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Bos. & Co. Beat Goes On The Canadian company’s comfort lifestyle portfolio is poised for strong growth in 2022. BUSINESS WAS GOING gangbusters at Bos. & Co., makers of a namesake brand and Softinos as well as North American distributors of Aportuguesas and Fly London, leading up to the pandemic. In fact, the 46-year-old company reported record sales in 2019. And while 2020 was just about surviving, 2021 saw sales rise 28 percent over the prior year and fall just six percent short of that benchmark figure. Kevin Bosco, president and third generation family owner, can’t complain, all disruptions and general supply chain chaos considered. “We’ve fared very well in 2021, and we’re very positive about the outlook for this year,” Bosco says. “Our Spring ’22 business is already up over 2019.” A key factor fueling Bos. & Co.’s success actually began about two years prior to the pandemic hitting. That’s when the company began shifting sourcing from China to Portugal. By 2019, half of its production was being sourced in Portugal and by fall of 2020 it moved entirely. And while Bosco doesn’t admit to owning a crystal ball that foresaw the pandemic—one that has triggered record cost increases and delays in shipping from Asia—the company is in a far better position for the sourcing shift. “The supply chain seems to be a little less broken in Europe than other parts of the world,” he says. “The big slowdowns didn’t happen for us as all of our product comes into Montreal or New York. We’re talking a week or two delays on some shipments, whereas it’s been months on the West Coast.” Even Europe’s higher production costs have been negated by lower shipping costs and the recent Canadian and European Union trade agreement that saw duties on footwear eliminated. “The prices in Asia were inching closer to what we saw in Europe,” Bosco says. “So we decided to focus on a story of European sourcing and quality, plus the fact that all our styling and development was already being done there and that we can ramp up production to meet growing demand.” Bosco also cites the company’s decision to invest heavily in Fall ’21 inventory as contributing to its success while other vendors were conservative. “We took a rather aggressive position last March to buy stock, backing up as much as 30 percent on some items when we traditionally do 10 to 15 percent,” he says. “We felt that many retailers were playing it too safe. And the decision really paid off for us, because we had product available and the demand was definitely there.” Of course, that strategy only works if you have shoes retailers want. And that’s where Bosco says the company’s investment in new products has paid big dividends. Fall ’22 is no different. “We’ve invested in a great many new silhouettes, outsoles and lasts in order to put fresh items on the table,” he says. “We believe that in these uncertain times a lot of companies might choose to rest on their laurels, but we feel it’s really important to also put fresh looks on the table.” On that note, Bosco says there’s plenty of freshness across the portfolio to whet buyers’ appetites for Fall ’22. The menu kicks off with Asportuguesas, which features a bunch of new silhouettes and materials for the sustainable-
themed brand. New styles include a Mary Jane, a wallabee and several boot silhouettes, while upper materials extend to an eco-friendly leather made of recycled food waste and a nylon-like upper made of recycled clothing polymers. Bosco says the brand is in stride with a remote working world and consumers looking to lessen their environmental footprint. “We had trouble keeping up with the demand this past fall,” he reports, noting that Asportuguesas is well on its way to becoming a year-round business. “We’re experiencing great results nationwide in outdoor specialty stores, and due to the shift in apparel trends brought on by the pandemic, we’re getting good distribution with our regular store accounts as well.” Bos. & Co. is another brand that’s in step with the new normal. Once again, the strategy is to up the ante on fresh looks, led by new lightweight outsole constructions. The thicker soles featured in its Fifth collection also allow for more insulation to keep feet warm. (All Bos. & Co. boot styles are waterproof and lined with 100 percent Merino wool.) “The thicker the sole the more insulated it is, but these styles are super lightweight,” Bosco says. “‘Fashion with function’ is a key phrase for the brand.” Another key Bos. & Co. category for Fall ’22 is the Irina boots collection, which sits at a crossroads between rustic outdoor and dressy. Bosco calls it urban. “Dressier boots have fallen off the table as people stopped going to the office or events, and we believe this look falls into a sweet spot and expect it to be a nice growth area,” he says, adding that the Ariea collection of translucent and lighter colored outsoles fits this niche as well. As for the brand’s overall color palette, Bosco has taken cues from the European windows of late, which is heavy on khaki, beige, antelope, coffee and off-white. The story for Fly London is also new silhouettes, which build off the edgy brand’s wedges foundation. That includes the new expanded Clockwise from top left: lightweight EVA wedge outsole in the Daze Bos & Co, Asportuguesas, line that includes some colorful hi-top sneaker Softinos and Fly London. styles. Other Fly London trends of note: colored outsoles found in the Jeanette line of combat boots, the Pedalo collection’s lightweight wedges featuring incisor cuts in the front for “super flexibility” and Tetley line of urban casual footwear with new chunky soles. “Fly London is all about fun, casual footwear but with that added fashion edge,” Bosco says. “It continues to be a nice success story for us.” Likewise, albeit on a smaller scale, is the success of Softinos. Bosco reports that the comfort brand is also benefitting from the new normal fashion shift. Softinos’ hallmarks of soft uppers and linings, slip-on constructions and removeable insoles is all about ease and comfort. The retro aesthetic is also spot-on. “A big part of our success is bright color combinations,” Bosco says, noting an expected best-seller is the Isba sneaker boot featuring a side zipper and elastic no laces construction. “It’s going to be Softinos’ No. 1 boot this fall, no question.” —Greg Dutter
46 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2022
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