Final: Sperry Top Siders

"For Sperry Top-Sider, a boat shoe isn’t just a boat shoe — it’s the foundation for an entire way of life." (http://www.wwd.com/footwear-news/markets/brand-of-the-year-sperry-top-sider-2383105?full=true) Sperry Top-Sider has been around since 1935. It started out simply as a shoe made to be worn on boats. It has been through phases of popularity and unpopularity. In the 80s it took the fashion world by storm. It was featured in The Preppy Handbook and it became the new “it” factor. "Over the past 20 months, the Lexington, Mass.-based brand (a division of Topeka, Kan.-based Collective Brands Inc.) has been working to grow from a dependable player in the heritage category into something more: a worldwide brand that draws inspiration from its all-American, nautical roots. And even amidst the economic slowdown, that’s just what it’s been doing." (http://www.wwd.com/footwear-news/markets/brand-of-the-year-sperry-top-sider-2383105?full=true) They have had some hard times ver the years and are in need of something new without changing their style. They need to keep their preppy sailor style, but switch it up to new age styles.

This is what they are attempting to do and some people are noticing and believing they can reinvent their brand if they keep down the path they are heading. “The 2012 version of preppy is very different from the 1980s version of preppy,” she says. “We’re seeing a kind of wit exhibited through color and fabrication changes. It’s one thing to have a pair of brown Top-Siders, beat up and maybe taped together. It’s another thing to have a pair of flannel ones designed by Band of Outsiders that have a hipster vibe to them.” (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/fashion/articles/2012/04/05/reviving_sperry/) They have come out with all sorts of colors and patterns on their simple boat shoe. I actually own a pair of the sparkly silver ones. They are becoming a huge fad because they changed their standard leather boat shoe to an interesting boat shoe and also got the right people wearing them. They can be seen on celebrities everywhere like, Blake Lively, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. These are huge fashion icons and impact the new generation. They can turn any fancy outfit into a casual and cute outfit and they also can dress up a pair of jeans and a tee. “What I’ve seen time and time again is a more traditional brand try to reinvent itself and change their product into something it’s not,” says Marden from Details magazine. “But they’re doing it just right.” (http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/fashion/articles/2012/04/05/reviving_sperry/) They have not sold out their image at all in order to be in the spotlight again. They have kept their sacred nautical image. They have even broadened their market and decided to cross the ocean. “Despite a deep connection with the United States – Top-Siders were de rigeur in a prep-schooler's closet circa 1983 – the Massachusetts-based shoemaker actually manufactures its iconic Authentic Original collection overseas." (http://www.mensjournal.com/style/shoes/an-american-made-boat-shoe-20130319) This is going to make a huge impact on their company. They will generate more revenue from fashion forward countries and also countries that are in need of actual sturdy boat shoes. They may be fashionable but no one can overlook the fact that they are reliable shoes for a boat.