After adopting the Dr. Scholl’s Original Exercise Sandal for its Spring 2020 New York Fashion Week runway show, Kate Spade has announced an official collaboration with the comfort footwear brand that will be released for the upcoming Spring season.
The decision to bring the brand’s high fashion chops to a Dr. Scholl’s footwear collection was a result of the legacy the Caleres-owned footwear brand brings to the table.
“I have always been drawn to the style sensibility of the 70s and the sandal that immediately comes to mind when thinking of that era is the timeless Dr. Scholl’s wooden Original,” Glass said in a statement. “It remains a classic for a reason—its effortless style and comfortable silhouette have made it beloved by women across generations, time zones and style creeds. I was very excited to take the iconic shoe and give it a Kate Spade New York twist, using the vibrant colors and prints from our Spring 2020 collection. I love how the sandals give women another opportunity to layer print and texture into their look.”
The collection will consist of nine “reimagined takes” of the Dr. Scholl’s Original Sandal, defined primarily by a mixture of design elements that fans of both brands will easily recognize. The Original Sandal’s traditional buckle strap, for one, will be attached to the wooden base with Kate Spade-branded screws and new materials, like a floral spade jacquard, will serve to update the style.
Other materials in the collection include a daisy-printed leather, tweed and various shades of suede.
“Some things Kate Spade New York and Dr. Scholl’s Shoes have in common: We’re both passionate about thoughtful details, we both have sunny sensibilities, and, in our own unique ways, we empower people to live their lives to the fullest,” Katie Moore, design director Dr. Scholl’s Shoes added. “So our collaboration is all that times two: our iconic wood sandals reimagined in graphic-printed leathers, textured tweeds and supple suedes punctuated with clever touches and of course crafted to be comfortable.”
So far in 2019, NPD retail tracking data has pegged sandals, open-toed and comfort footwear as categories that saw growth during the warmer months—even as fashion footwear sales, at-large, fell by 4 percent.
Priced between $100 and $130, the collection will be released in April 2020 at select Kate Spade stores, e-commerce channels for both brands and at certain premium retailers.