Just nine months of its initial debut, Hamptons, N.Y.-based footwear brand Brave Pudding is setting its sights on new categories.
Indeed, the label known for its sock shoe is now offering options for evening occasions and brides by dropping a new lace style for women offered in Nightfall black and Cloud white.
Called the Evening Strolls, the new style is essentially a lace sock – reimagined as a shoe that is both wearable and walkable. The design features with a sheer structured lace upper and a sleek bootie silhouette that’s finished with the brand’s signature cushioned insole.
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For Brave Pudding founder Sarah Fiszel, the new style is a take on the evening dress slipper that her grandmother used to wear at home.
“My grandmother, Edith, was not wealthy or fancy in any traditional way, but she had her own consistent style,” Fiszel told FN in an interview ahead of the launch. “In the evening, she would wear a beautiful powder blue silk robe and slippers that had a little bit of a wedge on them. And I always say that she really shaped my style as I got older. I love to be home and wear things that I think look cool or fun.”
Like her grandmother, Fiszel added that many women in the 1950s would wear these evening wedge slippers at home, and she wanted to use this idea as a tribute to bring the style to a modern woman’s wardrobe.
“I was at a wedding in Mexico recently, and I noticed that many people were taking off their heels halfway through the night on the dance floor,” the founder noted. “They were either barefoot or wearing hotel slippers. This is where my instinct kicked in and thought of this idea to update my shoes for an evening occasion.”
Since launching this past September, Brave Pudding has taken off with its original made in Portugal cashmere ‘Hampton Strolls’ sock shoe style. In addition to selling to Kirna Zabête and Koibird in London – the brand was just picked up by Blue & Cream and LoveShackFancy.
And in May, the brand dropped online a new shorter version called Hampton Lights. Retailing for $295, this new version offers everything early adopters loved about the original, now with a lower-cut profile. Crafted from the brand’s signature recycled cashmere and finished with a cushioned sole, in a shorter, slip-on-and-go silhouette.
The brand said it sold over 50 percent of the initial inventory run in the first few days, including selling out entirely of 20 percent of the SKUs. It already has a waiting list.
“Customers are really loving what we are offering so far,” Fiszel said of the brand’s reception since its September debut. “I think people innately want, and are drawn to, new products that speak to them. And the word of mouth of the brand has been phenomenal. Many customers have told me that the shoes are a conversation starter, which helps our brand awareness as well.”
Brave Pudding’s new Evening Strolls and Evening Lights, retail between $340 and $450, and are now available.
