Vivaia is an online footwear brand known for soft knit flats, heels and boots that it markets as made from recycled plastic bottles. It suits shoppers who want lightweight, flexible shoes in dressier shapes and who are comfortable ordering in EU sizes and sometimes waiting more than a week for delivery.

Short answer: yes, Vivaia is a legitimate brand with strong customer ratings, but it was incubated by a Chinese company and ships from warehouses in several countries, so check the delivery estimate and any duties line before you pay. We reviewed its policies and recent customer reviews to explain what to expect.

Vivaia at a glance

Founded2020
Owner/parentIncubated by Starlink, a company based in Shenzhen, China
What it sellsFlats, heels, mules, loafers and boots, many with knit uppers made from recycled plastic bottles
Shipping (US)Free standard shipping over $99 ($12.99 below); standard delivery listed at 7 to 12 days; express $29.99 (3 to 5 business days); ships from warehouses in the US, UK, Germany or China
Returns30 days from receipt; free prepaid label for US customers; unworn, with tags and packaging; final sale, gift, add-on and buy-together items excluded
Trustpilot (as of November 2026)4.7/5 from about 6,350 reviews

Who is Vivaia?

Vivaia launched in 2020. According to a September 2024 report by 36Kr, republished by KrASIA, the brand was incubated by Starlink, a Shenzhen-based company unrelated to SpaceX's satellite service that counts Sequoia and ByteDance among its investors. The report said Vivaia sells directly to customers in more than 60 countries and entered Japan in 2022, where a pop-up at Isetan's Shinjuku store set a sales record for a temporary shop there.

Vivaia ships from warehouses in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China. Each order goes out from whichever warehouse has the stock at the time, and a single order may be split across warehouses to speed things up, so you can receive more than one package.

What Vivaia sells and how prices compare

The range includes ballet flats, heels, mules, loafers and boots. The Aria 5° pointed-toe ballet flat, for example, is listed at $129, with some versions on sale for $109. Prices vary by color and promotion, so the price at checkout may differ.

Product listings use EU sizing, so expect to convert from US sizes before you order. Some styles also come in variants such as a water-repellent version of the Aria flat, which is listed at $139.

Vivaia's main pitch is materials. It says its knit shoes are made from recycled plastic bottles that are turned into fibers and knitted into the uppers. Materials vary by style, so read each product page, and treat the sustainability claims as the company's own: we didn't find an independent audit, and one long-time wearer's review acknowledges greenwashing criticism of the brand.

Shipping and delivery

Vivaia's help center lists free standard shipping on orders over $99 for most countries, including the US, and a $12.99 standard fee below that. Standard delivery to the US is listed at 7 to 12 days, while express shipping costs $29.99 and is estimated at 3 to 5 business days.

Those delivery estimates don't include processing, which can take 1 to 3 days for in-stock items. One reviewer who has bought several pairs reported an in-stock order arriving within a week, while a back-ordered pair took about two weeks longer.

Import duties on US orders

The US ended duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value imports from every country on August 29, 2025, so a package shipped from abroad can owe duties no matter how small it is. Vivaia's help center says that for some destinations, duties and taxes are built into the price or covered by Vivaia, while for others they're charged at checkout or collected by customs or the carrier, and that any such charges are shown at checkout.

The help center doesn't say which approach applies to US orders. Vivaia has a US warehouse, so some orders may never cross a border, but because it ships from whichever warehouse has stock, part of an order could come from abroad. Look for a duties or taxes line at checkout, and if tracking shows a shipment from another country, ask support in writing whether anything could be collected on delivery.

Returns, refunds and warranty

You can return or exchange online purchases within 30 days of receiving them. Shoes must be unworn, unwashed and unaltered, with all original tags and packaging. Final sale, gift, add-on and buy-together items are excluded, though the discounted item in a buy-together deal can still be exchanged.

US customers get a free prepaid return label once Vivaia approves the return request. You then have 7 days from receiving the label or return address to send the shoes back, and they must go to the address Vivaia provides; returns sent anywhere else aren't eligible for a refund or exchange. Your original shipping charge and any shipping insurance aren't refunded.

Refunds take about 3 business days for PayPal and 7 to 14 business days for credit cards. Vivaia's shipping page also describes an optional Extended Returns add-on for $1.99 that lengthens the return period to 60 days, so look for it at checkout if you're unsure about fit.

We couldn't find a separate written warranty. If a pair arrives damaged or fails early, contact support quickly with photos and your order number.

What customers say

On Trustpilot, Vivaia scores 4.7 out of 5 from about 6,350 reviews (as of November 2026), with 84% five-star and 7% one-star ratings. Vivaia claimed its profile in 2022 and replies to 98% of negative reviews, usually within 24 hours.

Comfort is the most common praise, along with quality materials and easy returns and exchanges in recent reviews. Sizing comments are mixed: many reviewers report a good fit, but some go a half size up or down for wide or narrow feet, and others describe unexpected sizing problems. Negative reviews also mention delivery delays, foot pain in at least one case, and doubts about how well some styles hold up.

Blogger Elisabeth McKnight, who has worn several Vivaia pairs for about two years and whose post now includes a brand-offered discount code, found the sizing generally true and suggests going up if you're between sizes. She calls the shoes very comfortable for a day of meetings but not a walking shoe, describes the arch support as moderate, and notes that the knit uppers look less structured than leather.

BBB is harder to read. The only BBB profile under the Vivaia name has an F rating, with 13 complaints in three years and 11 left unanswered, but it lists a Miami address, the website vivaiacollection.com and the alternate name Stroud International Company. We couldn't confirm that it belongs to the brand behind vivaia.com, so make sure you're on the official site before you pay.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • High Trustpilot score (4.7/5 from more than 6,000 reviews) and quick replies to negative reviews
  • Free standard shipping over $99 and free prepaid US return labels
  • 30-day return and exchange window that starts when you receive the order
  • A US warehouse among its four ship-from locations
  • Lightweight, flexible knit designs that reviewers praise for comfort

Cons

  • Standard US delivery listed at 7 to 12 days, plus processing
  • How duties apply to US orders isn't spelled out
  • Only 7 days to ship a return once you get the label
  • EU sizing and mixed fit reports for wide or narrow feet
  • Final sale, gift and add-on items can't be returned, and original shipping isn't refunded
  • Some reviewers find the shoes unsuited to long walks or question their durability

Tips before you order from Vivaia

  1. Convert your US size to EU before ordering, and if you're between sizes, consider going up.
  2. Before paying, check the checkout summary for the delivery estimate and any duties or taxes line.
  3. Build orders to $99 or more for free shipping, but skip final sale items unless you're sure of the fit.
  4. Try shoes on indoors on a clean floor, and keep the tags and box until you decide.
  5. Request returns early and ship within 7 days of getting the label, only to the address Vivaia gives you.
  6. Type vivaia.com into your browser rather than following lookalike links.

Is Vivaia legit? Our verdict

Vivaia is a reasonable pick for shoppers who want lightweight, flexible flats, heels or boots with a dressy look and who don't mind EU sizing or a week or more of shipping. Free US return labels and a 30-day window lower the risk of trying a first pair.

Look elsewhere if you need shoes within a few days, want firm arch support for long walking days, or want every order to ship from within the US. Rothy's and Birdies are alternatives worth comparing.

Visit Vivaia

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