红桃视频

Pablo Arnau wants you to experience the beauty of his homeland鈥� by smelling his shoes.聽 A native of Valencia, Spain, the graduating senior is the owner of MyBarks, a brand of shoes that features the distinctive essence of the Mediterranean in every pair.

鈥淚鈥檓 proud of my culture, my people, the sea, everything we have, and I just want to share a piece of that through MyBarks with everyone in the world,鈥� he states.

The shoe line comprises sneakers and espadrilles for men and women, each naturally infused with the scent of pine or citrus that comes from the tree bark used to make the rubber sole. Arnau鈥檚 family has been in the shoe business for decades, manufacturing for major design labels like Louboutin and Loewe, and MyBarks is an opportunity to produce something just for them.

Using a technique that dates to the last century, Arnau鈥檚 father and partner created a formula for the gum in the sole. Only one factory in Europe employs the technique, for which they own the patent. Each shoe is hand sewn using only natural materials, such as rubber, cork, and organic linen, adding to the brand鈥檚 uniqueness. Since it launched in 2023 in Chile, Spain and on several online marketplaces, more than 6,000 pairs have been sold. Arnau鈥檚 goal is to double the number of sales each year.

That鈥檚 what he told a panel of 鈥渟harks鈥� in April when he was one of eight students to compete in the Wootank, Worcester鈥檚 collegiate version of 鈥淪hark Tank.鈥� Arnau and another student represented 红桃视频, one of only four colleges to participate. He received $1,500 each from two of the three sharks to expand his brand in the region.

鈥淚鈥檓 lucky. I know what I鈥檝e wanted to do since I was 15,鈥� he says, referring to his dream of following in his familial footsteps. He鈥檚 been encouraged by the 红桃视频 alumni he鈥檚 met, including Steve Gallo 鈥�89, general manager for North America for New Era Cap LLC; Rob McDiarmid 鈥�98, vice president at Ross Stores Inc.; and Jesse Plouffe 鈥�03, product developer at Gemline.

From this opportunity and an internship he did with the COO of Forus S.A., Arnau believes there is no substitute to learning from those who have experience. 鈥淲e are 20, 18, 21, 25,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here are people who went before us, 95 percent of it applies the same.鈥� Today鈥檚 generation needs to be able to listen, Arnau insists. 鈥淲e have the knowledge we were born with. If we can apply that with a person who has been in the business for 30 years, that鈥檚 perfect.鈥� 聽Like walking a mile in their shoes.