Sanuk aims to put the fun in footwear, with the slogan "Smile ... pass it on!"
Sanuk founder Jeff Kelley was in town to mark the grand opening of the brand's third company-owned store, and first in Hawaii, in less than one year.
The event took place Dec. 11 at the store in the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa, where there was a blessing by Blaine Kamalani Kia, performance by long-time Sanuk ambassador/surfer/musician Donavon Frankenreiter, and beach party fare of hot dogs with all the necessary condiments, and fancy s'mores on a stick.
Sanuk is now a division of Deckers Outdoor Corp., but Kelly told me the whole story of how he simply started creating funny footwear for himself in his back-yard shed because that's what he wanted to wear and there was nothing like it on the market at the time, in the late 1990s.
He dubbed his first creation, with a bed of indoor/outdoor carpeting the "Fur Real," (like AstroTurf) inspired by a trailer trash moment in fashion, and he dubbed his fledgling company Sanuk, which means "fun" in the Thai language, and his aim was to create "funk-tional" sandals for fellow outdoor buffs.
"I knew all the surf shop owners, but the funny thing was they did better with luxury retailers like Louis Boston, Fred Segal and Barney's." His high-end contacts came through attending the Magic Trade Show.
Even so, he said business was slow until he created his signature slip-on Sidewalk Surfer, by putting a shoe top made of poncho fabric on a sandal footbed. He also became the first to create a sandal with a cushy yoga mat footbed in 2006. It's now one of the top sellers among women.
"The cushion's different," he said. "It works like a Temperpedic mattress, molding itself to the shape of your foot."
In the spirit of fun, the shop was giving away stickers, and Frankenreiter-inspired moustaches, which will be perfect for wearing to the opening of "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues," tomorrow!
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