$99,221 raised out of $50,000
Overview
Platform
Indiegogo
Backers
1
Start date
Oct 28, 2021
Close date
Oct 29, 2021
https://youtube.com/watch?v=589478322
Concept

Zero Drop, Suit-Ready, Flexible, Breathable, Anti Slip, Slip On, Machine Washable

Story

OAKAs are the world’s healthiest men’s dress shoe for active professionals.

OAKAs combine suit ready style with a zero drop inner sole made from soft, breathable fibers.  Machine Washable, Slip-On, and Anti-Slip.

 

We made OAKAs to truly be the healthiest and best dress shoe available, representing a new kind of professional.  I have been ripping the soles out of my traditional dress shoes for years trying to make them at least not be detrimental to my health by creating poor posture, changing my gait, and shortening the tendons.. Then I decided enough and set out to fix everything I hated about old school dress shoes.

 

 Faux Heel

We developed a shoe mold that gives the typical dress shoe look from the outside but in fact is actually a faux heel derived from special cut outs allowing your foot to stay flat to the ground.

 

Soft, Breathable Fibers

The whole shoe is soft and flexible for extreme comfort.  The upper is made from flyknit fibers that helps reduce production waste compared to more traditional manufacturing processes. 

 

 Anti – Slip

OAKAs have an innovative anti-slip open tread outer sole that utilizes our specialized faux heel cutouts as a way to drain water out and prevent hydroplaning like you’d find in a traditional dress shoe without you being able to see the treads from the outside like with a sneaker.

 

Zero Drop

OAKAs have a zero drop inner sole.  What that means is as you walk your feet stay flat to the ground rather than at an angle like with almost all other shoes.  Most shoes, not just dress shoes, have a 8mm to 16mm height difference between the toe box and the heel making you walk at an unnatural angle and can contribute to changing your gait, poor posture, shortening the tendons, and foot pain.  A zero drop sole allows you to walk more naturally and strengthen your feet over time.

 

Slip On

Laces can be necessary but are often just annoying to deal with on a constant basis, so we made the whole shoe an easy slip on.

 

Machine Washable

OAKAs are completely machine washable making them ready for travel and any adventure.

 

Our Research

We’ve been developing OAKA for the last two years, spending many hours designing every aspect in order to fix what we’ve always hated about traditional dress shoes.  We built the shoe mold from scratch to achieve a dress shoe form but with a zero drop sole.

 

We Built OAKA for Active Professionals

When I think about traditional dress shoes I imagine that old school banker in the back room smoking a cigar.  However that’s not who I am nor my friends.  We’re all good at what we do and are definitely professionals but we go about it in our own way.  Think:

  • Tech over finance
  • Purpose driven work
  • Body and mind as one
  • West coast over East coast
  • Nature to reset the mind & body
  • Meditation for mental performance
  • Working to live rather than living to work

 

The Traveler

Travel and mobility are incredibly important to us and OAKAs ability to fold up and be flexible make them perfect for the road.

 

The Barefoot Enthusiast

Being zero drop allows your feet to walk flat to the ground like you’re barefoot.  This will help correct posture and allow your feet to strengthen over time.

 

Colors

We will start with 2 colors Gray and Black:

 

Sizing Guide

Sizing Comparison – OAKAs sizing is similar to a traditional dress shoe though our toe box is slightly wider.

 

Half Sizes – If you typically wear a half size we recommend you sizing down.

 

Size Exchanges – We are committed to making sure you get the right fit and size and will have a full free exchange program to make sure of it.

 

What Happens After the Campaign?

After our campaign has concluded we will send out a survey to collect preliminary sizing and colors.  You can change this later as this is to give us a rough idea of the distribution within our initial production order.  

 

Once we have the initial production run in our warehouse all backers will be able to select their exact size and color through our site and have their OAKAs shipped to them.  Shipping is free within the continental U.S. and regular shipping will be calculated and apply for rest of North America and International. 

 

Contact Us

Please feel free to contact us directly at michael@oakastudio.com with any questions.

Featured On

“Named one of  ProductHype’s Best Projects of 2021.”

 

Credits

Big thanks to Oakland based Stablished Projects for their creative help and eye.

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