The Sandals Deliberation
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Sandals get a bad reputation. It used to be that sandals were confined to summer holidays and your Uncle John who adorned his favourites with a fetching pair of sports socks. Little did Uncle John know but he was a man before his time, trailblazing a path for sandal-lovers the world over. Now, it’s not uncommon, in fact, it’s more than likely, that when you step outside, socks and sandals combos are front and centre in footwear selection.
Over the last few months, our ‘offices’ may have changed location to a more homely-vibe, and our wardrobes may have adapted along with it, but one thing has held strong throughout it all – the sandal. So, it really shouldn’t come as any surprise that when it comes to choosing a sandal that we can rock in the office or the back garden, sunny travels and everything in-between, we look for something that merges function and aesthetic. We want comfort maximising, aesthetically pleasing sandals to carry us wherever we want to go (socially distanced and within the rules of lockdown, of course).
Suicoke originally produced small accessories in their native Japan, but are better known nowadays for their dynamic, lightweight sandals. Each pair features a Vibram sole, which allows not only hardwearing durability, but exceptional comfort. These are quite simply, sandals to live in. Chunky and boisterous, yet pragmatic and practical, it really is easy to understand why Suicoke are garnering an international following.
Not much is known about the designers, intentionally so. Suicoke desires for people to focus more on the product than the designers, that way the customer isn’t influenced in how to wear their sandals, or even who buys them in the first place. These sandals are about inclusivity, about dictating your own preferences. Wear the MOTO with a dresses or jeans, wear the DEPA-CAB with track bottoms and an oversized shirt, wear the classic KISSE-V with your pyjamas down the local supermarket – it really doesn’t matter. Because this is the message we should be shouting from our soapbox – COMFORT IS HERE TO STAY… With or without socks, we’ll leave that up to you.
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