How this NYC-based shoe company shifted its business to do more good

Atoms founder Waqas Ali tells us how Atoms pivoted its production amidst a pandemic.

The last time we spoke to Atoms, it was 2019 — and the world looked very different. But while many things have changed, Atoms’ devotion to staying nimble has not. The NYC-based company is still making customers’ steps springier with their quarter sizes and infusing their devoted followers’ social feeds with dynamic videos, but in 2020, Atoms reallocated their manufacturing capacity to meet a new need. Utilizing the copper-lined fabric used to make their Model 000 shoe, Atoms has begun to manufacture and sell face masks at cost to help meet a public need and support essential workers in the process. For every mask sold on the Atoms site, the company is donating one to orgs in need, a pledge that helped to bring PPE to workers on the frontlines at the start of the pandemic. To help get the word out, Atoms uses Vimeo Create to infuse more high-quality, low-lift video into their marketing workflow. “At Atoms, we’re really focused on storytelling. Video plays an important part in that approach,” says founder Waqas Ali. We caught up with Waqas to hear about the company’s new mask initiative, learn more about the precautions they’re taking to keep their employees and customers safe, and find out how they use Vimeo to make their videos pop.

Has your initial mission changed since launching Atoms?

While we have learned quite a lot, and grown as a company. Atoms’ mission stays the same. We publicly launched and have added thousands of new customers, introduced new colors, and improved versions of our shoes.

How are you handling COVID-19 as a business?

Our fulfillment associates are following recommended best practices. Each team member is working at least 6 feet away from each other, and we have increased the frequency of workstation and communal area disinfecting, and have instituted mandatory sterilization and hand-washing upon re-entry to the warehouse.

Tell us about your mask production.

We’re based in Brooklyn, so the COVID-19 pandemic hit close to home. We started thinking about what we can do to help our community, and decided to shift our manufacturing capacity from making shoes, to making high-quality reusable masks for everyday use. Due to the nature of our business, we have a close relationship with our manufacturers that we were able to leverage. We are selling the masks at cost, and making a matching donation to communities in NYC for every mask you order. To start, we partnered with NYC Housing Authority, that serves more than half a million low-income New Yorkers. We’ll continue production as long as there is a real need.

Ed note: Atoms has now expanded donations to Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp, King County Emergency Management, Yakima Valley Community Foundation, and the United Sherpa Association.

How important is video for you in spreading your message, especially in today’s climate?

Very important. We did a pre-launch of Atoms with just a video and some samples. We have continued to lean into video to tell our story organically and on paid channels.