We have all heard about brands creating an impact in the footwear industry by bringing out cleveland indians hawaiian shirt of a particular style or looks. But for a brand to become popular within a period of hardly 14 years and that too through the launch of a sandal with cork bottom and upper made of jute is a sure first. Rocket Dog is the brand that is in reference here and its founders – Terry Anderson along with Stephen Hoyt would have surely not bargained for the tremendous success they have been enjoying when they launched the sandal in 1997 in California. So popular was the creation that it became a hit of the season and many celebrities were soon to sport it.
Of course this success was not accidental. The duo had already gained valuable experience and had honed their skills when designing for other top brands. In fact, they regularly designed for brands like Espirit and that experience must have given them the confidence to go solo with their creation. Interestingly, the Rocket Dog logo was created by drawing inspiration from, you guessed right, Hoyt’s dog.
Their flair for funky designs got full expression as they designed for the urban crowd where the accent was on trendiness and vibrancy with a hint of cuteness. It was not long before they were out with a full range of designer sneakers, boots, flats and heels, thereby ensuring that there was something for everybody. They also got out a separate range for kids.
Rocket Dog is well entrenched as a brand in many of the European countries like the UK, Portugal, France, Italy and Spain. When you consider that many of these countries are already home to the best of brands that have been in business for a long time, this achievement by Rocket Dog surely is highly commendable and goes to show that you only need the right talent and entrepreneurship capability to make it big.
Rocket Dog however is not resting on its laurels. It is regularly creating newer designs and more importantly addressing the ever changing needs of not only the youth but also of those who want a retro look and appearance. Their choice of materials as well as intelligent use of synthetic fabric with appropriate embellishments in the form of silver studs on sandals along with the introduction of a whole range of boots have all combined to make the brand pretty popular.
The success of this brand can be attributed primarily to the ability of the brand to meet the design requirements of its target audience in a proactive manner and maintaining high quality standards all through. Rocket Dog is thus the ideal example of a brand that could make a profound impact in a very short period of time by simply being tuned in to what the customers want in markets where other top brands already existed and were doing well.
write by Amelinda