just wear for one use case.
From there, the line expanded naturally: a road and cross-training shoe, and a court shoe designed for tennis, padel, and pickleball. Each product came from the same place: watching how people move and building footwear that works with the body, not against it.
As Notace continues to grow and serve more sports, our philosophy won’t ever change. Every product will exist for a reason. Every design will prioritize function. And every shoe will take inspiration from clean, minimalist aesthetics because when something works well, it doesn’t need to shout.
So no, the world doesn’t need another shoe brand.
But it does need better solutions.
Cedric Scotto