Reef released four new versions of the iconic Fanning sandal. Photos: Reef
Do you remember, way back in 2005, when Reef released the Fanning sandal? Even if you’re not old enough, you probably know them: they’re the ones with the bottle opener on the bottom. Well, Reef announced today that it would be expanding that line of flip flops with four new styles.
I’m going to be honest. I’ve always been grossed out by the Fanning sandal. A beer opener on the bottom of a shoe is just… gross. I step in dog shit more than I’d like to. There are gross things on the ground. Spit. Snot. Shit. Hell, if you’ve walked by a dumpster in an alley, you’ve walked through piss. But hey, I’m not here to yuck anyone’s yum, so if you’re unable to open a beer with a lighter, your ring, or a key, I suppose you do need a bottle opener somewhere on your person. But may I suggest something so crazy it might just work? A bottle opener on a keychain. A bottle opener in your pocket. A bottle opener anywhere other than the bottom of your shoe. You know what’d be cool? A bottle opener that slid into the sole of the sandal, hiding it from all the poop and spit and snot.
I’m not just worried about the sky falling. “But Alex,” you might say, “I don’t step in shit and piss and snot and spit.” But you DO. There have been studies that show the soles of your shoes are positively filthy. “For the study, 10 people wore brand-new shoes for two weeks before their kicks were sampled for bacteria,” wrote USA Today. “The outside of the shoes averaged 421,000 units of bacteria, compared with 2,887 on the inside. And fecal bacteria appeared on 96 percent of the shoes.”
Researchers inspecting shoe bottoms found E. coli, a source of urinary tract infections and diarrhea, as well as other bacteria causing pneumonia (Klebsiella pneumonia) and respiratory tract infections (Serratia ficaria). One study — which wasn’t peer reviewed — found that soles of shoes are generally far dirtier than toilet seats.
I may be in the minority, though, because the Fanning sandal has been kicking around for 21 years now, and businesses don’t stay open by making things that no one is buying. And Fanning isn’t just a businessman. In the words of Jay-Z, “he’s a business, man.”
“What makes the Fanning so unique is that it doesn’t speak to just one person,” said Taylor Leopold, Reef’s senior director of men’s product, in a statement. “It resonates differently depending on who you are and what you value, whether that’s nostalgia, performance, or everyday comfort.”
To mark that 21st anniversary (the sandal can legally drink in the United States!), the Fanning sandal family is getting four new models: the Fanning +, the Fanning + Slide, the Fanning H2O, and the Fanning Slide H2O. If you do decide to invest, do me a solid: clean the bottle opener off a bit before you crack a beer with it.
