WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 11, 2025 – The United States Footwear Manufacturers Association welcomes new member ARRIS, a leader in advanced materials and manufacturing, that is reshaping large-scale carbon fiber composite production at a time when our industry is embracing new tools and processes.
The company, founded in 2017 in Berkeley, California, supports the aerospace, automotive, portable electronics, and bicycle industries by offering “peak performance at the lightest weight, powered by ARRIS’ Additive Molding software, materials, and manufacturing technology stack.”
ARRIS entered the footwear sector several years ago with its breakthrough approach to blending the best of additive manufacturing and high-volume molding methods to produce lighter, more sustainable composites at scale.
The company is partnering with other association members, including University of Massachusetts Lowell, to help the U.S. armed forces improve the performance of military footwear through a federal research program that USFMA helped secure.
“USFMA prides itself on representing both America’s storied footwear brands and suppliers, as well as newer innovators that are joining our efforts to revitalize the production of high-quality footwear in the United States,” said USFMA Executive Director Bill McCann. “ARRIS brings to USFMA added energy in building a more vibrant and technologically superior footwear industry, particularly when it comes to supporting our men and women in uniform with domestically produced gear.”
Already, ARRIS has been working with UMass Lowell through the Harnessing Emerging Research Opportunities to Empower Soldiers, or HEROES, program, an interdisciplinary research initiative with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center. One of the key objectives is to improve the performance of combat boots manufactured in the United States, in compliance with the Berry Amendment.
“We anticipate playing an integral role in the future of U.S. military footwear,” said ARRIS CEO and co-founder Riley Reese, a materials engineer. “Engaging with the USFMA network is an important step, and we see a significant opportunity for ARRIS in this space.”
What sets ARRIS apart, Reese explained, is its integrated approach: design tools that model ideal fiber paths and mold geometry, in-house development and production of advanced composite materials, and a manufacturing process built to unite the two. This combination enables “structures that are far lighter and stiffer,” he said.
And perhaps just as important, ARRIS has demonstrated that this can scale.
“We have been able to manufacture millions of parts when a lot of companies are still dealing in low volume,” Reese said. “We have made well over a million parts in the last 6 months.”
“ARRIS is already supporting footwear manufacturers such as Brooks and Craft,” Reese added. “We’ve launched with some other brands, and we’ve got some more coming up next year.”