Walk on the wild side

Dressed in an all-American outfit — jeans, T-shirt and a pair of Sidewalk Surfers, Jeff Kelley, founder of the super “funktional” Sanuk brand, lives and breathes the ’70s surf culture — a free spirit in search of perfect waves. Hailing from the sandy beaches of California, he started creating fun, crazy footwear out of indoor-outdoor carpets. Well, this idea became pretty cool in and out of the global surf and water community.

Even A-list celebrities are joining the ranks of proud Sanuk owners. Like Brad Pitt, who was seen wearing a pair in Vietnam while cruising on a motorcycle with his beloved Angelina Jolie. Just recently, Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols was photographed in Details magazine wearing a pair with his pajamas. And hey, even Zac Efron sported a pair at LAX airport.

So there really must be something unique about these sandals that make the feet happy and balanced, just like what the name Sanuk means in Thai.

“Sanuk’s Sidewalk Surfers are sandals and not shoes,” says Sanuk owner Kelley. “They are the closest things to walking barefoot. With our Barefoot Untechnology, it allows the feet to bend and flex the way natured designed us to walk.”

Dig this, the Sidewalk Surfer collection is an interesting series of a sandal-shoe hybrid. Featuring a shoe upper on a sandal bottom, they combine the year-round style and protection of a shoe with natural comfort. The loose upper allows your foot to spread so it can absorb shock naturally. This strengthens the small muscles that support your arch and encourages you to walk correctly. Sorry, there are no springs, coils, pumps or air bags, but after walking naturally you won’t want to wear anything else. In a nutshell, Sanuks blend everything that’s rad about shoes and everything great about your favorite sandals — simplicity.

Since a pair of Sanuks strengthens the feet, a lot of podiatrists in the States e-mail Kelley and recommend them to clients. Diabetics are also fans because the soft surface of the sandal doesn’t hurt the feet.

Kelley also explained that Sidewalk Surfers aren’t meant for those who wear glamorous-looking suits because it’s “built for the ghetto.” As for the design process, Kelley wanted to capture the barefoot range of motion and keep the feet flat for the right posture.

My officemate Joseph Cortes was the first to discover Sanuks in Rustan’s. He loves that Sidewalk Surfers are comfortable, easy to put on and at the end of the day you can just kick it off. Joseph says, “It’s more than just a pair of sandals — I was standing on some metal railings once, and the soles felt different. It seems to spring or bounce as you walk. Cleaning is not a hassle also as you just drop it in the washing machine.”

Well, the first time I saw a pair, I thought they weren’t fashionable but when I tried them on, I fell in love with the comfort factor. I am so excited about the new designs coming soon because they’re just so adorable.

For brand’s endorsers, expect the best from the surfing world like Shane Dorian, Donovan Frankenreiter and Timmy Turner, who all believe that Sanuk is a fun and lighthearted brand that prides itself on bringing freedom, optimism, style and comfort to everyone’s feet.

Aside from the sandals, Sanuk has other products like Jellies, indoor-outdoor carpet flip-fops, Guatemala blanket thongs and super-cushy, super commercial sandals with Tarzan prints or variations on indigenous folk art themes. In the future, expect the brand to infuse a new technology called Power Balance holograms to improve balance and total well-being.

Other cool things that happened to the brand last year is that it won the Breakthrough Brand, Footwear Product of the Year and Best Men’s Ad Campaign from the Surf Industry Manufacturer Association and also the Footwear Product of the Year by Footwear Retailers.

“No matter where you live, what you do, rich or poor, goofy foot or regular, longboarder or shortboarder, your feet should be happy,” concludes Kelley. “Our sandals will make the Sanuk-ness sweep over you.”

With Sanuks, expect trippy prints with ultra-comfy soles. After all, happy feet bring good vibes — a trick even the best flip-flops can’t pull off.

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Sanuk’s first-ever stand-alone store is located at Glorietta 4, Ayala Center. Sanuk is also available at Rustan’s Department Store, Rest-Toe-Run at TriNoma, Shoe Salon and selected Bratpack, Stoked Inc., and Chocolate Clothing boutiques.