Q&A HOOK, LINE AND…FLOATING FOOTWEAR The emergence of Floafers—a lightweight, waterproof and fashion-forward shoe brand— established a new category in foam footwear. Discover how the brand evolved from a Kickstarter campaign to crushing sales records, as Earnshaw’s speaks with Floafers CEO and President Larry Paparo. By Michele Silver
Earnshaw’s: How did Floafers get started and how did you evolve with the company? Larry Paparo: The business launched in 2017 by a group of partners through a Kickstarter campaign. A year later while the company was exhibiting at the Atlanta Shoe Market, one of my business associates spotted the brand and was impressed. But he thought the Floafers team could use an industry expert to take it to the next level. I had been consulting for a range of footwear brands after selling my own business, LJP Intl., a sourcing firm that had held licensing agreements with brands such as Robert Graham, Mootsies Tootsies and Nine West Kids. I met with the Floafers team and eventually became a full-time consultant. One of my first accomplishments was to help solve a manufacturing issue at the overseas factory that could have potentially ruined the company. I reorganized production, factory, tweaked the product, and created a strong investment team. In May 2019, I became CEO and president. ER: What changes did you make to the product? Paparo: We learned that consumers liked the lightness, cushioning and comfort of foam footwear, but the bulky looks that were available weren’t fashionable. So I took what I knew from traditional shoemaking and incorporated these techniques into Floafers. One of the design features that sets us apart from the competition is our medium-wide fit in the forepart of the shoe and a narrower heel.
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