Who loves footwear?
The last few years have seen some really cool stuff. And when I say last few - lets throw a bigger than 2-3 year net around that.
We saw the birth of Keen Shoes - man do I love there stuff. It wears well is cut for performance and function and its comfortable.
We saw the birth of Crocs - I know Waldies was first but Crocs rock or at least they did rock. Now they are into everything and some of its cool but some of its clearly not outdoors anymore.
We saw FIVEFINGERS from Vibram what a very cool product - own several pair and they are doing extremely well.
So lets look at those three just for a moment. Three great companies - three great shoes - so why do we buy them for our outdoor activity? And then why do so many people coming behind us buy them for their outdoor activities or just to plain old wear?
I am going somewhere here - I truly understand that the outdoor industry only has so many customers and that the shoe people need to reach other markets. That’s cool - but does it change the core of the awesome product we fell in love with and made popular?
In the case of Keen the answer is clearly no…the same holds true for vibram I think. But as a paddler who wore crocs way before they were cool (I can remember two girls stopping and then taking a double take when I was in the grocery store isle - wish I could say it was me but it was the crocs - orange crocs to boot) maybe just maybe we have been abandoned?
Let me hear your thoughts…
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