Dive Brief:
- Marking its first venture into more traditional footwear, Bombas on Tuesday launched the Friday Slide sandal.
- The slide, which retails for $48, comes in six colorways: black, yellow, dark olive and soft white, as well as coco plum for women and blue for men. The women’s shoes come in sizes 5 to 11, while the men’s come in sizes 7 to 13, according to details emailed to Retail Dive.
- The slide is currently available exclusively on Bombas’ website, a company representative told Retail Dive.
Dive Insight:
After more than a decade, Bombas is moving into traditional footwear.
The shoe was designed to emulate the feeling of a “summer Friday” — a lifestyle popularized by millennial and Gen Z consumers, Bombas said. In its campaign coinciding with the product launch, the brand features a wide range of models, spanning generations, to help display that idea.
“Beyond its vintage aesthetic, this campaign taps into a cultural shift, demonstrating that the appeal of the ‘eclectic grandpa/coastal grandma’ transcends age boundaries and resonates with a broader audience,” the company said. “The allure of retired coastal living, where everyday feels like a summer Friday, knows no age limits — it’s a vibe that everyone aspires to.”
The shoe, made from EVA material, is designed to be light and airy, waterproof, supportive and provide arch support, the company said.
Bombas, which was founded in 2013, became popular for both its socks and philanthropic mission of supporting individuals experiencing homelessness. The company promises to donate an item for every product purchased; to date, it says it has donated over 100 million items to over 3,500 community organizations.
The brand has since expanded to products like T-shirts, underwear and slippers, and it maintains its commitment to donate a product for every product purchased. That includes its new Friday Slides, with the company promising to donate a pair of socks to organizations supporting those affected by homelessness for every pair of slides purchased, the company representative told Retail Dive.
The launch, a natural product expansion for a company that debuted with socks, comes as other brands move into adjacent categories to broaden their reach. Lizzo’s Yitty shapewear brand earlier this month launched into swimwear. Allbirds in 2019 expanded beyond shoes with the launch of its Trino Socks. Period care brand Thinx in 2021 expanded into activewear. And Parachute, which started out by selling linens, a few years ago broadened its assortment to include furniture.