DEJA SHOE (A)

Deja, Inc. was founded by Julie Lewis to create markets for recycled materials through footwear. Supported by former Nike and Avia executives and venture capital, the company developed shoes from recycled components, though it faced technical challenges with its initial polypropylene fabric. Targeting environmentally conscious consumers, particularly women aged 30-45 and Generation X, Deja entered the fragmented casual footwear market with a premium pricing strategy. Despite high production costs and a complex global supply chain involving material sourcing in North America, Europe, and Japan and assembly in Asia, the company gained significant traction with major retailers and green stores due to its innovative sustainable concept.

• Deja, Inc. was established with the mission to create markets for recycled materials, utilizing a vision of sustainable development where economic growth occurs within ecological bounds and meets present needs without impacting future generations.
• Deja faced significant technical hurdles with its prototype polypropylene fabric made from pre-consumer disposable diaper waste, which had a higher melting point than virgin materials and damaged manufacturing equipment, forcing a late-stage switch to recycled canvas from Eco-Fibre in Canada.
• The company adopted a complex global supply chain where raw materials were sourced from the United States, the U.K., Canada, and Japan, reprocessed into components, and then shipped to Asia for final assembly to maintain lower labor costs.
• Deja targeted the casual footwear market, specifically women aged 30-45 and 'Generation X' (18-29 year olds), based on research suggesting these groups were the most environmentally conscious and fashion-influential.
• The company achieved rapid retail penetration and significant 'free advertising' estimated at $5 million per year, gaining interest from major retailers like L.L. Bean, REI, and Nordstrom due to the timeliness of the recycled footwear concept.

APA

Hardy, P. W. (1996). DEJA SHOE (A). World Resources Institute. https://pdf.wri.org/bell/case_1-56973-137-3_full_version_a_english.pdf

Chicago

Hardy, Paul W. DEJA SHOE (A). World Resources Institute, 1996. https://pdf.wri.org/bell/case_1-56973-137-3_full_version_a_english.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hardy |first1=Paul W. |title=DEJA SHOE (A) |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=1996 |url=https://pdf.wri.org/bell/case_1-56973-137-3_full_version_a_english.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hardy1996deja, author = {Hardy, Paul W.}, title = {{DEJA SHOE (A)}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {1996}, url = {https://pdf.wri.org/bell/case_1-56973-137-3_full_version_a_english.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }