A Creative Recreation advertisement

(image from Creative Recreation)

Creative Recreation also referred to  as “Creative Recs” by frequent users are shoes that help to fill a strategic void in the shoe market. Launched in 2002 in Orange County California by two brothers, the shoe has recently gained popularity in the market.  Before this year, I had never even seen them.

At first glance, I thought the logo looked very similar to the Louis Vuitton sneakers and had actually assumed then to be the new sneakers that Vuitton has recently put out. Upon closer inspection, I saw that they were something very different.

Created to be the middle ground between sporty and business professional shoes, Creative Recs have become very popular among young professionals. As said best by the creators,  “We don’t want to be put into any category, we’re a footwear company! We make shoes for our lifestyle, rather we make shoes for life with style”.  The brand has launched many hip hop inspired shoe styles that can be worn in business casual settings.

In my opinion the shoes are a bit on the flashy side, but if rocked right can look good. A majority of the styles are quite excessive but the ones that get it right, really get it right. Running for the most part over 100 dollars a pair, the best feature of the brand is the exclusivity of the company. Within the company philosophy it is stated, “We strive to keep Creative Recreation as limited as possible. We want our clientele to know that when they buy a pair of Creative Recreation the chances of seeing someone else rocking the same shoes are highly unlikely. For each color and style in our line we only make an average of 90 to 500 pair worldwide. Constantly trying to revolutionize footwear style Creative Recreation will continue to push the “bourgeois sneaker”.”

This attention to brand uniqueness makes me give the company a lot respect. So bottom line – if you looking for a pair of new shoes that others won’t likely have and are willing to throw down 100-150 dollars, check out Creative Recreation, they might be just the right fit.

Rahul