We Are Thaely.

Thaely is the Hindi word for plastic bag. We chose that name on purpose — because we believe the things the world throws away are exactly where the future begins.

The Problem We Couldn't Ignore

Every year, the world uses over 100 billion plastic bags. That's 12 million barrels of oil burned to produce material that ends up in landfills, rivers, and oceans — killing over 100,000 marine animals annually. Most plastic bags aren't recyclable through conventional methods. They just accumulate.

Our founder, Ashay Bhave, saw this problem up close. Growing up watching plastic waste pile up at local waste management facilities in Mumbai, he became convinced there had to be a smarter use for what the world was discarding.

The Idea That Started It All

In 2017, while studying Business Administration at Amity University Dubai, Ashay set himself a design challenge: build an ethically produced sneaker using only components recycled from waste materials. No virgin plastics. No animal leather. No compromise.

Over the next two years, he researched and developed ThaelyTex — a revolutionary fabric made entirely from waste plastic bags. The process requires no additional chemicals and releases no toxic byproducts. It looks and feels like leather. It isn't.

To prove the concept, Ashay built the first rough prototype with the help of a local shoe repair store in Mumbai — using existing patterns, lasts, and soles. The result? A sneaker that functioned and looked exactly like a traditional leather shoe. Made entirely from bags that would have ended up in the ocean.

Validated. Funded. Built.

In 2019, the prototype and business plan were presented at Amity University Dubai's Eureka Startup Pitch Competition — and won first place. With that funding, Thaely moved from proof-of-concept to production-ready. The second prototype was developed in Dubai, drawing design inspiration from classic basketball sneakers of the early 2000s — familiar silhouettes, reimagined with purpose.

Thaely officially launched in 2021, earning PETA certification and winning the PETA Best Sneaker Award in the same year — recognising the brand as a global benchmark for vegan, ethical footwear.

What Goes Into Every Pair

Each pair of Thaely sneakers contains 10 upcycled waste plastic bags and 12 recycled plastic bottles. The bags are collected from housing complexes, offices, and stores across Delhi, then segregated, sanitised, and processed into ThaelyTex at our manufacturing partner facilities in Haryana and New Delhi. The sneakers are assembled in Agra.

Every waste management professional in our supply chain is paid fair wages and works in safe, dignified conditions. Sustainability, for us, is not just about materials — it's about the people who handle them.

Built for the Long Run

We've already recycled over 50,000 plastic bags and 48,000 plastic bottles — and we're just getting started. Every Thaely sneaker comes with a QR code that lets you trace exactly where your materials came from. When your pair wears out, return it to us and get a discount on your next one. That's the circular economy — not as a concept, but as a receipt.

Thaely isn't just a sneaker brand. It's proof that what the world discards can become something worth keeping.