Hanging Shoes 2025 Retail Buyer’s Guide
The challenging weather in 2024 has not dented the spirits of hanging shoes makers. Innovative materials and bold designs are carrying flip flops and sandals from the beach into the city. By Rocio Enriquez.
The weather in 2024 was not ideal for open footwear, posing some challenges for the European flip-flop and sandal market. Most brands report growth in spite of this thanks to key best-selling styles, but also to some expansion policies that secures presence beyond the beach. Overall, brands are optimistic for 2025, announcing new product releases and marketing strategies to support them. 2025 will see hanging shoes collections designed to meet the current consumer’s requirements. New materials aim to provide cushioned and comfortable footbeds, while meeting sustainability demands. Bold designs and customisable pieces offer a unique look. Collections are diverse, adding slides, platform sandals, and outdoor-ready footwear to the traditional flip-flops. The goal is to provide footwear that can transition seamlessly between different settings, from the beach to the outdoors or the city.
2025 Collection.
Comfortable footbeds and upper materials enable all-day wearing. We find many new styles in this category. Flojo’s all-new Carly, Kaitlin, and Danica feature their fan-favourite Kush footbed. It blends neoprene and EVA foam that moulds to the foot, paired with a grippy hibiscus-patterned TPR outsole. After the summer, they will unveil a new collection for men and women. “The Beachcomber Collection sets us apart with its innovative in-mould memory foam footbed, lightweight, ultra-comfortable, and custom-fit over time”, says Ashley Lugo. Reef announces new launches this year, “We are introducing a range of new styles and silhouettes across menswear, blending comfort, function, and contemporary design”, says Marketing Manager, Jenny Cooper. The new Montauk is a modern slide with a crepe-textured rubber outsole and adjustable straps that allows you to customise the fit. The Pregame is a new style in the Fanning all-terrain traction collection. Their new Aura collection debuts with two new silhouettes with ergonomic design for premium all-day comfort. Expanding on the existing Cruiser family, they introduce the new Cruiser slide with anatomical footbed made of nitrogen-infused EVA. The plush cushioning and rebound comfort make them ideal for post-sport recovery. Cool presents the Chill clog-style sandal with a cushy foam and a sportive look. Foam Life follows up on the success of their Seales flip-flop to introduce the super comfortable Seales slide. It features a sugarcane EVA footbed paired with a padded vegan leather upper strap. Indosole launches a new version of the Easy Living with recycled nylon straps and their signature recycled tires sole. The most active open shoes wearers will be interested in Reef’s Cross-Shore. This is a five-point cage sandal that offers top-tier functionality through exceptional comfort and support. Another sporty style is Cool’s new Wave, an all-terrain sandal that combines a rubber outside shell with soft inside EVA and a TPR outer sole. Women who like to get a bit higher will enjoy Flojo’s new Flatform collection. The 1.5-inch heel and platform strike the perfect balance between height and stability. Reef adds new elevated styles to their Vista collection. We will find higher silhouettes, multi-strap designs, buckle details, vegan leathers, and cork soles.
The choice of materials is informed by two main factors, comfort and sustainability. Alongside their Kush footbed, Flojo’s offers the Flo-Jel technology in their men’s Zambas and Alto styles. A gel capsule is embedded in the heel of the footbed, acting as a shock absorber that supports and cushions. They also introduce the PillowTop blown EVA across men’s and women’s collections, meticulously engineered for immediate support and cushioning that bounces back. Reef’s nitrogen-infused EVA continues to be key in their construction, for its unique compromise between light weight and support. Reef’s new Fanning Pregame features a multidirectional lug as well as a built-in airbag under the footbed for added comfort. Foam Life features their signature “Soft to Step” EVA foam and raised arch support. “We build on our foundation of best-selling flip-flop and slider silhouette by introducing premium sustainable materials”, says co-founder Karl Read. Their 2025 collection is made with recycled EVA and sugarcane EVA foam and introduces the new BloomTM foam made of an algae blend. Every flip-flop toe post is made from an RPET webbing strap, and they have increased the number of styles that use hemp canvas, plant-based bio-leather, natural gum rubber, and cork. Xtratuf uses their proprietary Bio Lite EVA foam that degrades in bioreactor landfills.
Every mood is represented in the colours of this year’s hanging shoes. We find three main palettes across the collections: classic neutrals, nature hues, and vibrant tones. Xtratuf adds a bunch of new colours to their Apres Fish range. Men will get an all-black and a stormy blue version. Women’s new additions include a tie-dye pink, a plain sand, and aqua. Flojo’s turns up the vibrancy in 2025. Their Flojo’s Original sandal gets a seasonal refresh with a stunning new purple. They will also unveil three electrifying neon options in their Flojo’s Fiesta style: blue weave, neon lime weave, and neon pink weave.
Indosole likes to play with natural colours like soil, black, grey, rust, olive, and mustard. They take a walk on the bright side with a rainbow strap added to their new Easy Living model, and purple haze for a feminine touch. Reef adds a selection of lighter and brighter tones to the traditional black and brown palette of their men’s range. We will now see shades of grey, blue, and tan. Women’s styles embrace soft, elegant hues that include pastel yellow, soft pink, rose gold, and metallics. They are also adding textured elements with woven, crochet, raffia, and braided materials to add a tactile dimension. Foam Life introduces a few fresh additions to their existing colour palette. Men’s core colours like black, navy, tan, olive, stone grey and slate grey will share shelves with the new ocean blue featured in their new “K Bay” style. Timeless neutrals like sand and latte brown remain strong for classic styling. Soft pastels such as sage green, powder blue, dusty pink, and lilac provide the beach-chic sophistication. In 2025, Foam Life’s Lixi style will get a new light beige rendition. Their Traa-SC is updated with a slate grey and vibrant pink colour pop. The new Sunkiss Yellow brings a bold summer feel. The Goldie and Goldie-slide styles now feature bright multi-colour pops on the cork footbed, complementing the new light blue denim upper strap. The multi-colour woven straps in the “K-Bay” and “K-Bay Slide” deliver a Mediterranean-inspired vibe.
Sustainability.
All brands emphasise their commitment to sustainable materials and practices. Xtratuf is constantly trialling new materials across their range, including bio-based TPUs, recycled webbings, and Oceaya, made of oyster shell waste. Reef incorporates eco-friendly materials like sugarcane EVA midsoles and recycled PET straps. Foam Life also uses sugarcane EVA foam, alongside the new BloomTM algae-blend foam. They are expanding the use of RPET threads, linings and webbing toe posts, as well as their plant-based bio-leather, cork, and hemp. Indosole adopts circular economy as a core value, with all of their soles made of recycled tires or sneakers, straps made of 100% recycled nylon, and footbeds made of natural rubber. Their choice of material is complemented by their initiatives in social responsibility. Indosole collaborates with four community programmes. Their Handep collaboration features sandals made by hand by local people of the Kalimantan forests, supporting their economic development. Their Pable collaboration only uses fabrics made from 100% recycled cotton naturally dyed with indigo and Ketapang. The Sungai Watch collection partners them up with a dedicated environmental initiative committed to cleaning up rivers in Indonesia. The midsole of this sandal is made from 100% recycled plastic collected from Bali rivers. Project Zindagi involves refugee women in the crafting of the sandals, empowering them and fostering a sense of hope and dignity in their lives. Other sustainable practices involve plastic-free packaging, responsible manufacturing processes, and building durable sandals that stand the test of time.
Retailer Support.
Sustainability, all-day wearing, and beach culture are the main themes around which this year’s marketing stories revolve. Xtratuf and Indosole focus on sustainability. Cool’s “Beach Lovers” campaign, Flojos’ “Vintage Beach”, and Foam Life’s giant flip-flop shower installations promote beach culture. Cool also rolls out the “Urban Beach” campaign that brings the beach lifestyle to the city. All-day comfort is a recurring theme. Flojo’s rolls out two campaigns around it, “Comfort Expanded” that introduces their Fits Wide collection, and “Sink-in Comfort” that unveils the Beachcomber collection. Reef celebrates the 20th anniversary of their Fanning Sandal, emphasising its lasting appeal and versatility across various outdoor and casual settings. Women’s elevated styles get their cut of the marketing budget, with Flojo’s pushing their Flatform collection, and Reef promoting their Vista collection. The main tools to support these campaigns are POS solutions, brand imagery, and solid distribution partnerships. Brands are responding to the demands for comfort, versatility, and sustainability with innovative materials and bold designs. With strong retailer support, the hanging shoes category seems well-positioned for growth. Flip-flops will populate city streets as much as beach fronts.
Brand Previews
