Sperry Top-Sider: Preppy From Toe to Head
Most people know the East Coast shoe brand Sperry Top-Sider to be synonymous with its “authentic original” preppy boat shoes. Now the brand is ready to put its sailor style into swimwear and coverups for Resort 2013, created by Manhattan Beachwear, which holds the license for Sperry Top-Sider men’s and women’s swimwear. The classic and functional shoes have a wide fanbase—it’s sold to high-end stores such as Barneys New York and boating-supply stores such as West Marine and is the sponsoring footwear for the U.S. Olympic sailing team—and the swim brand hopes to tap into that same wide-ranging appeal.
Drawing from the heritage of the brand since 1935, Manhattan Beachwear interpreted signature details from the shoes into the swimwear.
For example, lace-up details prevail throughout the line, using grommets with the Sperry Top-Sider name etched into the metal, and nautical themes, such as the “Bretton” stripes in classic reds, navy, whites and gold hues. Nothing is too serious, though. Shiny lurex and sequins, elements that have been used in the women’s fashion shoes, “bling it up a bit,” said Manhattan Beachwear’s Howie Greller.
For men’s, the brand will offer hybrid shorts (a cross between walkshort styling in water-friendly materials), which is a breakthrough category in boosting shorts sales for surf shops the past two years.
“[Sperry Top-Siders] are now in places like Jack’s Surf Shop, so it already shows this brand has penetrated a surf distribution,” Greller said. “We’re aiming for that preppy lifestyle, so we’re giving the surf stores the ability to buy an authentic preppy line in a boardshort.” For more information, contact Manhattan Beachwear at (714) 892- 7354.—Rhea Cortado
