This crazy hot summer calls for cool shoes—easy on the eye, fresh on the feet, and which can take you from the mall to the beach.
We love shoes that are comfy and fun. It’s a big plus if they’re washable and dry quickly, such as Sanuk, the casual footwear brand locally distributed by the Primer Group of Companies.
Sanuk recently introduced its Spring 2014 collection in a beach fashion show at Pico de Loro Cove in Hamilo Coast, Batangas. The event also launched Sanuk’s A Space 2 Play global campaign, which encourages outdoor adventure.
Sanuk’s Spring 2014 collection showcases new models of its best-selling Sidewalk Surfer canvas shoes and yoga-mat sandals. We saw pastels, camo, Aztec prints with sequins, studs, knits, jute rope details.
The collection is broken down into categories: Tropic Funder, featuring floral and animal prints; Ethnical Behaviour, with embellishments, ethnic textiles, bold prints; and Derby Daze, with pinstripes and polka-dots.
Summer-ready styles for men are Commodore Funk, slip-on shoes in camo and red poncho prints, and Cassius, lace-up shoes in basic black and brown, navy blue, red, olive.
Block Party and Party Animal are men’s sandals with patterned wide straps. Models wore these with floral polos and shirts, chino shorts, fedora hats and shades.
Selfie-worthy shoe styles for women are Ric Rac Row in black and cream with a colorful striped upper, and Tailspin in natural, coral and teal with subtle gold studs on the back.
Maritime black sandals have sexy, thin straps in solid colors, while Yoga Sling sandals have wide, stretch-knit fabric straps in basics and neons. Models wore these with floral bustier tops and long chiffon skirts, rompers, denim shorts, simple white tops and wide-brimmed hats.
Slimmer, sleeker
The Sanuk Spring 2014 collection showcases two new features: Thinovation soles and Instaplay footbed.
Sanuk brand manager Vangie Chua Chan explained that the Sidewalk Surfers now come with thinner soles called Thinovation. “These no-ledge soles make shoes look slimmer, sleeker. It’s the same shoe but with a trimmed sole; it’s likened to taking the crust off sandwich bread.”
Sanuk shoes are available in both classic and Thinovation soles, she added. Students and kids go for the thin soles, while men, who make up the majority of Sanuk buyers, go for the classic.
Chan said women use Sanuk as “after wear” after a long day or partying in heels, and the new Instaplay footbed aims to make the shoes even more comfortable. Instaplay “offers the comfort of stepping on a yoga mat, and puts a spring in your step.”
We took the new water-ready Sanuk shoes and sandals for a spin on the Pico de Loro beach and went cove-hopping, snorkeling, paddling, jet-skiing. The footwear has good grip, and is lightweight even when wet. They also dry up fast and are pretty easy to clean.
Chan’s tip: “Use shampoo instead of detergent to wash your Sanuks, it’s gentler than hard detergent; air dry, and they’re ready to use again.”
Visit www.sanuk.ph, www.primergrp.com. Like Sanuk Philippines on Facebook.
