81° and Patchy rain nearby
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In a nod to the brand’s curious popularity on the Valley Isle, Crocs, Inc. announced a new line of its famous rounded foamed-resin shoes – based on the widespread usage of traffic safety cones on Maui.
The Maui Safety Cone edition will be made entirely of recycled orange traffic safety cones, in the company’s ongoing effort to build on its guiding pillars of sustainability, community, and inclusivity.
“Our wood-free clogs are wildly popular on Maui, and in most of Hawaii for that matter, for reasons we never quite figured out,” said Sidney Palaka, director of communications for the central Pacific region for Crocs. “We have longed to pay respect to all our fans on the islands, and what better way than incorporating the crazily popular roadside strobiloids?
“The Maui Safety Cone line also is a first step in a broad goal for the coming year, to add safety as an element to a brand rooted in comfort.”
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The new Crocs will be available primarily in orange, with the trademark reflective strip across the front like many traffic safety cones, though Palaka said some will be available in whatever other colors safety cones are made of, like blue or green.
“We’re even looking into a white option, emulating the cones we saw in Wailea,” he said. We got a good chuckle seeing those. Also, blue is popular in the parking lot of Mama’s Fish House, which is cool. And weird green ones were seen in Kahului, which seems to be the capital of safety cones on Maui.”
Crocs plans to have Maui Safety Cone shoes available in time for the upcoming holiday season. Palaka said the company may even hustle a special run of the model in time for Halloween. “You can never be too safe while going house-to-house to do the trick-or-treating, after all,” he noted. “The reflective strip on the new Crocs work. All passing cars, motorcycles, and some scooters will light them up!”
The announcement triggered an immediate response from several clog manufacturers offering Crocs alternatives.
For instance, OOFOS announced they are developing a new super thick-soled clog designed specifically to protect from the dreaded kiawe thorns found all over the island especially in coastal areas.
“We think Mauians are more worried about a gnarly kiawe thorn poking up all the way through their foot, than by getting struck by a car or crazy haoles on a scooter,” said Joe Kuku, spokesman for the footwear maker based in Braintree, Massachusetts.
Joining the Maui-focused competition appears to be Vans, which is testing several potential new lines including a possible OGG speed bump-jumper; the Upcountry Crazed Driver Avoider; and Kapalua slip-ons, to be available only in white.
