Introducing the AW19 Cloud collection from the American shoe brand.

Given the boat shoe is such a fixture in the world of men’s style, it would be something of a coup for a brand to be able to lay claim to its origin story. Much like, say, the trench coat, the leather jacket, or the Breton top, the boat shoe is one of those inimitable style icons that does not seem to age, nor do men ever get tired of wearing them. But shoe brand Sperry can reliably make such a claim. And the story, like all good stories, involves a dog...

It begins back in 1935 when a Connecticut-born chap called Mr Paul Sperry, who was out sailing, slipped and fell overboard. He promptly set to work creating a shoe that would suit his surroundings. Rubber was the obvious solution, but he also noted that his trusty dog Prince could walk on most surfaces without losing traction. So, taking inspiration from the ridges on his dog’s paws, he cut grooves into blank, rubber shoe soles. And so: the Top-Sider boat shoe was born – and by 1936, every member of the Cruising Club of America had bought a pair. In 1941 it was named an official shoe of the US navy.

“Sperry is an authentic brand that has never lost its roots,” says Mr Adam Meek, global senior vice president of product, when we caught up with him to discuss the new Sperry Top-Sider Cloud collection, available on MR PORTER now. “And it still pays homage to its founder Paul Sperry today. When I first arrived at the brand, I was impressed by how people, particularly in the US, have an emotional connection to Sperry, and have grown up with it.”

It wasn’t until the 1960s, when the likes of President John F Kennedy and Mr Paul Newman wore Sperry Top-Siders, that Sperry’s shoes were catapulted into the mainstream and started to become imbued with the preppy reputation they still hold today. And despite its rich history, Sperry continues to keep its offering fresh and contemporary.

This has never been truer than with the new Cloud collection – a range of colourful interpretations of the brand’s classic styles. Mr Meek describes the collection as, “The pinnacle expression of the brand, where we tell stories in their purest form and stretch the boundaries of what Sperry stands for. Cloud is where we take the brand’s most iconic silhouettes and mix them with relevance from today’s world. It’s also the starting point for the rest of our seasonal collection.”

If you had any doubts about its contemporary credentials (styles include pebble leather, hairy suede and corduroy), Noah designer and general street and skatewear legend Mr Brendon Babenzien – who collaborated on Cloud – might persuade you. “I love the idea of working with a brand that I’ve been a fan of my whole life and being able to have just a slightly different point of view without losing the core of who they are.”

“It’s great to work with him,” says Mr Meek. “I started speaking to Brendon more than three years ago just after I joined the company. He has a lifelong passion and relationship with the Sperry brand, and has a lot of great ideas on how to create amazing products while showcasing the brand’s heritage and DNA... We share many similar views. It felt like a natural fit to work together, and I’m glad we could make it happen.”

You can shop the entire Cloud collection here. Alternatively, for a different way to embrace the Sperry brand, why not invest in the Gold Cup collection, which is also live on MR PORTER now. Offering a more hardwearing Sperry shoe – perfect for the winter seasons – expect full-grain leather uppers, rawhide laces and molded rubber lug sole for all-terrain traction. Below, we asked Mr Meek to give us a rundown of his favourite styles from both collections.

“This is Sperry’s most iconic style. Developed by Paul Sperry as a non-slip boat shoe for yachting enthusiasts, this style features some of the same technical details that Sperry used in 1935. We reinterpret the boat shoe every season in lots of exciting ways, and we’ve got a bunch of cool ones at MR PORTER, including a suede patchwork version, which I would wear with jeans and a sweatshirt.”

“This a classic Sperry style that Paul Sperry created as his first casual, non-boat shoe. Made with a higher profile and thicker sole than the Authentic Original Boat Shoe, the Captain’s Oxford perfectly toes the line between laid-back and dressed-up. The Captain’s Ox can be worn with jeans, or even dress trousers.”

“The Gold Cup collection offers premium materials, lambskin linings and unbeatable craftsmanship. I especially like the lug sole Authentic Original Boat Shoe that pairs classic styling with a bold outsole for a look that can be both dressed up or down.”