Oakley Hopes Word-of-Foot Helps Shoe Sales Take Off

How are Oakley Inc.’s new athletic shoes selling? The jury, it appears, is still out.

The Foothill Ranch company, best known for its upscale sunglasses, has not released sales numbers since it jumped into the competitive athletic shoe market this year. But spokeswoman Renee Law said Oakley is satisfied with the public’s initial response to its new product.

“We have had a limited quantity in the market,” she said. “But we’re really pleased with [sales] and the responses we’ve had from retailers.”

The $125 high-top, which isn’t targeted to a specific use, initially came only in yellow and silver. A black high-top was released last month. Now, low-tops--in black and yellow--have arrived in stores.

The shoes are selling in about 200 specialty stores nationwide and are backed only by a minimal advertising campaign. The company plans to release figures about the shoe sales Wednesday along with other financial information.

At Becker Surf & Sport in Corona del Mar, sales have been sluggish.

“The yellow did really bad,” said manager Mike Bill, referring to the most eye-catching option. “Overall, the shoe has done decent. Not up to expectations, but it’s plugging away.

“There’s really no direct market for it yet,” he added. “Oakley’s been known in the past to create their own market, though. . . . They kind of create their own buzz.”

The high-tops didn’t exactly race out the door at Val Surf in North Hollywood, either.

“It’s pretty out there compared to other shoes we’re offering in our skate and surf departments,” said co-owner Mark Richards. “The low-top definitely will sell better.”

But Mike Allen, salesman and buyer at Jack’s Surfboards in Huntington Beach, painted a brighter picture.

Although the Oakley shoes are the store’s most expensive shoe, customers still are buying them. “They have been moving consistently,” he said.

Since breaking into the shoe business this year, Oakley has added about 450 employees, Law said.

Meanwhile, Oakley is preparing to introduce its latest non-sunglass product, a watch, by the year’s end. The company won’t say yet how much it will sell for, but one employee said they’ll start at $1,500.