THE JOURNAL
Once shorthand for prep-school privilege and Ivy League weekends, boat shoes are back. Invented in the 1930s for added grip on deck, they’ve been reclaimed for a 2025 audience who isn’t necessarily planning to be on a sea-going vessel, or even adjacent to one.
We might have the new preppy revival to thank for it – spurred by hip millennial favourites such as Aimé Leon Dore, Noah and Rowing Blazers reworking classic Americana through a more diverse, contemporary, post-dress codes lens. Or blame Drake, who is partial to a pair. Tyler, the Creator, who wears them with soft tailoring and a pearl necklace. Gen Z and their love of anything ironic (or previously worn by their fathers). In fact, don’t blame anyone at all, just enjoy the chunky stitching, salt-weathered patina, sleek informality, witty nonchalance and summery brilliance. Everyone else is.
Central to the return of the boat shoe are brands such as Sebago, whose iconic signatures have just landed on the MR PORTER shelves. Because, while we love newness and fashion-forward interpretations, we appreciate those who have been doing these kinds of things for a while. Those who have been around long enough to understand exactly how things should be made, as well as why.
Sebago was founded in 1946 in Westbrook, Maine, and made famous in the 1970s and 1980s for its Docksides, the brand’s refined take on the boat shoe, which became a staple of the Ivy League and preppy style movements. They were even immortalised in 1980’s The Official Preppy Handbook.
“Meticulous attention to detail, unparalleled materials and expert craftsmanship – that’s something we can absolutely get on board with”
While this heritage American brand – named after the deepest lake in Maine – might be invested in the past and committed in time-honoured style and craftsmanship, it is also focused on innovation. On how people want to wear boat shoes right now. The offering that caught our buyers’ eye includes timeless models such as the Classic Dan and the Ranger – the bedrock of the brand and its place in style history.
The lineup has recently been updated and expanded with newer models, too, such as the Portland and Kai, both part of the Artisan collection. This is the iconic boat shoe, updated with surprising textures, styles and colours. You’ll find premium Italian suede, for example, and designs that are left completely unlined for a lighter, youthful feel, whether you wear them with chinos and an Oxford button-up in the Hamptons or with shorts and a polo on the Italian riviera.
These are fresh takes on a classic, but with the same meticulous attention to detail, unparalleled materials and expert craftsmanship. That’s something we can absolutely get on board with. Just like everyone else who knows.