As last spring’s stay-at-home orders kept many at home, slippers—perhaps unsurprisingly—surged. According to product intelligence company Trendalytics, searches for men’s slippers increased 58 percent last May compared to the year earlier.
Eleven months later, Google Trends data show interest has yet to return to pre-Covid levels. Searches for the term—though trending downward since Christmas—stood at 20 percent of the holiday 2020 peak last week, roughly where they were a year ago as they were trending upward amid widespread lockdowns. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, early-April interest generally hovered at about two-thirds of those levels.
With demand for slippers still strong, but prolific vaccination programs promising a potentially pivotal shift in where consumers spend their time, The Enjoiya Group is betting on versatility.
The women’s footwear company recently unveiled plans to launch an indoor-outdoor slipper collection for the Fall/Winter ’21 season. Introduced to the retail community in February, the new styles will become available to consumers in August. The Enjoiya Group’s founder and CEO, Frank Cammarata, described the upcoming additions as “a natural extension” of the company’s footwear business.
“As more of the population has recently adapted to their home settings, comfortable, fun and informal accessorizing has been trending,” Cammarata said in a statement. “Consequently, we decided to augment the type of product we typically carry and add additional versatility and functionality. Although we anticipate things returning to normal in due time, we feel that this product is here to stay.”
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Going forward, the company said, comfort slippers will represent “an integral component” of both its Soft Comfort and Enjoiya brands. Updated classic styling, luxe materials, and all-day comfort will feature prominently in the new collections, it added.
Products within Enjoiya’s Soft Comfort brand will center on providing a casual, relaxed feel. Warm and colorful, the Fall/Winter ’21 slipper offerings will include clogs, slides, booties and moccasin slippers. Colors will range from bright red and classic navy to soft gray and basic neutrals. Buckles, buttons and plaid linings will offer fashionable detailing.
The Enjoiya slipper line, meanwhile, will focus on high-quality materials, vibrant colors and “superb craftmanship,” the company said. Materials will include suede, wool and felt, as well as plush fur and shearling for the linings.
“Our vision for adding this category is to provide the consumer with quality footwear that has a touch of being whimsical and fun, may spark a conversation and also be easy to slip on and off,” Cammarata said. “Enjoiya and Soft Comfort are descriptive terms, very slipper friendly, and we feel that this decision will prove to be a very successful one.”