Sartro Website

The working specification, launch plan, and questions still to answer

Working brief · updated 4 November 2026

Sartro’s website will introduce the sneaker, tell the French–American story, build a waitlist, and accept preorders. This page records the website conversation in English and serves as the brief for building the storefront with coding assistants.

Confirmed means a direction the founder has stated. Working means a tentative choice or assumption. Proposed means a recommendation still to approve. Built means it exists in the site code. The questions at the end keep unresolved details visible.

The brief

Element Current direction Status
Brand Sartro; a luxury feel, with distinctive design as the main appeal Confirmed
Customer Fashion people around 18 who buy from young designers on Instagram (Chapter 3). Whether they’ll pay $175–250 hasn’t been tested Working
Story A French–American fusion: Boston and Paris at the center, with NYC, Aix-en-Provence, and Saint-Lunaire as supporting influences Confirmed
Product One sneaker model Confirmed
Launch colors Probably both concepts: olive/cream/gold and cream/burgundy/silver; these are descriptive labels, not official names Working
First-run quantity Not set. Depends on the factory’s minimum order per colourway, which decides whether two colours are affordable Open
Retail price Around $175–$250 per pair; final USD and EUR prices remain open Working
Product readiness Sketches and renders available; a physical sample expected in a couple of weeks, as of 4 November Current position
Markets and languages US and France, with English and French available at launch Confirmed
Operations US-based operations and shipping Working; exact location and fulfillment arrangements open
First release A waitlist and the ability to preorder Confirmed
Preorder payment Full payment preferred; a deposit remains an alternative Confirmed preference
Timing Roughly two weeks for the first website version; exact launch dates open Target
Budget $50/month; which expenses count toward this limit remains open Confirmed ceiling
Build approach A custom website built with coding assistants; existing services handle payments and commerce. A first version exists in Next.js (see Current build) Confirmed
Founder experience Comfortable with HTML/CSS, terminal, GitHub, and coding assistants Confirmed
Previous store Polarwrld, built with Shopify; simplicity and commerce integration were useful, cost and flexibility prompted a different approach Context

Product concepts

The sweeping S, textured panels, and metallic-looking accents provide the starting visual language. These are concept references; the pictures do not establish the actual materials, construction, or production finish.

Olive, cream, and gold sneaker concept with textured panels, a sweeping gold S, and a sculpted sole.
Figure 1: Olive / cream / gold concept.
Cream, burgundy, and silver sneaker concept with a sweeping silver S, a burgundy textured panel, and a cream sidewall.
Figure 2: Cream / burgundy / silver concept.

Working product structure: one model, two color choices on one product page. Each color-and-size combination needs its own order and availability record. The drawings show different sole treatments; the final relationship between these concepts needs confirming before the production specifications are published. Chapter 2 sets out what the drawings leave open.

Image quality. Both files are photos of a screen; one shows the design tool’s interface. They’re fine for this brief, but the website needs clean exports or renders. Until then the site uses captioned placeholders. If this curriculum site is ever published, these images publish unreleased designs with it.

Visual direction

Zara’s website is the founder’s reference for photography, typography, layouts, product pages, and navigation. The proposed Sartro treatment is an editorial presentation focused on a single model and its two colors.

Element Proposed treatment
First impression A luxury sneaker brand with a French–American identity, apparent on the first screen. Visitors from Instagram decide in seconds, not in 20
Layout Large imagery, generous space, restrained typography, minimal navigation
Foundation Warm ivory backgrounds and dark typography, with the sneakers supplying the color and metallic detail
Identity A prominent SARTRO wordmark; the sneaker’s S as a recognizable design feature
Images Renders for the initial layout, followed by sample photographs showing texture, finish, construction, and fit
Story Personal connections to the cities, expressed through locations, photography, and short copy; the actual story still needs writing
Calls to action A clear invitation to join the first release, then choose a color and size when preorders open

The distinctive design is the current reason to seek out Sartro. Limited quantities, numbered pairs, and private access have not been decided. Whatever the waitlist is promised must be true. No discounts.

Copy rules. Describe materials by appearance (“textured”, “gold-tone”) until the sample confirms them. Don’t name the luxury reference brands on the site. Write the French in France French, using vous.

Pages and customer journeys

Both language versions cover the same product information and customer actions. The two-week target covers the waitlist column only; everything else waits for the preorder stage.

Page or area What it needs to do When
Home Introduce Sartro with a strong opening image, show both colors, tell the short brand story, and invite visitors to the first release Waitlist · built
Story Explain the founder’s Boston–Paris connection and the other influences; starts as a homepage section Waitlist · built; Boston–Paris text drafted, three cities to write
Waitlist Collect an email address, with optional color preference, usual shoe size and shipping country, and show a clear confirmation Waitlist · built
Journal Short entries on the making of the shoe: concepts, sample, factory Waitlist · built
Privacy What’s collected, why, who handles it, how to unsubscribe or delete Waitlist · built, to have checked
The sneaker Present one model with a color selector, matching image gallery, product details, sizing information, and the appropriate waitlist or preorder action Preorders
Checkout and confirmation Confirm the chosen color, size, price, shipping details, and payment result; explain what happens next Preorders
Help, terms of sale, contact Sizing, delivery, preorder terms, return/refund, and contact information appropriate to each country Preorders

Waitlist journey: Discover Sartro → Explore both colors → Join the waitlist → Receive confirmation.

Preorder journey: Discover Sartro → Choose color and size → Review price and delivery information → Pay → Receive order confirmation and delivery updates.

Functional specification

These are proposed requirements for the build, to refine as the open questions are answered.

Waitlist

  • Email is required. Color preference, usual shoe size and shipping country are optional; sizes show US and EU together and store the US size. Built.
  • Keep the signup language so follow-up messages can be sent in English or French. Built.
  • Handle invalid addresses, service errors, and successful signups with understandable messages. Built. Existing subscribers: handled by the email service once connected.
  • Record permission to receive launch emails: the consent wording sits next to the button, and each signup stores which version of it was agreed to. Every email carries an unsubscribe link. Built (recording); unsubscribe comes with the email service.
  • Make it possible to export the list and review interest by color, size and country. Preferences express interest, not reserved stock or orders.
  • Send the “preorders are open” email to the whole list on the same day. Brevo’s free plan sends 300 emails a day, so a list of 1,000 would take four days and break the first-access promise. Budget a paid month for the launch.

Product and preorders

  • Switching colors updates the images and the selected variant. Final color names, size choices, and availability come from confirmed product information.
  • Require a valid color-and-size selection before starting a paid preorder.
  • Cap each color-and-size line at its production allocation, and close it when it sells out.
  • Show a size guide based on the approved sample and fit information.
  • Display preorder status, the expected shipping window, and the total payable before payment.
  • Use full payment as the default working flow. A deposit flow would also need rules for collecting the balance.
  • Confirm payment through the payment service, record the order once even if a payment notification repeats, and send an order confirmation.
  • Preserve the customer’s choice if checkout is canceled or fails. Distinguish a waitlist signup from a paid preorder throughout the site.

Languages, devices, and daily operation

  • Offer a visible English/French switch and retain the product selection when switching language. Switch built; it keeps the current page.
  • Treat language, shipping country, and currency as separate choices. USD/EUR pricing behavior is still open.
  • Support mobile and desktop, readable text, keyboard navigation, descriptive image text, and clearly labeled forms.
  • Optimize the large product images so the editorial layout remains practical on a phone connection.
  • Give the founder a simple way to review orders by color and size, export them for fulfillment, issue refunds, and communicate delivery updates.
  • Choose an order-management workflow that preserves the simplicity the founder liked in Shopify. Payment collection alone does not settle this part of the specification.
  • Measure what works: tag Instagram and TikTok links so the founder can see which posts bring signups. Use a cookie-free analytics tool, or ask visitors in France for consent before setting analytics cookies.

Technical approach and budget

Approach: the customer-facing website is built with coding assistants and connects to managed services for hosting, email, payment collection, and order handling. The frontend is Next.js; the services are candidates until purchased.

Component Candidate Cost basis and remaining decision
Hosting Cloudflare Static assets have free hosting; dynamic features have separate usage limits and pricing. Official billing details. This Next.js site runs there through the OpenNext adapter. Vercel’s free plan is for non-commercial sites only; its paid plan is about $20/month
Waitlist and email Brevo A free starting plan includes 300 email sends per day; the suitable tier depends on launch volume, and the launch email needs a paid month. Plan details
Payment collection Stripe Checkout Standard payments have no monthly fee; transaction fees apply, with international-card and currency-conversion charges where applicable. Stripe Tax adds a per-transaction fee. Pricing
Order management Proposed: Stripe Dashboard + the site Orders and refunds in Stripe’s dashboard. Per-line stock caps kept by the site. A CSV export for shipping, and a low-cost label service for postage. No monthly fee. Revisit if volume grows
Domain To choose sartro.com was registered by someone else on 28 September 2026. Free on 3 November: wearsartro.com, sartrowrld.com, sartro.co, sartrostudio.com. Search the trademark first

Service information checked on 4 November 2026. These are candidates, not purchased or configured services. The $50 ceiling needs to account for the chosen order workflow and email tier. Payment fees, domain registration, and the coding-assistant subscription need an explicit budget treatment before the total is settled.

Current build

A first version exists in ~/Documents/Sartro/sartro-site (Next.js, English and French). It runs on the founder’s computer and isn’t online yet.

  • Built: home page in five sections (the shoe, two colours, the S, the story, first release). Waitlist form with colour, size, country, language and consent recording. Journal with a first entry. Privacy page. Automatic language choice from the browser. Ivory/near-black design.
  • Placeholders: the lines for New York, Aix-en-Provence and Saint-Lunaire, all images, contact email, company details, social links.
  • Before it goes online: connect Brevo (online signups are refused until then, so none are lost), choose and connect a domain, deploy to Cloudflare, have the privacy page checked.

Proposed launch sequence

The founder wants both a waitlist and preorders. The sequence below is a recommendation; the exact dates and whether both open together are still questions.

Stage Deliverable What needs to be ready
1 · Define Approve the visual direction and page content Domain choice, trademark search, available identity assets, color labels, short brand story, clean images
2 · Build Bilingual preview with both concepts and a functioning waitlist Built, except approved copy, images and the email service
3 · Open the waitlist Publish the first release invitation, in both countries Review on mobile and desktop in both languages; confirm signups reach the list
4 · Open paid preorders, US Enable color/size selection and full-payment checkout Approved sample, final prices and sizes, production allocation per color and size, shipping window, terms of sale, delivery/return information, a working order-management process, a Stripe check on payouts
5 · Open paid preorders, France Euro checkout A euro price that covers VAT and duty (or duties prepaid), the 14-day cancellation process, French terms of sale

The roughly two-week website target is separate from sample approval, production, and the date sneakers reach customers.

What a successful first version must demonstrate

  • A visitor understands Sartro’s identity, can find both colors, and can join the list in either language.
  • A signup reaches the email service with the correct preferences, language and consent; the founder can retrieve it.
  • When preorders are enabled, a test purchase records the correct color, size, amount, and delivery details and produces a confirmation.
  • Canceled or failed payments do not appear as paid orders; repeated payment notifications do not create duplicate orders.
  • The founder can find an order, process a test refund, and export the information needed to ship it.
  • The chosen services and their usage assumptions fit the agreed budget.

What success means for the business

  • Waitlist target: number of signups before preorders open. Waitlist-to-purchase rates for small launches vary widely, often in the low single digits; plan with a cautious figure and check it against the next line.
  • Preorder target: the number of pairs that covers the factory’s minimum order and the cash plan in Chapter 8.
  • Colour split: the waitlist’s colour answers show whether two colours are justified before money is committed to both.

Questions for you

Before the visual design and waitlist launch

  1. Date and launch sequence. What is the actual target date? Should the waitlist open first, or should waitlist and preorders become available together?
  2. Domain and identity. Which domain will you register now that sartro.com is taken? Which logo, wordmark, fonts, social handles, and contact address are already available? Has the name, and the S, been searched as trademarks?
  3. Product names and assets. What are the model and official color names? Will the sample cover both colors, and will both use the same sole and construction? Who will make the sample photographs? Can the renders be exported cleanly?
  4. The story. The Boston–Paris part is drafted (born in Amsterdam, raised in Cambridge, father from Paris, months living there in 2026). What do NYC, Aix-en-Provence, and Saint-Lunaire contribute to the design? What should the site say in a few sentences?
  5. Two colours or one. What is the factory’s minimum per colourway? If two colours means doubling the minimum, does the first run still have both?

Before paid preorders open

  1. Sizes and fit. What sizes, half sizes, and fit designation will be offered? What approved measurements will support the US/EU size guide?
  2. Prices and currencies. What is the final price within the $175–$250 range? Will France have a fixed EUR price or a converted price, and does it include VAT and duty?
  3. Production allocation. How many pairs per color and size? Will there be a preorder cutoff?
  4. France at launch or after. Paid preorders in France at the same time as the US, or once duties and returns are solved?
  5. Payment and delivery. Confirm full payment or a deposit. What shipping window can be communicated, where will stock ship from, and how will customers hear about delays?
  6. Shipping and customer service. What will delivery cost in each country? How will returns, size exchanges, cancellations, refunds, and support be handled?

Before choosing the final services

  1. Daily workflow. What must be manageable without code: editing products, availability, orders, refunds, shipping labels, and email campaigns? Does the proposed Stripe Dashboard workflow cover it?
  2. Budget boundary. Does the $50/month include the domain, business email, coding-assistant subscription, and payment-processing fees? What initial setup budget, if any, is available?

Decision log

Date Update
2026-11-04 Website brief created from the founder conversation: custom Codex build, $50/month ceiling, US and France, English and French, luxury presentation, Boston–Paris story, $175–$250 range, waitlist and full-payment preorder preference. Both concept images included; two launch colors remain the working plan. Service choices, launch gates, and implementation details remain proposals.
2026-11-04 Review: founder confirmed this brief as the current direction. Added customer, first-run quantity, legal and payment obligations, the Brevo launch-day limit, Stripe Tax, measurement, a proposed order-management workflow, business targets, and a France-after-US preorder stage. Price moved from Confirmed to Working. Recorded the first Next.js build (waitlist stage). Chapters 2–4 reconciled.