The Stoke Footwear brand, founded by industry veteran Rick Blackshow, officially launched on January 5, 2026.

Headquartered in Georges Mills, NH, with a global manufacturing base, the casual-lifestyle brand intends to “serve the 65 million all-American guys overlooked by today’s athletic footwear giants.”

Starting March 1, the Stoke brand will launch in 450-plus retail doors nationwide, including Scheels, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Rack Room Shoes, Shoe Department, Shoe Sensation, Murdoch’s, Runnings, and a network of independent retailers.

Said Blackshaw: “For decades, footwear brands have engineered and marketed shoes for the elite athlete; the marathoners, sprinters and professional athletes, resulting in overbuilt shoes, overloaded midsoles, unnecessary tech, and oversized marketing budgets. All of this drives prices higher for everyday guys who don’t need any of it.

“The rest of the industry? They’re chasing fashion trends that go around in circles, while forgetting the everyday consumer, and not making enough wide shoes because they cost more (okay, maybe that is the conspiracy theorist in us!). Stoke was founded to break that cycle.

“The vast majority of people who buy athletic sneakers never use them for their intended purpose. “They aren’t running marathons. They’re running life; working, driving, coaching their kids, walking the dog, grabbing a beer, getting through another long day. Yet the entire industry keeps building footwear as if every consumer is chasing a gold medal.

“We’re here to build for the majority of people — real shoes, for real men with real lives,” continued Blackshaw.

Ian Stewart, company co-founder and CMO, said, “We’ve built this brand for the everyday guy. The guy who works on his feet, provides for his family, loves his country, and wants a brand that speaks to him without fluff or BS. He wants shoes that fit and don’t require a decoder ring to understand or a loan to buy. When our guy sees a Shoe ad and laughs out loud, we’re all winning. And when he puts on a pair of Stoke shoes, says ‘holy sh*t’ and tells his buddies, then we know we’re on the way to building the Stoke Army.”

The truth about the American male foot, that big sneaker brands ignore, according to Stoke:

  • 75 percent of men measure E-width or wider, yet only 25 percent buy wide shoes because the options are not available.
  • The average American man weighs 200 pounds, creating significantly higher underfoot load.
  • Men experience up to a half-size increase in the width of their feet from morning to evening, yet most brands use narrow lasts that have not evolved with the American male in decades.

Stoke’s first footwear styles includes the FO-MO (an athletic-inspired sneaker designed for running, jogging, walking, or “slogging”; and the Versa, a court-inspired shoe engineered for everyday wear.

Stoke Footwear also introduces a suite of proprietary product mechanics, which include:

  • PowerStack Platform for underfoot cushioning providing “all-day comfort while delivering instant recovery.”
  • Mansplay Midsole built on a wide platform with no forefoot cup, paired with Stoke’s Elastech dynamic 4-way stretch upper, allowing feet to spread, flex and relax.
  • Big Ball Girth Fit System (anatomical last) giving room where men’s feet need it most and eliminating the “race-shoe squeeze” designed for athletes.
  • Slip-On Stoke Out Entry, a friction-free, bend-free entry system for men who do not want to stretch to put on footwear before heading out-the-door.

“Footwear should evolve with the people who actually wear it,” said Blackshaw. “But for decades, the industry has been designing for elite athletes and cool teenagers. We’re designing for the guys who move America. The ones running real life, not running 26.2 or saying 6-7.”

Image courtesy Stoke Footwear