It may be cold outside now in much of the U.S., but it’s never too early to start thinking about footwear for Spring/Summer 2020.
The new Sol Bounce footwear line from Totes-Isotoner includes proprietary “Everywear” technology—a patent-pending, “virtually wear proof” material that will never lose its original cushioning, the company claims.
The brand breaks down the qualities of Everywear cushioning into eight factors: its “virtual weightlessness,” “extreme” lifetime comfort, lifetime durability, waterproofness, collapsibility, scuff resistance, puncture resealability and its anti-microbial qualities.
“We created the Everywear compound to solve a common concern—consumers love the feeling when they first wear a shoe, but the comfort breaks down over time,” Tommy Bray, Totes-Isotoner vice president of innovation and design, said. “Everywear delivers a host of new benefits and applications.”
Totes-Isotoner said it spent years engaged in R&D until it found a compound that was significantly lighter but more durable than typical footwear outsole materials. Through pre-market testing, the brand said that consumers frequently described Everywear-equipped footwear as “bouncing” and capable of “putting a spring in your step.”
The Sol Bounce line of slides, flip flops and water shoes for men, women and children will debut ahead of the summer in February of 2020 at major U.S. retailers and through Totes-Isotoner e-commerce channels.
The rain, cold weather accessories and comfort footwear company previously released Everywear through a rain boot silhouette called the “Totes Cirrus” that it described as “tough as boots, light as clouds” and which featured a final weight that Totes-Isotoners claimed was 70 percent lighter than the average rain boot.
With an average of 4.5 stars or better on the brand’s retail site and on “many major U.S. retailer sites,” Totes-Isotoner is planning an expanded rollout of the rain boot across even more domestic retailers in the future.
Recent developments indicate the company is on the upswing. On Nov. 22, Totes-Isotoner avoided bankruptcy via an agreement with its lenders and various owners for a “consensual recapitalization” on a new long-term capital structure. The company said the deal would buoy its overall financial performance and cash position, assisted by additional investments of more than $20 million from certain lenders.
The recapitalization would also help Totes-Isotoner pursue “various growth opportunities,” although the deal would still come with a customary withdrawal of its credit rating by rating agencies.
“With best-in-class brands, great products, new innovations and end-to-end supply chain operations, we are well-positioned to delight consumers and grow with our retail partners,” Dan Rajczak, the CEO of Totes-Isotoner, said. “And, with the strong financial support of our lenders, we will have the means to fully drive our strongest growth opportunities—all good news for our people, our customers and our business partners.”
