Teaming Up on Knit Slippers
SLIPPER STYLE: Furthering its string of collaborations, Brunch, a lifestyle brand developing footwear with a hotel slipper aesthetic, has teamed with Hirshleifers, the family-run luxury retailer on Long Island, on its latest styles.
Lori Hirshleifer, owner and buyer, along with Marci Hirshleifer Penn, women’s buyer, worked with Brunch to redesign the Brunch “l’Essentiel” silhouette with distinct knit uppers, and a matching blanket in the same knit fabric. While the Hirshleifers handled the design, Brunch managed the production. Lori and Marci styled both a dress-down look and a dress-up look.
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“The Hirshleifers have been family friends of ours as well as an inspiration for myself growing up. My mother has been shopping there consistently for years,” said Brunch founder Daniel Sitt. “When we were kicking off the partnership, we immediately thought to look through archival images of the Hirshleifers family to get a better understanding of their heritage. We saw an old picture of Lillian Hirshleifer [mother of Lori] with a big smile, sporting a patterned knit top. From that photo, we were instantly inspired to test what it means to design knitted footwear.”
According to Joshua Sitt, Daniel’s brother and a partner in Brunch, the co-branded l’Essentiel slipper is designed for comfort, has a footbed made with EVA foam that molds to the foot, and an outsole made from partially recycled EVA often used in running sneakers for support and traction. The upper knit pattern was spun in Mexico and made from recycled cotton yarn for softness and durability. The slipper is stain resistant, machine washable, priced $122, and sold on Brunch.us, at the Brunch store on Bond Street in Manhattan, and at Hirshleifers in the Americana Manhasset shopping center.
While Brunch has a range of products in its portfolio, it’s focused on footwear, specifically slippers, where the agenda is growing. Previously, Brunch has collaborated with Coca-Cola, Jack’s Wife Freda, Setai Hotel Miami and Conca Del Sogno on the Amalfi Coast.
The business model for slippers stems from Daniel’s hotel stays. He would take home the slippers in the room, only to see the product fall apart after a few days’ use. So he came up with the idea of creating durable slippers that can be worn outdoors and still maintain that hotel aesthetic.
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