STOKE Footwear Enters the Game for Real Men, Real Feet, and Real Life
Founded by footwear industry veteran Rick Blackshaw, STOKE Footwear isn’t here to chase podiums, teenage hype, or elite-athlete fantasies. It’s here to call out an industry obsessed with performance theater and start building shoes for the 65 million all-American men who’ve been quietly ignored for decades.
Launching officially on January 5, 2026, STOKE is a new casual-lifestyle footwear brand designed for men who are not running marathons, but running life. The brand’s website is now live, with a nationwide retail rollout hitting more than 450 doors from March 1, including Scheels, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Rack Room Shoes, Shoe Sensation, Murdoch’s, Runnings, and a strong network of independent specialty stores across the US.
For years, athletic footwear has been engineered for elite athletes and marketed like everyone’s chasing gold. The result? Overbuilt shoes, bloated tech, narrow fits, inflated prices, and products that simply don’t work for everyday men. Meanwhile, fashion sneakers keep looping trends without ever fixing the basics. STOKE was founded to break that cycle.
“The vast majority of people buying athletic sneakers aren’t using them for their intended purpose,” says Blackshaw, Founder and Chief Stoke Officer. “They’re working, driving, coaching their kids, walking the dog, grabbing a beer, and getting through long days. Yet the industry keeps building footwear as if everyone’s chasing a medal. We’re building for the majority. Real shoes for real men with real lives.”
The American Male Foot, Finally Taken Seriously
STOKE starts where most brands stop: with reality.
Most men don’t match the narrow, athlete-optimized templates footwear companies still rely on. Seventy-five percent of men measure E-width or wider, yet only a fraction can actually buy wide shoes because options are limited and expensive. The average American man weighs around 200 pounds, putting more load underfoot. Feet expand throughout the day, yet outdated lasts haven’t evolved in decades.
STOKE is engineered specifically for this modern, real-world fit profile, rejecting the race-shoe squeeze in favor of honest room, stability, and comfort that lasts from morning to night.
Two Styles. Zero Nonsense.
STOKE launches with two purpose-built models designed for daily life, not highlight reels.
FO-MO is an athletic-inspired sneaker made for walking, slogging, moving forward, and occasionally running for beer.
VERSA is a court-inspired, do-it-all shoe built to handle yard work, weekend sports, errands, long shifts, and hours on concrete without tapping out.
Both styles are built on proprietary systems developed with one user in mind: the everyday guy.
Engineered for Comfort, Built with a Wink
STOKE introduces a lineup of proprietary features that put comfort and honesty ahead of marketing fluff.
The PowerStack™ Platform delivers some of the most underfoot cushioning in the casual athletic space, using a low-durometer, high-energy-return compound that wear testers famously respond to with a spontaneous “holy sh*t.”
The Mansplay™ Midsole sits on a wide platform with no forefoot cup, allowing feet to spread naturally throughout the day. Paired with a dynamic four-way stretch upper, it lets feet flex, expand, and relax under real pressure.
The Big Ball Girth™ Fit System uses a modern anatomical last that gives room where men actually need it, ditching narrow athlete-first shaping. Yes, the name is intentional. And yes, it makes people laugh.
The Slip-On Stoke Out™ Entry eliminates the bend, pull, and struggle, so getting out the door doesn’t require a warm-up routine.
A Brand That Doesn’t Take Itself Too Seriously
STOKE isn’t here to preach performance. It’s here to respect the everyday man with humor, honesty, and shoes that actually fit.
“Our north star isn’t a podium,” adds Ian Stewart, Co-founder and CMO. “It’s a hard day’s work, a driveway, a sideline, a hardware store, and a bleacher seat. When a guy sees a STOKE ad and laughs, we’re winning. When he puts them on and tells his buddies, we’re building something real.”
Availability
STOKE Footwear is available now online, with nationwide retail availability beginning March 1, 2026, across 450+ locations in the US.
This isn’t footwear for athletes chasing medals.
It’s footwear for the guys who move America.