Chaco Sandals, which started in 1989 by a fishing guide turn entrepreneur. Was sold recently to Wolverine Worldwide for an undisclosed sum. The domestic sales for '08 were reported to be a cool $20 million. Wolverine hopes to extent the brand beyond the US.
The story behind Chaco has always intrigued me. The founder of the brand, Mark Paigen, was a hunting/fishing guide up in the mountains of Colorado. After never being able to find comfortable footwear that would function in both water and while hiking, Mark created his own design. The Chaco sandal now features the same type of strap design as a pair of "Jolly Knocker Sandals". The biggest difference, I suppose, between the two brands is that Jolly Knocker sandals are crafted from fine Brazilian leather and the Chaco sandal uses a fabric strap. Both styles are unisex and both have a sort of cult like following. With the Jolly Knockers being more distinguished in a way, while Chacos are so nice for outdoors. It's hard to say which is better, ...depends upon your mood.
Chaco sandals come in a varity of colors and are available a many outdoor outfitters, while Jolly Knocker Sandals are only sold online via: http://www.jollyknocker.com/
