Perlie enters US, targets $25 million turnover in five years

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Dec 1, 2021

Men’s footwear brand Perlie is targeting the US with a launch in the market following its “successful” debut in Europe. It has launched in the country via its own US website, as well through selected retailers and other platforms. And it’s in talks to add more stockists, its founder told Fashionnetwork.com.

The Dutch brand that makes “comfortable men's dress shoes for the sporty man” was previously available in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy but with the US launch, it’s “aiming for revenue of $25 million in five years”.

Building on the concept of “dress shoes and boots with the comfort of a sneaker”, the shoes feature a similar insole and midsole as a high-end sneaker with the same cushioning and a “unique extra soft and flexible leather lining”.

Founder Sep Breukers said the aim was to fill a gap in the market for truly comfortable dress shoes.

Breukers added that the US has “a very strong tradition with regards to innovative footwear brands. Most of these brands focus on a more flexible outsole and upper leather. While this of course has its benefits, we felt that there was much more to win. The feedback from our customers is very positive. We have CEOs that have literally told us that they threw away their $1,000 shoes, because our shoes are so much more comfortable. Really, that is what we are doing it for.”

He also admitted that the pandemic has put the smart footwear market “under a lot of pressure” but sees huge potential for the brand given that “one thing that Covid has taught us so far, is that we value comfort”.