Sanük: Sandals for the Happy People
ABOUT SANÜK
Sanük means “pursuit of happiness.”  It is not only our name, it speaks to our approach to business and life.  Our logo is the little gumby-like icon we call “Happy U”. “U” is somebody you might know.  He wasn’t always happy, but having escaped from the clutches of mainstream life, he is free to be the irreverent symbol of Sanūk.  If you look around you’ll see him in fairly outrageous situations whether it be on product or in our marketing.

Sanük is a young surf brand. Sanük was founded and is owned by Jeff Kelley, a Huntington Beach grom who started out making sandals out of inner tubes.  He’s sick, but that is a Fundamental in our business.  Jeff’s first commercial effort was a sandal constructed out of indoor-outdoor carpet.  When Jeff gave one of our prominent surf retailers the first ever preview of a Sanük sandal, he said. “where did you get the idea?” Jeff replied, “hey, its outdoor carpet, just like my back yard.”  The retailer said, “you’re nor for real?”  Well he was.  Today, the Fur Real is a standard, especially in the ugly green color.  We still have that Trailer Trash design flair, as anyone can plainly see.

Sanük has gained one of the more sought after market positions in specialty surf retailing authenticity.  The Sanük sandal collection is designed for the global surf and water community.  The simplicity of architecture and the unusual sense of color and style have made Sanük the inside choice for the surfers around the world. 

The Sanük product array is really different from the mundane wall of black that you see on the conventional sandal wall.  Where else can you find Jellies, indoor-outdoor carpet flip flops, Tarzan prints, Guatemala blanket thongs, or super cushy, super commercial sandals? How about very cool variations of indigenous folk art themes on leather sandals?  We look for the consumer who has a different slant on life.