It has been four years since the Czech Skinners introduced their first hybrid “sock shoes”. During them, the company became known to a wide range of people who use them not only for trips in nature, but also for fitness training or home walking. Skinners continues this campaign even now, introducing a new generation with a wider toe, support insole and greater endurance.
For a new, more durable version, the company, led by Petr Procházka, launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, from which it promised itself at least $ 40,000. To the surprise of the creators, she managed to collect this amount in the first six hours, and currently people have already sent more than $ 100,000 to the new “skinner”, ie over 2.3 million crowns.
After all, the Brno company has been following the path of crowdfunding with great success since the beginning of its existence. The first Skinners 1.0 campaign celebrated first place among crowdfunding footwear in 2016, and the new model went in the same direction as it placed in the top ten most popular projects on Kickstarter.
Petr Procházka (CEO) and Michaela Matějková (COO), co-founders of Skinners
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Skinners for a long time they score points with a completely new type of footwear, which simulates barefoot walking and is made by hand without residual waste from ultrafunctional fibers. The resulting model is therefore very light, compact, supports the foot in its natural position and at the same time protects it. It can also be used for sports or travel.
The first model was developed by the founder Petr Procházka from a sock to help his friend, who injured his leg and could not walk in classic shoes. To prevent the socks from piercing quickly, he attached a sole to them and finished the first prototype with the material he found on the construction site. And so the future skinner company was born.
Today’s sock boot retains its original form resembling a sock, but has undergone a four-year evolution and, according to its creators, can already be described as footwear. “In many respects, we functionally exceed other types of footwear, such as sandals, slippers and crocs. Another reason is that nothing is worn on the outside of Skinners, on the contrary, we recommend using thin socks inside “ the co-owner of the company Michaela Matějková answers the question whether it is a sock or a shoe.
At the same time, Skinners believes that in the future, instead of the frequent – as they say – “sock” sock “used in connection with their products, their very brand could be used. “It’s just skinner. In America, this name has been in use since the beginning. It goes well in your mouth, “ Matějková smiles. They could become known as well, for example crocsy, conversky or botasky. Skinners have no competition on the market and they have patented their product.
Since the release of the first model, the company has been collecting and evaluating customer feedback. “An even better version of Skinners was designed after four years of research, development and partnership with professionals from the shoe industry in Zlín and top athletes,” says co-founder Petr Procházka. Before the launch of the second series, they tested eight prototypes, for example with marathon runners.
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Closeup of the new generation
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At first glance, the Skinners 2.0 looks almost the same as the previous model, but an inner insole is added to wick away moisture, and the shoes do not steam as they used to. The insole is removable, which facilitates drying and prevents the formation of odors. However, it is still true that Skinners can be washed in the washing machine regularly without any problems.
Some customers were also bothered by the tip, which did not leave much room for the fingers. “Skinners adapt to the shape of the customer’s foot. In the second version, we paid even more attention to ensuring that the shoes match the shape and width of the foot. Thanks to that, it brings an even greater feeling of freedom and comfort, “ mentions Matějková. It was the barefoot community that walks barefoot or in shoes with minimal soles that often came across a narrow space in front of the shoe.
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However, the end customer that the Brno company targets is not only an enthusiast of barefoot footwear, but it can be any active person who has more pairs of shoes at home. Skinners hybrid shoes can be rolled up in a roll and, in addition to nature walks, they can be used, for example, when changing skates, cycling shoes, yoga exercises or in a fitness center.
In any case, Skinners recommend their unique shoes mainly for natural surfaces or for indoor spaces to those who do not like the cold from the ground. “I was advised to get a skinner coach myself when I signed up for the circuit training,” laughs Matějková. At the same time, the coach had no idea that Skinners was a Czech company that also had production in our country, let alone talk to the co-founder.
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You don’t even have to be afraid to go out into nature with skinners
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Thanks to Kickstarter, moreover, the company, with an annual turnover of medium to higher tens of millions of crowns, began to communicate in English from the very beginning and thus focused directly on the international market. Skinnersky is worn by people all over the world and has sold 300,000 pairs in four years.
“Sometimes we are surprised where our shoes go. For example, we recently looked for the island of Saint Kitts and Nevis on the map, “ mentions Petr Procházka. However, in order to prevent the blacksmith’s mare from walking barefoot, Skinners is trying to get closer to Czech customers. This year, they also launched the Czech version of the website, because it also facilitates communication with stores. However, they are not going to Hithit, the domestic equivalent of Kickstarter, due to the clear global potential of the product.
As part of Kickstarter, you have new skinners subscribed to over 1,300 customers. The company managed to fulfill the goal of the campaign during the first day. There are still 43 days left when customers can buy new skins via Kickstarter for a discounted price of $ 45 (over 1,000 crowns). It is still early, but it is possible that the new Skinners 2.0 model will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, for which more than $ 2.3 million was collected at the time on Kickstarter and the alternative Indiegogo.
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