SaturdayShoes

A Sea of Sameness

David eventually found himself in a golf superstore wandering past racks of hot pink polo shirts only to arrive at a decidedly underwhelming destination – a huge wall of golf shoes with very little variety. Each shoe a different shade of boring, and each priced about 2x what he was prepared to spend. Where's the shoe for those of us not on the PGA Tour? How about a simple, no frills model designed for casual players? How about a splash of color? Nope. Nada. Epic fail? Or massive opportunity? Magic 8-ball says 'all signs point to yes.'

Next-Gen Needs

Once we noticed this gap in the marketplace, it just became more evident at every turn. Golfers apparently love colorful polo shirts, but where are the shoes to match? Younger golfers are playing more golf in less traditional ways (driving ranges, Top Golf, etc.) and probably don't need $250 spiked monstrosities. So where is the shoe designed for the beginning or casual golfer? Where are the fun and funky designs for the more colorful personalities? Where's the golf slip-on shoe that grips the grass and looks good at a reasonable price? Fine, we'll just make it ourselves.

Fun Meets Function

As a 9th generation native Californian, David grew up wearing canvas slip-ons and was determined to make a better product than the iconic, old school predecessor that hasn't evolved their model in over half a century. How can we take the classic appeal of a low-cut canvas slip-on shoe and add the traction and stability needed for golf performance? How can we make our shoe more comfortable and form fitting while keeping the price point accessible for all golfers? The gauntlet had been lain, the challenge (dare we say it) was afoot.

Digital to Physical

Once the design team locked in the 2-D prototype, we took the next step of modeling the shoe in 3-D so we could work out all the details of the design down to the last seam and stitch. In addition to dialing in the deep treads on the outsole, we also found some fun opportunities to innovate and differentiate our product with elements like the 'ball and tee' heel design and the novel functionality of the golf tee holder.

Building the Brand

With a 25+ year career as a marketing Creative Director specializing in gaming and entertainment brands, David had a considerable wealth of brand building experience to tap into when crafting what would become Saturday. Initially focused on catering to the golf market exclusively, it wasn't long before he realized that the noble slip-on shoe can be a vehicle for change across a number of industries outside of athletic pursuits, such as the much larger adjacent athleisure and streetwear markets. Saturday has since expanded the aperture of our vision to focus on design-driven innovations that lead to new and improved products that can become a canvas for creativity and self-expression.

Sourcing and Production

At this stage, Saturday is working with our development partners to further refine our prototype ahead of a limited quantity production run. Our goal is to be in full-scale production by Fall 2024 and fulfilling direct-to-consumer orders from this website, with product hitting doorsteps just in time for the holidays. For VC inquiries or for information about wholesale orders or distribution opportunities, email us at contact@saturday.golf and we'll connect with you.