ONES TO WATCH – FLITELESS

With over 40 years of footwear experience behind them, industry veterans Johan Ringdal, Anders Sverdrup-Dahl, and Paul Fleming, who you may know from Swims, have come together to launch a new project destined to disrupt the dress shoe market.

The now two-year-old footwear brand, dubbed Fliteless, solves a common problem of the modern working professional: commuting to and from work in sneakers to avoid the discomfort of dress shoes. Fliteless provides the solution by combining the technology and bounce of a running shoe with the elegance of a classic dress shoe.

“Fliteless is all about comfort and wellness – we’ve even dubbed one of our customer persona’s ‘the ex-athlete-turned-dealmaker,’ says Fleming. “At our core, we believe the modern guy should be able to walk around in complete comfort in his business shoes.”

And these shoes seem to be striking a cord with retailers and consumers alike. Fliteless has already found success with menswear stores across the U.S. include Andrew Davis, The Rogue, Pinstripes, Circa 2000, and more. (Retail price ranges from $280 to $380.)

Looking ahead to next year, Fleming and his team are rolling out a new digital POS unit which allows the brand’s wholesale partners to capture ‘missed sales opportunities’. “Our retailer partner would pocket a sizable commission off MSRP without having to own every SKU and the customer would receive his purchase directly to his home within 2-4 business days,” explains Fleming. “Essentially, we’re trying to think differently not just in our design process, but also in ways to evolve the business model for the benefit of our retail partners by adding a new revenue stream.”