Sperry Top-Sider Launches New Multi-Water Sport Footwear Collection Featuring Proprietary SON-R Technology™ to Help Water Enthusiasts 'See With Their Feet'

LEXINGTON, Mass., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Sperry Top-Sider®, the global performance lifestyle brand dedicated to people with a Passion for the Sea, announced today the debut of its new SON-R Technology, a patent-pending "outsole-to-insole-to-brain" sensory feedback system engineered into a new line of multi-water sport shoes specially designed to address the challenges water enthusiasts face when navigating across varied and unseen under-foot terrain. Whether on slippery rocks while portaging a canoe, rough and hidden underwater surfaces at steep put-ins when putting a kayak in the water or on the slick fiberglass of a boat, Sperry has engineered a complete collection of footwear that creates a safer and more enjoyable experience in, on and around the water.

The new Sperry Top-Sider SON-R technology shoes will be unveiled at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City August 3 at Sperry Top-Sider's booth (#30145W).   The multi-water sport line includes various styles (shoes, bootie and low bootie) and colors for men and women at retail prices ranging from $65 to $95. The new SON-R line will be available in outdoor specialty, marine and sporting goods stores starting in Spring 2011.  

"Sperry Top-Sider is a brand that literally was born at sea and has a rich history of innovation -- from Paul Sperry inventing the world's first boat shoe in 1935 to the more recent and revolutionary Anti-Shock and Vibration (ASV) shoes designed to mitigate fatigue of power boating for boaters and anglers.  We're building an Advanced Water Technology platform that goes beyond our traditional core strengths of sailing, boating and fishing to now include state-of-the-art SON-R technology for the multi-water sport athlete," says Craig Reingold, President, Sperry Top-Sider.

"Just as a submarine uses SON-R to navigate unchartered waters, our  SON-R footwear technology provides sensory feedback to what is underfoot and literally lets the individual 'see with their feet' to better feel the terrain beneath them and adjust and improve agility and stability in the often challenging terrain that comes with multi-water sport activities. These ground-breaking new shoes allow the wearer to focus on performance and enjoyment of the sport, rather than worry about the challenges of complex terrain."

The patented design of the SON-R technology features anatomically positioned pods in an ultra-flexible outsole that work in concert with a textured insole containing independent chambers that respond to the pressure exerted to the foot -- thus enhancing proprioceptive feedback: the ability to send sensory feedback to the brain so that the wearer 'feels, thinks and reacts' to the terrain beneath their feet to aid in better stability and balance.  This outsole-insole combination maximizes surface feedback to create similar tactile sensations to being barefoot, while delivering the comfort, protection and wet/dry traction for which Sperry Top-Sider is well-known. Whether portaging along rocky riverbeds, at steep put-ins, or finessing their rudder controls, Sperry Top-Sider is once again leveraging decades of experience to reinforce the brand's vision to lead the marketplace with best-in-class performance products for active water enthusiast.

Sperry Top-Sider Rich Heritage in Water Sports Footwear

The brand was born on a cold winter's day on the water's edge in Connecticut, inspired by an unlikely source: a cocker spaniel named Prince.  

On that day, avid sailor and amateur inventor Paul Sperry was awed by his dog's ability to run on slick water and ice without slipping.  Ever the innovator (Sperry held several patents such as one of the world's first wooden duck decoys), Sperry examined the dog's paw to find hundreds of tiny grooves and cuts going in all directions.

This wave-like pattern became the inspiration for Mr. Sperry's latest patent, called Razor-Siping™, and was instrumental in maximizing the traction and performance of what became the world's first boat shoe.

That same model, now known as the "Authentic Original," remains a Sperry Top-Sider bestseller and staple in the brand's collection.  And since that time, the brand has expanded well into highly technical shoes for sailing, boating, fishing -- and now multi-water sports -- as well as fashion and casual collections inspired by a Passion for the Sea lifestyle.  

About Sperry Top-Sider

Since 1935, Sperry Top-Sider has been the leading brand of footwear for those with a Passion for the Sea. From its introduction of the world's first siped rubber outsole for non-marking traction, to advanced technical fabrication to combat the elements, Sperry Top-Sider remains the vanguard of high-performance amphibious footwear. Available through independent, marine, outdoor and department stores, Sperry Top-Sider is the official footwear of the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas, the US Sailing Team Alpha Graphics, the US Sailing Association, the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, the Salt Water Sportsman Seminar Series and the National Safe Boating Council.  In early 2010, the brand launched five Sperry Top-Sider retail stores in the U.S. -- retail formats dedicated to the Passion for the Sea lifestyle.

Based in historic Lexington, Massachusetts, Sperry Top-Sider is a division of Collective Brands Performance and Lifestyle Group, a subsidiary of Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS). For more information, please visit www.sperrytopsider.com.

SOURCE Sperry Top-Sider