Very happy to share my thoughts in this interview with Modaes (February 18th, 2026).
It’s been almost 20 years working in the fashion industry — full of adventures, challenges, setbacks and victories. These past two years at SAYE have been, without a doubt, the biggest adventure: the toughest, the riskiest, the most far-reaching, but also the most exciting and inspiring for me.
This is only the beginning, and I hope you will trust this small company that, by doing things the right way, is contributing its grain of sand toward a better world. Practising what we preach — walking the talk — is our motto: nearly 400,000 trees planted and production carried out with the highest level of material control to deliver a truly unique and authentic product.
Say Yes To Change / SAYE
Here’s a summary:
In a recent interview with Alfonso Segura, CEO at Saye, published in Modaes, the Spanish sneaker brand’s leadership outlines the company’s ongoing transformation and its ambition to double revenue within the next three years. The conversation provides insight into how Saye is rethinking production, sustainability and management execution in order to scale the business in a more demanding global fashion market.
Barcelona-based sneaker brand Saye is undertaking a deep transformation of its business model, production structure and brand positioning with the ambition of doubling its revenue within the next three years. Following an internal operational review covering inventory management, product quality and wholesale performance, the company has tightened its manufacturing control and consolidated production in Portugal to improve consistency, supervision and reliability.
One of the strongest messages emerging from this shift is the company’s critical view of sustainability discourse in the fashion industry. According to Saye, sustainability is often discussed far more than it is genuinely implemented. Rather than treating it as a marketing narrative, the brand argues that real sustainability depends on operational discipline — including supplier control, production oversight and designing products that last longer.
This execution-focused philosophy is reflected in what the company describes as a leadership approach similar to having “a coach on the field.” Management is directly involved in day-to-day operations, working closely with factories, materials sourcing and product development. The idea is to ensure that strategy is not only defined at the top but actively enforced throughout the organisation.
At the product level, Saye is also repositioning itself through price increases, enhanced manufacturing quality and upgraded materials and a stronger emphasis on durability. The brand is simultaneously redefining what sustainability means in practice. Moving beyond its earlier strictly vegan positioning, it now prioritises materials that can demonstrate measurable environmental performance, balancing footprint, functionality and product lifespan.
This includes sourcing certified animal suede from controlled suppliers to improve quality and longevity, while continuing research into next-generation alternatives such as materials derived from coffee waste or lignin. In this framework, durability, carbon impact, water use and lifecycle performance, as well as complete traceability, are treated as more meaningful sustainability indicators than purely symbolic material choices.
Ultimately, Saye’s repositioning signals a broader strategic transition: from a sustainability-led niche brand to an execution-driven, quality-focused footwear company aiming for scalable international growth.
From a commercial perspective, the company continues to generate most of its sales in international markets, with the United States and key European countries among its primary growth drivers. While maintaining a strong direct-to-consumer focus, Saye is also refining its wholesale strategy to improve distribution quality rather than simply expanding doors. Supported by these operational changes and its product repositioning, the brand aims to double its revenue from around €4 million to approximately €8 million within the next three years, targeting steady, controlled growth built on stronger margins, improved product consistency and tighter supply-chain management rather than rapid, volume-driven expansion.
#WALKTHETALK #SAYE
