STOKE FOOTWEAR LAUNCHES TO CELEBRATE THE 65 MILLION ALL-AMERICAN GUYS FORGOTTEN BY ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR

Founded by Rick Blackshaw, Stoke calls out an industry obsessed with elite athletes and teenagers while building shoes for real men with real feet and real lives.

GEORGES MILLS, N.H., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the official launch of STOKE Footwear, a new casual-lifestyle brand founded by footwear veteran Rick Blackshaw, built to serve the 65 million all-American guys overlooked by today's athletic footwear giants. The brand's website is now live at stokeshoes.com, and STOKE will launch in 450+ retail doors nationwide on March 1, including Scheels, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Rack Room Shoes, Shoe Department, Shoe Sensation, Murdoch's, Runnings, and a strong network of independent retailers.

For decades, footwear brands have engineered and marketed shoes for the elite athlete; the marathoners, sprinters, and professional athletes, resulting in overbuilt shoes, overloaded midsoles, unnecessary tech, and oversized marketing budgets. All of this drives prices higher for everyday guys who don't need any of it.

The rest of the industry? They're chasing fashion trends that go around in circles, while forgetting the everyday consumer, and not making enough wide shoes because they cost more (okay maybe that is the conspiracy theorist in us!). Stoke was founded to break that cycle.

"The vast majority of people who buy athletic sneakers never use them for their intended purpose," said Rick Blackshaw, Founder & Chief Stoke Officer of STOKE Footwear. "They aren't running marathons. They're running life; working, driving, coaching their kids, walking the dog, grabbing a beer, getting through another long day. Yet the entire industry keeps building footwear as if every consumer is chasing a gold medal. We're here to build for the majority of people - real shoes, for real men with real lives."

"We've built this brand for the everyday guy," said Ian Stewart, Co-founder and CMO of STOKE Footwear. "the guy who works on his feet, provides for his family, loves his country, and wants a brand that speaks to him without fluff or BS. He wants shoes that fit and don't require a decoder ring to understand or a loan to buy. When our guy sees a STOKE ad and laughs out loud, we're all winning. And when he puts on a pair of STOKE shoes, says 'holy sh*t' and tells his buddies, then we know we're on the way to building the STOKE Army."

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE AMERICAN MALE FOOT (THAT BIG SNEAKER IGNORES)

The average all-American man looks nothing like the narrow, athlete-optimized templates the footwear industry still relies on:

• 75% of men measure E-width or wider, yet only 25% buy wide shoes — because the options aren't there.
• The average American man weighs 200 lbs, creating significantly higher underfoot load.
• Men experience up to half-a-size of daily width expansion from morning to evening.
• Yet most brands continue to use narrow, outdated lasts that haven't evolved with the American male in decades.

STOKE is the first brand engineered specifically for this modern, real-world fit profile.

STOKE'S FIRST COLLECTION: PURPOSE-BUILT FOR REAL LIFE

STOKE launches with two styles that have been built with real feet and real life as the brief; the FO-MO and the VERSA.

FO-MO is an athletic-inspired sneaker designed specifically for the average all-American man looking to move forward in life – be it walking, slogging (slow jogging), or running to get beer.

VERSA is STOKE's most versatile build, a court-inspired shoe engineered for comfort and designed to handle everything from yard work and weekend sports to daily errands and long hours on concrete.

A STACK OF INNOVATIVE FEATURES: ENGINEERED FOR REAL GUYS

STOKE introduces a suite of proprietary product mechanics that put real men not elite athletes at the center.

PowerStack™ Platform
The most underfoot cushioning in the casual athletic game. A low-durometer, high-energy-return compound provides all-day "holy sh*t" comfort (the phrase most wear testers actually say the moment they put them on) while delivering instant recovery for hardworking feet.

Mansplay™ Midsole
Built on a wide platform with no forefoot cup, because real men's feet expand throughout the day under real pressure. Paired with STOKE'S Elastech™ dynamic 4-way stretch upper, the system lets feet spread, flex, and relax into maximum comfort.

Big Ball Girth™ Fit System
A modern anatomical last built for the reality of men's feet, giving honest room where it's needed and eliminating the "race-shoe squeeze" designed for athletes most consumers will never resemble. Plus, it is fun to talk about.

Slip-On Stoke Out™ Entry
A friction-free, bend-free entry system for men who want to get out the door without performing a stretching routine.

A BRAND WITH A WINK — AND AN HONEST MISSION

STOKE celebrates the everyday man with humor, honesty, and respect, and outright rejecting the over-serious, performance-theater world of athletic marketing.

"Footwear should evolve with the people who actually wear it," said Blackshaw. "But for decades, the industry has been designing for elite athletes and cool teenagers. We're designing for the guys who move America. The ones running real life not running 26.2 or saying 6-7."

"Let's just say our north star isn't a podium. It's a hard day's work, a driveway, a sideline, a hardware store, and a bleacher seat," added Stewart.

RETAIL ROLL-OUT & AVAILABILITY

STOKE Footwear's inaugural line is now available online and will be in stores from March 1 in 450+ retail doors, including:

Scheels • Academy Sports + Outdoors • Rack Room Shoes • Shoe Department • Shoe Sensation • Murdoch's • Runnings • Independent specialty retailers nationwide.

ABOUT STOKE FOOTWEAR

STOKE Footwear is a performance-lifestyle brand engineered for the 65 million all-American men overlooked by the athletic footwear industry. Founded by Rick Blackshaw in 2025, Stoke builds shoes that match how real men live; with more room, more cushioning, and more honesty. The company is headquartered in New Hampshire with global manufacturing partners.

Media Contact:

Matt Kovacs
[email protected]

SOURCE Stoke Shoes