Scientists
believe that the first individuals who wore animals
skins during the Ice Age made rough shoes to protect
their feet from animal skins. These skins offered
minimal protection but decayed and rotted in a very
short period of time. Scientists believe that sandals
are the first crafted foot coverings. The designers
were simple and practical, including straps or thongs
attached to a stiff sole to the foot for protetion.
Two basic designs evolved - ones with thongs fitted
between the toes, and the other with more sophisticated
loops and holes along the edges of the soles for attaching
the thongs. They were made from any resource available,
including leaves and wood. The thong and toe strap
designs have become distinctive in sandal design.
Sandals are still a very popular choice of outdoor
and summer footwear, but retaining the basic designs
thought up thousands of years ago.
U.S
patent #4,793,075 Granted to Mark Thatcher for
a "Sport sandal for active wear" on
December 27, 1982.
Sandals
Today
Mark
Thatcher is considered by many to be the father
of the modern day sport sandal. He took the
primitive design of the sandal and recreated
it for fashion, function, comfort and druability.
His success is the basis of a revolution in
lifestyle.
Thatcher
had always been an outdoor enthusianst. He worked
as a river guide during the summers on the Colorado
River within the Grand Canyon. With the completion
of his degree, he worked for Citgo Corp. in
Houston as an exploration geophysicist, studying
rock samples for evidence of petroleum deposits,
forcing Thatcher into futher outdoor exploration.
However, in 1982, Thatcher was laid off due
to financial cutbacks at Citgo. Thatcher decided
to take advantage of his situation and followed
his passion for the outdoors.
With
major increases in hiking, camping, and outdoor
sports, Thatcher became well aware of the possibililities
these increased offered. All of these sports
involved increasingly high-tech equipment being
sold to support them. With Thatcher's experience
as a river guide, he finally started on a contribution
of his own.
His
experience first-hand as a river-guide taught
him that there was no perfect protective footwear
suitable for river rafting. Tennis shoes soaked
right away and never dried, while thongs (or
flip-flops) would slide off the feet, espeically
in heavy rapids. Thatcher set out to design
a more tight fitting, secure version of the
thong. His innovation was to build a nylon strap
as well as a standard thong strap onto a sturdy
rubber sole. It was in 1982 when Thatcher had
created the first modern sport sandal, called
the Teva® ("teh-vah," not "tee-vah"),
Hebrew for "nature." While the Anasazi
people (AD 500) in northern Arizon used a roundly
similar type of footgear, the U.S. Patent Office
decided that Thatcher's design was unique. Thatcher
found a manufacture to produce his sandals though
his patent was pending. He started selling these
sandals and called them "amphibious utility
sandals", travelling by car to outdoor
equipment stores and directly to the rivers.
In
Thatcher's first year he only sold 200 pair of
Tevas! However, this low volume would last not
long. River guides and entusiasts began using
these shoes for practical reason, they became
the interest of young people, including athletes,
college students and others who found them comfortable
and fashionable.
Thatcher
formed a new agreement with Deckers Outdoor
Corporation after diffiulty with his initial
company partner trying to cut him out of the
business. With the help of Deckers, Thatcher
vindicated his exclusive rights to Tevas®,
including patent #4,793,075 for the basic design
(granted 1988) and a trademark for the brand
name. Deckers Corp. remains the sole distributor
of Thatcher's sandals, which now come in 140
styles, featuring many additional innovations,
and generate $56 million in sales per year.
Today,
at age 43, Mark Thatcher still helps design
and wear test each new Teva® model personally—which
is more a pleasure than a duty, since he remains
as active an outdoorsman as ever. Moreover,
Thatcher has become a culture hero of sorts,
a crusader against gratuitously formal or uncomfortable
clothing. His rallying cry: "Free your
feet, and your mind will follow."
The
Teva sport sandal was one of the first sport sandals
to be developed and remains popular among outdoor
enthusiasts and the general public. However, here
are several other quality sport sandal brands
all sold here at SportSandalBeach.com.
These brands include Birkenstock, Keen, Emu Australia,
and Chaco. For more information on these brands,
scroll down or use the quick links to the specific
brand below.
Birki's
Sport Sandals - Sandals that enhance people's
quality of life, and add to their health and
vitality. Whether
at pool or in sauna, whether while chilling
out in the great outdoors or an expanded shopping
expedition in town. Birki's – the perfect
attandants for your time of recreation and well-being
... and also for cavorting with the kids.
Ecco
Sport Sandals - ECCO is known worldwide for
quality, perfection, durability and comfort. Most
people who have chosen ECCO will never wear anything
else, because they know that a comfortable shoe
that does not compromise over time makes ECCO
the right choice. ECCO never goes out of style
because of our brand values. The well-being of
your heart and soul are too important to go out
of fashion.
Keen
Sport Sandals - What started out as a protective
sandal has evolved into a line of waterproof performance
footwear for the true adventurer and urban outdoorsman.
The Keen footprint now encompasses 27 styles,
each built with difinitive design details such
as patented toe guards, anatomical footbeds and
quick release drawstring closures. Rugged and
comfortable. Functional yet feeing. Protective
yet stylish. And the comfort of knowing that when
form follows function, you're on the right path.
Chaco
Sport Sandals - Offering a concise line of
footwear for the comfort obsessed. Chaco is proud
of their independence, using no traditional modes
of advertising, nor sponsoring extreme athletes
or trading on the NYSE. Chaco lives and breathes
footwear. From glue bonds to stitch lines to polyurethane
formulations, Chaco products are second to none
in quality. Our products are built for the long
haul. In addition, all Chaco footwear can be resoled,
a process that saves resources and dollars.
Teva
Sport Sandals - Today the demands of the outdoor
athlete are as rigorous as the elements themselves.
From canyoneering and kayaking to trail running
and trekking, Teva has moved on-shore and up-range.
With performance features, new technologies, and
improved functionality, Teva Sport Sandals are
the natural evolution in footwear for the outdoor
athlete.
Whatever
brand you choose, we know that you will love the construction
and durability of your sport sandals. These brands
all produce the finest in sport sandals. Don't forget
that we are here to assist you with your purchase. In the future you
will find many other great sport sandal brands here!
