By Mark Seavy

Footwear has always been a good fit for licensing but, with the growing number of collaborations, it is gaining an outsized presence in the industry.

These collaborations stretch from luxury and music brands to athletes and entertainment properties. And the opportunities for brand expansion are being matched by a growing number of fit and form factors, including Skechers’ hands-free slip-ins and New Balance’s viral 1906L “sloafers,” a style somewhere between a sneaker and a loafer that is due to hit retail shelves in August.

“Now, more than ever, collaborations are important for footwear because younger consumers are displaying their fandom now not only in a t-shirt but an entire outfit,” a footwear licensing executive said. “There is greater emphasis on footwear in an outfit and the right collaboration can both raise a brand’s profile and drive sales that otherwise might have been missed.”

In many cases, the licensed collaborations are short-term, limited-edition offerings designed as much to raise brand profiles as to generate sales. Crocs, for example, sold 32 million pairs of shoes in Q1 at an average price of just over $23. One shoe helping to drive those sales was a slide that paired Crocs’ Hey Dude brand with the nostalgia-tinged Big Lebowski film. There have also been Crocs paired with Toy Story and Hello Kitty, and the brand also added a second collaboration with the luxury brand Simone Rocha. That range included seven styles priced at $175-$225 available in 20 global markets and sold out quickly, Crocs CEO Andrew Rees said.

The Rolling Stones’ “lick” logo was back for a second run with Skechers in advance of the band’s upcoming concert tour. Skechers, which got its start as a skateboarding brand and is targeting $10 billion in sales by 2026, is expanding further into sports with a number of new collaborations. The company signed a deal with New York Knicks’ Julius Randle and worked with designer Monisha Jaising to develop jerseys for the Mumbai Indians cricket team in the Indian Premier League. Sketchers also signed Mumbai Indians star Ishan Kishan, former California Angels and St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujos, and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw as brand ambassadors.

As a result of the growing market for footwear—global sales are forecast to hit $413 billion this year and increase 3.83% through 2028—some suppliers are seeking to expand their own brands from their base in licensed goods.

The SG Companies, for example, acquired the Rugged Shark brand from Gordon Brothers in 2009 and redesigned it in 2021. Rugged Shark, which got its start as a marine and fishing brand, is forecast to post $100 million in revenue this year with a focus on molded footwear. Moving forward, SG is ending some of its licensing agreements with entertainment licensed brands as it puts greater emphasis on Rugged Shark.

“The molded category of footwear was and still is seeing major growth and Rugged Shark offers versatile, dynamic, and affordable footwear,” said Kristy Yvars, VP of Licensing and Marketing at SG.

Ground Up, meanwhile, is launching its own brand of UPlift boots, expanding a footwear collection that largely relied on licensed properties including Barbie, Little Mermaid, Hello Kitty, Trolls, and others. The UPlift boots, available in two styles, are designed for toddlers and preschool children.

“This is all manifesting in a stronger U.S. wholesale rebound than we had originally anticipated for Q1 [as well as] continued strength on the domestic and international direct-to-consumer front,” said Skechers CFO John Vandemore. The chain has 5,203 of its own and third party-operated stores and plans to open 155–170 additional locations this year, Vandemore said.