The Year of the Boat Shoe: All About Sperry

An icon of classic style, Sperry is a trailblazer in timeless footwear and modern casuals. The brand has long been synonymous with boat shoes, which have made an unexpected return to runways and pavements—miles from any bodies of water.

This year, top fashion magazines have observed a proliferation of maritime footwear, with Vogue dubbing 2024 as “the year of the boat shoe.” As prep style makes a comeback, we take a look back at Sperry’s archives, explore its exciting new collaborations and experience the enduring impact of the beloved Top-Sider.

“It’s the style iconography. It ain’t broke, so don’t fix it.”

— Jonathan Frankel, President of the Aldo Group, Authentic’s licensing partner for Sperry

ROOTED IN HISTORY

Sperry’s expertise is 90 years in the making—and it all started with a man’s love for the open ocean, his boat and his dog.

In 1935, Paul Sperry fell overboard into the Long Island Sound and had an epiphany. Mimicking the ridges of his cocker spaniel’s footpads, he created the world’s first-ever non-slip deck shoe with simple leather uppers and incised rubber soles.

This process, termed “siping,” was patented by Sperry himself two years later, and in 1940, the United States named it the standard issued shoe for the U.S. Navy casual uniform.

From the ‘60s through the ‘80s, Sperry began to expand the horizons of sailing, striking a balance between sport performance and understated leisure menswear. John F. Kennedy, Paul Newman and Mr. Rogers were among those recognized for popularizing the brand, which expanded to Europe, Asia and Latin America in the ‘90s and 2000s.

AN AUTHENTIC ACQUISITION

Authentic Brands Group acquired Sperry from Wolverine World Wide in January, when it jointly announced the Aldo Group would come on board as the brand’s North American operating partner.

As with other iconic and world-renowned brands folded into its platform, Authentic is leveraging its global network of category experts and best-in-class operating partners to grow Sperry’s product offerings and expand its market share around the world.

In line with its proven playbook, Authentic moved to convert the Sperry business into a licensed model. It recognized a significant opportunity to grow the brand’s lifestyle offerings, including rainwear, sportswear, bags and accessories, along with a particular focus on expanding its presence across the APAC region.

Sperry has 57 stores around the world, with 23 in North America and 34 across the Asia Pacific.

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“Sperry's influence extends far beyond fashion, embodying a lifestyle that celebrates exploration.” — Jamie Salter, Authentic Chairman and CEO

“Our powerful operational structure for stores, wholesale and e-comm has been built over five decades, and we’re excited to put our deep experience to use right away elevating Sperry.” — David Bensadoun, Aldo Group CEO

COOL COLLABORATIONS

Today, Sperry continues to make waves on, off and around the water through new and exclusive brand collaborations.

 

beams

At Paris Fashion Week in June, Sperry and Japanese clothing brand BEAMS PLUS held a private event to announce the new iteration of the nylon MIL CVO that pays homage to the original shoe created by Paul Sperry in 1935. The sneakers come in colorways of white, BP orange and navy, to be released alongside a limited-edition apparel capsule collection for spring 2025.

The line was also showcased at Project New York, a trade show exhibiting men’s contemporary, premium denim and designer collections.

todd snyder

The Sperry x Todd Snyder Authentic Original Boat Shoe, which launched in May, was inspired by the designer’s travels to the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Rich textures and earth tones take center stage with premium details including carefully sourced suede uppers and self-matching rawhide laces.

A celebratory launch party for the shoe brought together influencers and media to the Grand Banks wooden schooner in New York City, where they enjoyed light bites, refreshments and a preview of the new collaboration.

cncpts

Streetwear fashion brand CNCPTS also entered into a collaboration with Sperry in May. Together, the two used footwear to capture the most breathtaking tones seen in sunrises and sunsets around the world. Designed in five vibrant colorways on premium textured suede, the limited-edition shoes comprise a collection aptly named “Dawn to Dusk.”

To honor the partnership, CNCPTS’ flagship store in Boston featured a dedicated installation that paired each shoe in the line with meaningful ephemera.

chris echevarria

Blackstock & Weber founder and creative director Chris Echevarria was tapped to design a capsule of men’s shoes for Sperry with a shared commitment to American manufacturing. Made at the brand’s Rancourt factory in Maine, one of the few remaining shoe factories in the country, the Captain’s Oxford and the Authentic Original Boat Shoe employ Echevarria’s distinct design perspective with Sperry’s time-honored techniques of constructing high-quality footwear.

“Though the style has been reinterpreted in pop colorways, metallics and subject to cool designer affiliations (most notably a fashion-bro-friendly collaboration with Chris Echevarria of Blackstock & Weber), it is the classic version that continues to resonate.”

— The New York Times

 

from land to sea

Sperry also masterfully transcends the worlds of fashion and sport. The brand made headlines early this year when its collaborative designs with Chris Echevarria appeared at Kith’s Paris Fashion Week show and pop-up shop in New York City’s trendy SoHo neighborhood.

This summer, it proudly sponsored SailGP Team Canada, which competed at the recent New York Sail Grand Prix. In addition to supplying footwear for members of the team, the brand affixed its logo on the boat hull and gave influencers a behind-the-scenes tour of the team’s tech base.

 
 
Brand NewsEditorial StaffSperry