To commemorate its 25th anniversary, Chaco footwear hit the road for a summer-long, nationwide journey dubbed the Fit For Adventure Tour. Now through September, a specially outfitted Chaco truck and trailer will make stops at major music festivals and whitewater events, three Southeastern Conference (SEC) football games, and more than 20 retailers across the country.
Chaco also released a commemorative “From the Vault” collection in June. The commemorative sandals will all be made in the USA, feature the retro Gecko logo, and come in a unique shoebox with a special gift. The collection includes three women’s and two men’s versions of the Classic Z sandal in some of the most popular webbing styles from the past 25 years.
Chaco will offer product try-on stations and professional fitting sessions for its most popular styles. And, during the four-month tour, Chaco will donate $2 for every pair tried on to Big City Mountaineers, which serves urban youth through wilderness mentoring expeditions.
Born in 1989 in a small town in the mountains of Colorado, a whitewater rafting guide was fed up with soggy sneakers began selling his homemade sport sandals to some of his clients and fellow guides. Chaco became a cultural phenomenon with a passionate following, and today still makes some of the best-selling sport sandals on the market.
“The Tour is an opportunity to thank our fans, and meet a few new ones, face to face,” said Chaco’s Colin Butts. “Event attendees will have lots of fun opportunities to interact with the brand at our mobile station…from selecting customized webbing wrist wraps, to taking and printing photo booth pictures, to entering a daily footwear giveaway. One lucky person will even win our grand prize giveaway—a $5,000 credit to use towards a trip of a lifetime.”
The Fit For Adventure Tour kicked off at the Houston Free Press Summer Festival music event, continued on to the Wakarusa Music Festival, and just left the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado. Next stop: The Stars and Stripes River Festival, Saturday, June 28, in Oklahoma City.
As a final stop on the Tour in September, Chaco will return to its roots and join the Nantahala Outdoor Center Guest Appreciation Festival in Fontana Dam, N.C., Sept. 26-28. “We see this anniversary celebration as a meaningful opportunity to give back to our friends and loyal customers,” said Butts.
Tour ambassadors will be posting live-streaming tweets (@chacousa), photos (@chacofootwear), on Facebook and blog posts.
Remaining stops on the tour include:
6/28: Stars and Stripes River Festival, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
7/11: Bunbury Music Festival, Cincinnati, Ohio
7/18: The Forecastle Festival, Louisville, Kentucky
7/23: Flyodfest, Floyd, Virginia
8/30: Arkansas Vs. Auburn, Auburn, Alabama
9/13: Georgia Vs. S. Carolina, Columbia, S.C.
9/20: Florida Vs. Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
9/26: Nantahala Outdoor Center Guest Appreciation Festival, Fontana Dam, N.C.
Also of note, as a result of the brand’s proprietary LUVSEAT footbed, the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) awarded its Seal of Acceptance to all Chaco footwear styles. The APMA Seal is intended to raise awareness by identifying products of exceptional quality that are manufactured with comfort, health, and safety in mind.
Chaco is a part of Wolverine Worldwide’s Performance Group, which also includes the lifestyle brands Merrell, Saucony, Cushe, and Patagonia Footwear.
