The DTC brands behind the men's loafer boom

Chris Echevarria saw this moment coming.

It was 2017, and after years of streetwear dominance, menswear consumers wanted to dress up more. Echevarria came up with the idea for a shoe that bridged the gap between a Nike Air Force One and a classic penny loafer. The result, a moccasin with a thicker sole and an upper in dramatic fabrics like zebra prints and embossed snakeskin, is the flagship product of his Blackstock & Weber shoe brand, which he founded this year- there.

“I felt like people weren't telling the story of the versatility of the moccasin properly,” Echevarria said. I just wanted it to be fun. I wanted it to be exploratory.

Six years later, Echeverria's bet on men's moccasins has come to fruition. Blackstock & Weber sales grew 300% year over year in 2023, and in May, Echeverria opened a retail store called 242 Mulberry in New York's SoHo neighborhood, where Blackstock items & Weber are highlighted alongside Oxford shirts and denim chore jackets from Echeverria Clothing. Brand Academy.

Loafers have been a staple of men's fashion since the mid-20th century. But in recent years, the style has entered the zeitgeist among younger menswear buyers who have moved from graphic tees and sneakers to a more prepich, dressy-casual aesthetic, pairing loafers (and other slip-on styles like boat shoes and slippers) with five-inch shorts and knee-high socks or flared denim. Google searches for men's loafers have increased 25% year over year since 2023, and there are currently over 12 million views of men's loafers on TikTok, an increase of approximately 130,000 views per week, according to the research firm Trendalytics.

We live in a post-sneaker boom society, said Chris Black, columnist for GQ and founder of brand consultancy Done to Death Projects, which works with companies like J.Crew and Thom Browne. A moccasin is a very accessible style for most men. It goes well with jeans; it goes well with shorts. You can't really mess it up.

Younger shoppers, who can't shell out as much as $1,800 for loafers from older brands Churchs or Crockett & Jones, are instead buying loafers from direct-to-consumer brands like Blackstock & Weber, as well as shoe brand Swedish company Morjas, which sells $400 worth of handmade products. pairs and saw its sales increase 50% year over year to reach $8 million in 2023. On June 4, it opened a five-day pop-up in New York to increase its awareness on the one of its largest markets.

Even brands that don't specialize in shoes are booming. Bespoke menswear brand Stffas is attracting traffic to its flagship store which opened in May. Todd Snyder, who sells loafers and slip-ons through collaborations with brands like Alden and Sperry over the past eight years, has seen loafers grow from 14% of shoe sales to 24% over the past eight years. past year. This year so far, moccasin sales are up 126% compared to 2023; Todd Snyder plans to launch his first in-house moccasin in 2025, said Alejandro Rhett, chief product officer.

Having a luxury experience at a contemporary price is very appealing to many people, said Jake Woolf, former GQ editor who now gives men's style advice to his 230,000 followers on TikTok. [These brands have] I found a really good place where they offer a style that people want [and] they offer a quality that intrigues people.

The new arrivals mark the current success of moccasins with the unique Blackstock & Weber design with its chunky soles and funky upper; Morjas and his Swedish minimalism; and Stoffa with her slippers. They also tap into the zeitgeist with lively collaborations and add complementary categories to promote long-term brand building.

Meeting the moment

In the early 2010s, fashion-obsessed men were obsessed with Italian tailoring and styles like double-strap shoes were a status symbol.

But today's moccasin buyers aren't limited to traditional options. Silhouettes that challenge gender norms, like Bodes house shoes, Lemaires flat-piped slippers, and Margielas Mary Jane Tabi loafers, are also dominant.

Loafers have become like another template for how you want to navigate your way through what we call style, or just a canvas that designers can sort of riff on in a million different ways, a Woolf said.

The $600 Stffas slippers made from vegetable-tanned calfskin attached to a natural latex sole that hugs the wearer's foot are meant to encapsulate a softness that appeals to modern male shoppers. Slippers, as well as a variant with open lacing, account for 70% of shoe sales.

Men have become much more adventurous and open in the way they dress, said Nicholas Ragosta, co-founder of Stffas, adding that they are more willing to wear slip-on or open shoes.

Brands are also putting their spin on other popular slip-on staples, like boat shoes, and tapping collaborators who resonate with the hip menswear consumer.

In June, Morjas teamed up with the pop culture podcast How Long Gone, co-hosted by Black, with DJ Jason Stewart, and attracts an audience of well-off cosmopolitan men on a $350 boat shoe in navy hairy suede . with a black sole. The style and collaboration fit Morja's desire to update classic styles while responding to the cultural moment, said Henrik Berg, founder and CEO of Morja.

We do things that allow us to be creative and not take ourselves too seriously, Berg said. This is the kind of brand I want to build for the long term. It's a really good balance between doing what we do and at the same time adding a little spice to it.

Built to last

Loafers may be coveted right now, but supply may be starting to outstrip demand. According to Trendalytics, the number of men's loafers available on the market has jumped 35% over the past year, while searches for this style have increased by 25%.

Many brands benefiting from loafermania have already started to diversify their assortments. Morjas released a canvas lace-up sneaker in May, and its hiking boots perform reliably in fall and winter. London-based Duke + Dexter, known for its loafers adorned with cheeky graphics like scorpions or cocktails on the shoes' uppers, also offers wallabee-style sneakers and lace-up boots.

Yet penny loafers are Morja's best-sellers, accounting for more than 20 percent of overall sales. The brand is in no hurry to reduce this share.

We don't expect the penny loafer to fall, Berg said.