Rig Footwear has entered into a new partnership agreement with Hong Kong-based Step Hill International Co. Ltd. to strengthen market development and distribution in East Asia (Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia). The move comes after the emerging footwear brand founded in 2019 as a recovery sandal brand from Japan said it conducted about four years of development based on thorough research of the foot shape.
“We are excited to partner with Rig Footwear and bring their amazing collection to our distribution partners and consumers in East Asia. We will first strategically build our market development in Taiwan, and then use this as a springboard to strengthen our expansion into Singapore and Malaysia” said Kevin of Step Hill, who is responsible for Rig Footwear’s East Asia strategy.
“Step Hill was founded in 2004,” the company said in a media release. “Based in Hong Kong and Taiwan, their mission is to distribute the best outdoor brands to their market. By staying close to the ideology of the brands, they have distributed high quality products to retailers who share the same ideology. Brands handled include Ultimate Direction, Biolite, Osprey, Scott, Vasque, 8BPLUS, Dynafit, and Sierra Designs.
Mesutta Inc., which has been developing Rig Footwear, exhibited for the first time at the “OutDoor by ISPO 2024” trade fair in Munich, Germany in June 2024.
Takumi Kurihara, brand director of Rig Footwear, Mesutta Inc. said, “Through this partnership, we will strengthen the marketing network of the Rig brand in East Asia, and after 2025, we would like to strengthen our global brand strategy, especially in North America and the EU. We have already received numerous inquiries from distributors and retailers in various countries.”
For the fall/winter 2024 season, the brand releases its first active line.
Image courtesy Rig Footwear
