Hey, what's up Dude?

Hey Dude!

How's everyone doing? I must say I've been a little busy slacking off, but we're back in action! We want to talk about Hey Dude as a whole. How the brand started, what their goal is, and how they plan to get there!

Hey Dude was first introduced in 2008 by Alessandro and Dario, two Italian footwear experts. By the next year they had reached the shoe market in the United States, and their branch was opened by Daniele. Yes we know first names, but last names are apparently top secret!

June of 2010 was yet another milestone for the brand, as the loafers were being stocked internationally in Europe, Asia, and South America. Within 30 months of Hey Dude being founded the one millionth pair had been sold, which means the brand was explosive!

In 2018 they released the women's line Wendy, which is the version based off Wally. That same year Hey Dude had sold their five millionth pair of shoes before their 10 year anniversary in September!

For further expansion, Hey Dude needed to become more environmentally friendly and reduce their carbon footprint. Eco Knit is based on the Wally style, but uses recycled fibers to produce a more breathable upper.

Shipping is the biggest environmental challenge throughout the industrial world. To overcome this hurdle Hey Dude uses biodegradable packaging that originates from cornstarch! The cork insole has recycled open-cell eva foam that allows air circulation, and coconut oil that reduces smelly feet stank. 

100% recycled P.E.T fibers is repurposed "environmental waste" from plastic bottles that are used throughout the upper of their loafers. Leather is also a big factor in waste, so by using hide and fabric scraps that are fused together, the water usage during production has decreased by 90%. Staying with the goal of using less water, all of the cotton used is grown with zero chemical fertilizer or pesticide treatments.

I don't know about you guys but I'm a huge fan of the planet we live on, and as of now it's the only one we can survive on. Anything that we can do to stay here a little longer is A-okay in my book!

Maybe you'll hear from us next week, or maybe we'll slack some more, who knows. Have a great weekend my dudes!

Brown's Shoe Fit Co.