Sunnystep, S’porean comfortable footwear brand launches in M’sia

Sunnystep, a Singaporean footwear firm, formally steps into Malaysia with the debut of its very first worldwide retailer. 

Based in 2019 by Ting Mao, Sunnystep focuses on creating comfortable sneakers merging science, sustainability, and magnificence. 

Talking to Vulcan Publish final yr, Ting had shared the life-changing expertise throughout a Pilates session that left her with a extreme backbone harm throughout her postpartum interval. This traumatic expertise was what led her to begin Sunnystep. 

“The main principle is to help people understand the importance of how wearing the right shoes leads to long-term health,” Ting mentioned to Vulcan Publish throughout the Malaysian launch. “I think that’s something a lot of brands out there underplay, or they don’t really emphasise on this aspect.” 

She identified that a whole lot of mainstream shoe manufacturers give attention to having a “high-performance” ethos, however for Sunnystep, they’re going in a unique path. As an alternative of getting a “Just Do It” or “Impossible Is Nothing” tagline, Sunnystep is all about “Walk on the Bright Side”. 

The Change TRX, one among KL’s latest malls, had pitched their area to Sunnystep, providing them a spot amidst footwear giants like Asics, Crocs, Nike, and extra. 

Ting, who all the time had the intention to develop into Malaysia, thought it was a superb alternative and jumped on it. 

She identified Sunnystep sends out orders to Malaysia each month, which gave them the boldness to enterprise into the nation. 

The workforce additionally intends to additional localise the brand and perform extra checks and market analysis over time to make sure the best suite of merchandise can be found right here. 

“We love the market,” Ting expressed. “We have so many enthusiastic customers from Malaysia.”

And judging by the purchasers that have been venturing into the shop even throughout the media launch, it positive appears that method.

Serving to Malaysians stroll higher 

As somebody with flat toes, I instantly observed that Sunnystep sneakers have been designed to be not simply comfortable however supportive.

Made with proprietary polyurethane cloud cushioning insoles, the sneakers provide shock absorption and stabilisation. The acupressure factors of the insoles have been a pleasant contact as nicely. The huge toe containers additionally assist scale back bunions and create a extra ergonomic strolling expertise. 

Once I advised the founder Ting that I personally had flat toes, she was by no means stunned. She identified that many individuals are, particularly in Asia. 

She additionally mentioned that Singaporeans and Malaysians additionally are inclined to have bunions because of our tendency to put on flip-flops. Though comfortable, slippers truly provide poor assist for the toes. 

These statistics are why having footwear that may assist your toes day-after-day is so essential. 

Orthopaedic footwear has all the time existed in Malaysia, although. Personally, I’ve worn arch helps for a decade, and it appeared to have helped my arches. 

Nonetheless, these sneakers are fairly costly, oftentimes going into the hundreds. On high of that, Ting mentioned that the arch helps typically use very onerous supplies and may grind in your bones.

“Although they give you support, they focus too much on functionality, they forget about the comfort part,” she mentioned. “Our insoles are made of material that doesn’t sink, but it doesn’t grind against your bones.”

Furthermore, the designs of those orthopaedic sneakers oftentimes aren’t that stylish or enticing. 

For individuals who might doubt the expertise, Sunnystep has not too long ago engaged with the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how (MIT) to check the advantages of carrying Sunnystep sneakers in addition to to analyse the general significance of getting good arch assist. The outcomes, Ting shared, have been very constructive. 

Talking of which, Ting is definitely a double-degree graduate from MIT and a former information scientist. 

Shifting ahead, the workforce goals to double down on the scientific analysis to make sure their sneakers can actually serve their supposed objective. 

Entering into sustainability 

Fashion and science apart, Sunnystep additionally needs to hone in on sustainability. For one, they’ve began utilizing espresso grounds which can be was espresso pallets, that are then infused into the uppers of the sneakers. 

This materials is just not solely eco-friendly however sensible, as it’s breathable and has anti-odour properties. 

Sunnystep works with a uncooked supplies manufacturing unit that sources and produces the grounds.

“Our team actually goes to our factories regularly to make sure there is no waste water produced,” Ting clarified. 

Extra to return

The primary Malaysian Sunnystep outlet, positioned on the second flooring of the mall, includes a vary of designs, from sneakers to Oxfords. Most designs are unisex, and pricing ranges across the RM400 to RM500 mark.

Nonetheless, the Malaysian outlet doesn’t even have the exhaustive Sunnystep assortment. Ting identified that there are extra designs in Singapore equivalent to sandals, sliders, and extra. 

Other than the outlet in The Change TRX, Sunnystep has additionally launched its D2C web site in Malaysia. Ting additionally added that they’re in the method of scouting for extra appropriate areas. 

As an alternative of setting numerical objectives in phrases of what number of shops they purpose to open, although, Ting mentioned the main target is extra in regards to the form of impression they will deliver to the market. 

“It’s more about being very intentional, treating every single customer coming through our doors in the right way,” Ting identified. “We are not aiming for like 50 stores or how many millions, but we have to do it right.” 

“I don’t think we want to rush. I think whichever stores we manage to open, we want to make sure we can optimise the unit economics, we can have the best team offering the best customer service, rather than aiming for numbers.”

Be taught extra about Sunnystep right here.
Learn different articles we’ve written about startups right here.