About

Designed in the lab.
Built for the world.

FCTRY LAB is a sneaker studio and prototyping lab in Los Angeles. We partner with creators in entertainment, sport, and business to turn ideas into footwear that moves culture. From first sketch to first drop, we fuse lab-grade precision with creative momentum—so the product reads, the story lands, and the brand compounds.

Explore below

OUR WHY

We built FCTRY LAb as an end-to-end engine for modern footwear: a world-class team, a state-of-the-art studio, and a clear path from concept to market. Fashion models to pro athletes, indie founders to global names—if the vision is strong, we help make it real.

THE STATE
OF OUR ART

Three pillars. One build engine.

01.

Where craft meets experimentation. Industrial design, 2D/3D development, last engineering, materials R&D, and rapid prototyping under one roof. We iterate fast—sketch → sample → wear test—in days, not months.

02.

From LA sample room to scaled production with trusted partners. Small batches or full runs, with tight QC, material sourcing, and production planning. The goal: consistent fit, clean finishing, and launch-ready timelines.

03.

We don’t just make shoes—we build brands. Strategy, funding pathways, IP support, go-to-market, retail and e-comm infrastructure, and creator alignment. If you’re ready to launch or level up, we help you get there.

THE LAB / CORE

Direct-to-Fabric 3D

Digital concepts straight to material. We translate 3D uppers and patterns into print/knit-ready files for fast sampling, clean color testing, and precise paneling.

Shoemaking & Cobbling

Hands on, eyes up. In-house cobblers build and refine samples: skive, stitch, last, finish. Old-world craft tuned for new-school speed.

Last Creation & Development

Fit is the product. We model, grade, and refine lasts with digital tools and IRL wear feedback to nail stance, toe-shape, and step-in comfort across sizes.

Performance Testing

Lab protocols meet real life. Flex, abrasion, traction, and compression checks—then creator/athlete wear loops to validate comfort and durability before green-light.

2D & 3D Digital Design

From sketch packs to photoreal. Tech packs, tooling drawings, and CAD renders built for both factories and marketing—so what you see is what you ship.

Direct-to-Fabric 3D

Digital concepts straight to material. We translate 3D uppers and patterns into print/knit-ready files for fast sampling, clean color testing, and precise paneling.

Shoemaking & Cobbling

Hands on, eyes up. In-house cobblers build and refine samples: skive, stitch, last, finish. Old-world craft tuned for new-school speed.

Last Creation & Development

Fit is the product. We model, grade, and refine lasts with digital tools and IRL wear feedback to nail stance, toe-shape, and step-in comfort across sizes.

Performance Testing

Lab protocols meet real life. Flex, abrasion, traction, and compression checks—then creator/athlete wear loops to validate comfort and durability before green-light.

2D & 3D Digital Design

From sketch packs to photoreal. Tech packs, tooling drawings, and CAD renders built for both factories and marketing—so what you see is what you ship.

OMAR BAILEY

CO-FOUNDER

Footwear Development Pioneer

ABOUT OMAR

Omar Bailey is a trailblazing force in the footwear industry who has helped bridge the gap from conceptual design into physically wearable footwear during his extensive career. With over 20 years of global product development and manufacturing experience as a design engineer, he built his reputation developing footwear for entertainers such as Jay-Z and Lady Gaga, athletes such as Karim Benzema and Jalen Ramsey, and building iconic shoes as Head of the Yeezy Innovation Lab.

INSTAGRAM

ABHI SOM

CO-FOUNDER

Ex-Wall Street Executive & Investor

ABOUT ABHI

Abhi Som is the Co-Founder of FCTRY LAb and is based out of Europe and the Gulf and is focused on expanding the company outside the United States. Abhi brings deep experience and understanding in helping finance, build & grow early-stage companies. Prior experience includes being in the M&A/Restructuring group with Lazard in NYC. Post Lazard, Abhi was a founding member of a $230 million NYC-based private equity fund, which deployed its entire capital in 9 transactions globally.

RAVI BHASKARAN

C.O.O

Silicon Valley Startup, Veteran

ABOUT RAVI

Ravi is a Silicon Valley veteran with over 30 years of experience as a CEO, VC, board member, and advisor to startup companies that have created over $1 Billion of enterprise value in exits or IPO's. As a partner in Fog City Capital, Ravi continues to be both an investor and a serial entrepreneur. Ravi has a B.S. from UC Berkeley and an MBA from the University of Chicago/London Business School.

TIMOTHY NICKLOFF

PRESIDENT

ABOUT TIMOTHY

Timothy Nickloff brings over 20 years leadership experience driving growth for industry-leading brands, including adidas, Emerica, Palladium and Complex, across youth culture, sports, and footwear. He has built his career on cutting through the noise, turning cultural relevance into measurable impact, and launching new brands and categories while evolving global icons into modern commerce engines.