Selling Something You Love

American heritage brand Salt-Water Sandals is now in Singapore – great news for lovers or comfortable footwear! We caught up with the CEO of the brand, Rachael Lainé, to find out why she’s excited about the reception to these stylish yet durable sandals.

Tell us about yourself; when did you move to Singapore?

I’m a Londoner who spent 24 years growing up in Hong Kong before moving around the world as an adult. I’ve worked in Hong Kong, Australia and the UK before moving back to Singapore with my family in August 2019. A year before we moved, my husband started working with me as the Director of Operations. He’d always been my sounding board, but as business abroad ramped up post-Brexit, I needed more support as we expanded to three companies and four warehouses.

We have all managed to fall in love with the island and its food and wildlife, and my kids have really taken to an outdoors life after the chillier North London experience of their childhood.

How did you get started with Salt-Water Sandals?

I spotted Salt-Water when I was on maternity leave with my second child. I was scrolling mummy blogs at midnight and saw them written about on a blog being published out of Brooklyn, NYC.

My professional background is in marketing – in particular, specialising in brand launch communications – and I immediately saw their potential. I tried to get a US retailer to send them to the UK and ended up having my sister ship some from Miami to New York. Finally, she brought them home to me in her hand luggage. As soon as I tried them on, with my daughter wearing a tiny size-18 first-walker pair, I could see how well they would do outside the US market.