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trace the first Golden Ageof the performance sandal, youmust go back in time…way

back…to the Roman Empire. Wearingleather strap sandals with iron hobnailsoles, fighters for the Roman Legion tra-versed and conquered massive territory.With the fall of the Empire, the techni-cal sandal seemed to fade away,until…well…about 20 years ago.

In 1984, Mark Thatcher officially launchedthe Teva brand, offering the first modern“technical” sandal with a rubber sole anddurable webbing secured via Velcro. He’dbegun thinking about his creation as earlyas 1975 when he worked as a boatman inthe Grand Canyon. Shoe companies at thetime did not offer adequate footwear forhim and his fellow boaters, so Thatcher wentto work on his new idea. By 1983, he wasselling his new concept out of the back ofhis Datsun. One year later his new brandwould not only gain a foothold (sorry forthe pun), but would also begin changing theface of the outdoor footwear market.

Twenty years later, performance sandalshave transcended the core outdoor marketand secured important wall space in all typesof stores. I’d say we’re actually witnessing anew Golden Age of the performance sandalthe likes of which Roman Legion soldiersnever experienced. With technologies thatrival those of any other footwear, modernsandals are once again carrying people tofar corners, if not to conquer, then to explore.

SANDALS GET A GRIPWhen asked why technical sandals made

such a splash in the market, Thatcher said,“I think there was really a pent-up de-mand, and the demand was much broad-er than I realized.”

One reason the concept may have takenoff so quickly is that Teva entered into a li-censing agreement with Deckers in 1985.The large footwear company was simplyable to broaden distribution of the sandalsand introduce them to a wider public. “Thebroader distribution must have accelerat-ed it,” said Thatcher. “You can hardly esti-mate what might have happened if we hadtaken a different course and tried to re-main more exclusive in our distribution. Ithink that would have been a mistake. Theconcept was so interesting to people, andso much more useful. It was so bound toaffect so many people.”

Having witnessed Teva’s success, othermajor footwear brands quickly followedsuit, offering their own versions of techni-cal sandals. Timberland introduced itsRiver Sandal in the late ’80s, infusing itwith qualities that matched the characterof the Timberland brand. Known for itsrugged leather footwear, it was the firstcompany to bring performance-gradeleathers to a technical sandal. “The RiverSandal is an example of where we com-bined ruggedness with our history of mak-ing boat shoes,” said Jay Steere, Timber-land’s global category director for outdoor.

The company’s TNT Trainer—a multi-

lug dayhiking shoe—was adapted to makethe TNT Trail Sandal. “That’s when we hitour stride and realized customers wantedfrom Timberland rugged features like wa-terproof leather straps,” Steere said.

Merrell introduced its first sandal, theBelize, in 1990. “Merrell took a bit of a dif-ferent tack (from other brands),” said Mer-rell President Jacques Lavertue. “Ratherthan webbing, we used quick drying syn-thetics. We built more of a rugged sandalwith a high-traction outsole—not so mucha water sandal.”

In the outdoor market and beyond, tech-nical sandals were quickly shifting fromwater-oriented product to gear used foreveryday outdoor and casual use. Teva con-tinued to dominate the overall technicalsandal market, but its widened distribu-tion caused the brand to take a hit in out-door specialty stores. Unable to competewith prices at big-box stores, specialty deal-ers began to bring in new, smaller brands.

“Our strength at specialty has dimin-ished and we have given up some ground,”said Thatcher. “We created the opportu-nity for Chaco and perhaps some otherbrands as well.”

Located in rural Paonia, Colo., Chacowas incorporated in 1989, when ownerMark Paigen and four others began mak-ing sandals in a 2,000-square-foot com-mercial building. Through guerrilla mar-keting, Chaco built a strong following

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BY MARCUS WOOLF

THE TECHNICAL SANDAL TURNS 20—AND CONQUERS THE FOOTWEAR MARKET.»

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among core paddlers and outdoor enthu-siasts. As Teva gave ground in the outdoorspecialty market, Chaco filled that nicheand grew steadily. The company now em-ploys 100 people, cranking out 300,000pairs of sandals a year for specialty shops.The brand is growing in Europe as wellas Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, Singa-pore and Hong Kong.

“Chaco has grown almost entirely fromword of mouth. To my knowledge wehaven’t really placed a paid ad,” said RichWeight, Chaco’s director of sales. “We stuckto a consistent strategy of working withthe best outdoor retailers in the country,and doing everything we could to supportour product within those retailers.”

He said that 1998 and 1999 proved piv-otal for Chaco. “That’s when that word ofmouth and grassroots really grabbed holdand found its way into more mainstreammarkets. It allowed Chaco to see the steepgrowth we’ve seen over the last five or sixyears,” said Weight.

As Chaco courted specialty dealers, themid- and late-90s saw a heap of footwearcompanies launch performance sandalstargeted to the wider sports market. Ac-

ponents,” he said, noting that some modelssport hook-and-loop closures that strength-en when exposed to water.

Despite the sandal crash in the ’90s, thetechnical sandal market is thriving onceagain. “In the last couple of years, we’veseen sandals coming back—really high-end technical sandals and good sandal-shoe hybrids,” said Steere.

According to Leisure Trends, units of per-formance sandals sold in outdoor special-ty stores rose 25 percent from 2001 to 2003.During the same period, sales of these typesof sandals declined noticeably, perhaps be-cause those stores allotted more space toincreasingly popular flip-flops and othercasual styles. Yet, the growth in specialtystores is undeniable. And there are a coupleof reasons for that growth. First, it seemswe’ve decided to just loosen up a bit.

THE WORLD KICKS BACKManufacturers suggest that society is ex-periencing a sort of “casualization,” andwe’re simply willing to show our toes in awider range of environments. Maybe folkshave felt a bit confined in their everydayshoes. “People wear sandals to work,

cording to Steere and other manufactur-ers, performance sandals grew so popularthat the market became flooded and wentinto a significant slump. Nevertheless, newcompanies continued to wade in.

Bite Footwear—a $15 million compa-ny that made its name in the golf world—entered the outdoor market in 1999 witha hiking sandal whose plastic toe guardturned heads. “When we came in, Chacowas at its prime in specialty shops,” saidJason Meredith, sales manager for Bite.“Our strategy was to find a niche, and wefirst launched toward the hiking category.”Having expanded beyond hiking models,Bite now offers 35 outdoor SKUs that gen-erate about $7 million in sales a year.

As small companies tested the waters, bigbrands were also undaunted by soft marketconditions. Columbia Sportswear introduceda line of moderately priced water sandalsfive years ago, and its offering is now pret-ty well rounded. “We run the gamut (abouteight SKUs) from an entry level $29.95 watersandal to a very technical river sandal that’s$79.95,” said Bill Berta, footwear generalmanager for Columbia Sportswear. “Theyhave evolved with improvements in com-

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Roman sandals used by conquering warriors.1984

Recreation of the first technical sandal offered by Teva in 1984.»

100 AD

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whereas five to seven years ago, most folkswouldn’t have thought about it,” saidBerta. “With the dress standards now, it’snot seen as out of place.”

In June, the MSN.com website specifi-cally addressed sandals in a piece titled“Do’s and Don’ts of Hot Weather OfficeWear.” In the story, Kate Lorenz wrote thatoffice workers should “make sure yourfeet are presentable.” OK, fair enough. Un-fortunately, Lorenz still thinks that onlywomen should wear sandals to work. “Onthe day you plan to expose your toes, applya smooth moisturizer and a fresh coat ofnail polish, before leaving the house,” shewrote. “Men should wear a conservativeslip-on shoe. Socks are optional.”

This, of course, is troubling. What aboutguys with low-volume feet who can’t wearslip-ons? Some poor guy is probably lostin the cosmetics department right now,searching for the appropriate nail polish.

Nevertheless, people today prefer san-dals for more activities year-round. “San-dals are now definitely a year-round item,even in northern accounts,” said Berta.“It may be due to people traveling and tak-ing vacations all year long.”

Merrell’s Lavertue agreed that the prod-ucts are now spanning all seasons. “Moreretailers are keeping sandals on the wallyear-round,” he said. “I know for a fact alot of multi-store retailers used to backout of sandals by August, but are nowkeeping ‘A’ doors equipped year-round.”

While growth may be due to casualiza-tion, the main reason people are strap-ping up is that today’s sandals feel ex-tremely comfortable. Now all types ofsandals boast many of the design featuresfound in athletic shoes.

A CUSHY RIDE“There are a number of characteristicsabout our product that hard-core enthu-siasts as well as average Joe and Jane findappealing,” said Weight of Chaco. “In thepast 10 years, the mainstream communi-ty has started to want the same featuresas the hard-core community.” When com-panies discuss features of modern sandals,they could be describing any hiking shoe.“Chaco sandals have a footbed contourthat controls pronation and supports thebone structure of the foot,” said Weight.

Lavertue explained that Merrell sandals

have full nylon shanks to prevent the san-dal from breaking down. The midsoles in-corporate air cushioning, and the footbedsare “contoured” and “three-dimensional.”This creates a sandal for “true all-daywear,” said Lavertue.

Bite has even built its sandals to acceptaftermarket footbeds. “We have alignedourselves with Phil Oren and his Boot FitSystem,” said Meredith. “We’ve tried totake sandals very seriously. We take tech-nology from some of the best hiking shoesand running shoes, even orthopedicfootwear—and put it into sandals.”

Bite’s Orthosport footbed sandal, intro-duced last year, accepts over-the-counteror custom-made inserts. He admitted thatthe concept hasn’t exactly caught fire, evenat specialty shops, but he’s hopeful. “It’s alittle bit of a foreign concept, so there’ssome education that needs to be done,”said Meredith. “Even though Phil Oren isbehind it, specialty outdoor retailers havenot come onboard as much as we hoped.I don’t know if they’re quite ready for it insandals. It’s perceived as maybe a little tootechnical, but we think they’ll figure it out.Adventure 16 and other top dealers have.”

More ergonomic and durable features make their way into the technical sandal.1992 1997

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Apparently, Teva thinks that Bite maybe on the right track. Roger Stevens, Tevasenior product line manager, said thecompany has noticed the added visibilityof store-bought footbeds and has consid-ered partnering with a footbed company.“That adds an extra element for the con-sumer,” he said

This year, Teva will introduce new trac-tion technologies and new rubber com-pounds for sandals. You’ll also see new en-gineering designed to circulate air aroundthe foot. It all adds up to a more comfort-able piece of footwear for the customer. Infact, technology has improved so much thatthe whole sandal concept is evolving. Nowwe’re witnessing the birth of sandal-shoe hy-brids that take performance to new levels.

SANDAL SPIN-OFFSIf you want to gauge just how far the per-formance sandal market has come, con-sider the fact that a running sandal is nolonger considered such an “out there” idea.“We’ve tried to legitimize it to the hard-core running customer,” said Stevens,adding that “you will definitely see new(running sandal) stuff from us at the tradeshow.” This summer Teva will roll out anew version of the Raptor II, which was in-troduced in 2001. The latest design will

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include new concepts that make it sleek-er and lighter, said Stevens. “And for spring2006, you will see further evolution of thattype of product.”

One of the most intriguing stories of thepast year has been the fast-paced growthof Keen and its closed-toe footwear. LastJanuary, Keen did a soft launch and has al-ready picked up business from large play-ers such as REI, Galyan’s (just purchasedby Dick’s), Cabela’s and Nordstrom. “We’vealso seen very good sell-though at inde-pendent specialty dealers,” said ScottMcGuire, outdoor category manager forKeen. The original concept was to offer asandal-shoe hybrid that offered greaterprotection while doing things such as rock-hopping while scouting a rapid. But Keendelivered a certain aesthetic and level ofcomfort that appeals to a broad market.

“Our demographic is all over the map,from 20-year-old river guides to 60 year oldsgoing to Europe for travel,” said McGuire.Keen shapes its own “metatomical” lasts, socontours in the footbed match those in thelast. “When the shoe is assembled, you getconsistent fit all the way around,” he said. Itsbest sellers, the Newport and Newport H2,

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contain nice details, including a little dip forthe big toe, a slight bridge in the forefoot, andarch support that runs through the center ofthe foot. McGuire said that this type of archsupport doesn’t create hot spots for peoplewith flat feet, and those with high archesfind the support they need, as well.

As Keen works to create a closed-toe rev-olution, another company is backing awayfrom traditional sandals and banking onanother type of spin-off, the water shoe.

“We have made traditional technical san-dals in the past, but did not make them for2005,” said Ian Yurdin, director of footwearfor Salomon North America. “Salomon’scurrent answer to the sandal market is theTech-Amphib and Pro-Amphib. We’re look-ing for product more diverse than simplyan open-toe sandal.” He said that Salomonhas positioned these shoes around a tech-nical water story. “They’re for someone thatwants a lightweight, breathable productthat drains easily—a rafting guide or some-one involved in a variety of water sports.”

RIDING THE WAVEBe it water shoes, closed-toe footwear ortraditional performance sandals, all com-panies agreed that they are riding a waveof strong sales. “This prong of our sandalbusiness is on fire, to the point where wewere out of stock on a lot of sandals thefirst of April,” said Berta of Columbia. “Wejust turned down a 10,000-pair fill-in orderthis week.”

Weight said that Chaco is enjoying year-over-year double-digit growth for units anddollars as the category continues to grow.“We’re still finding good outdoor specialtydealers to carry our products. We’re seeingaverage dollars per store increase, and thedealers we have are growing,” he said.

Go With the Flow, a core paddling shopin Roswell, Ga., attests to the growing pop-ularity of sandals. “We started selling moresandal brands about three years ago,” saidDavid Schubert, president of Go With theFlow. “We started seeing college and highschool kids coming to us for them. We sellabout 12 different brands now, from flip-flops to technical sandals.”

Just 20 years old, this new empire ofperformance sandals is still in its wakingdays. As we enjoy this new Golden Age,the empire shows no signs of weakening,as companies explore new frontiers in de-sign and technology. “There’s still a waysto go as far as getting to the full athleticismof what it could be,” said Thatcher.“There’s still a ways to go.”

» To download extra copies of this magazine orto give us feedback, go to GearTrends.com.

Design and comfort now define today’s technical sandals.2004

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