ospop: The shoe inspired by China's laborers comes home
“Living in Xujiahui, there was construction going on everywhere” says Walters. “Once [the shoes] caught my eye, I would look around in a crowded street and see 30 pairs.”
The New Jersey native initially came to Shanghai to act as a go-between for U.S. commodity plastics companies and Chinese suppliers, but the ubiquity of the workman’s shoes stoked his interest in “re-purposing workwear as fashion” in the grand tradition of brands like Levi's and Dickies.
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One day Walters picked up a pair of the shoes wrapped in a paper bag for a few kuai, dialed the phone number that was scribbled on the bag, and ended up reaching a shoe factory in Henan Province that would eventually become the manufacturer for Walters’ own brand, ospop (short for “One Small Point of Pride”).
The biggest strength of our business is our marketing, and we capitalize on the developing world. So there’s an obligation to give back.— Ben Walters, ospop founder
“People who make shoes make them in Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong. I initially went out to Henan,” Walters says, with an incredulous raise of the eyebrows. “If I’d gone to one of those [more experienced] shoe-making factories, I would have been ripped off a lot sooner.”
Which is to imply that, like many a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed foreign entrepreneur before him, Walters eventually met with some bilking.
Fashion at a cost
Over the past three years, bilking aside, Walters has sold over 25,000 pairs of ospop shoes to overseas customers, at US$48-73 (RMB 315–480) a pop, or about 20 times more expensive than their jiefang xie progenitors.
Walters is quick to justify the price tag with an artisan’s explanation of the craftsmanship put into every pair.
While ospop shoes are aesthetically similar to standard jiefang xie, their double-vulcanized rubber soles, ergonomic insoles and quality materials place them in a class of their own, explains Walters.
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Lest you have any doubts that you’re getting your money’s worth, each pair also comes with two sets of laces, one to match the shoes’ canvas and another to match the rubber outsole.
Another reason for the steep prices is the above-average working environment for ospop’s factory employees in Henan, which includes overtime pay and a production process that's 65-75 percent slower than the standard time for making canvas shoes in China, making it safer for the workers.
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Giving credit were its due
ospop pays tribute to “the industrious and optimistic spirit found among people living and working in China today,” with the character gong (工) or “labor” embroidered on every pair of shoes, and a color palette comprised of options like “cement,” “slate” and “brick.”
Speaking about China’s rapid development, Walters says, “People are working hard, education levels are rising, people are traveling more and enjoying more leisure time. Why shouldn’t China’s development story be the foundation of a fashion brand?”
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Asked whether he believes ospop has contributed to the recent comeback of retro-fabulous Chinese footwear brands like Feiyue and Huili, Walters replies, “Those are heritage brands that are being revitalized, which is great, which is not ospop.”
Still, he acknowledges that, from the perspective of a Chinese consumer, ospop may scratch the nostalgia itch in much the same way that a revamped heritage brand would. Walters also cites Botas (basically the Czech version of Feiyue) as another example of the old-school footwear rage.
Clearly the best way to win that battle [with counterfeiters] in China is to beat people in the market, not in the courtroom.— Ben Walters, ospop founder
Moving beyond foot soldiers
The brand has already begun to expand beyond footwear.
Last year saw the launch of ospop’s “Migration Series” bags last year, sturdy creations with subtle detailing and lined with classic plaid shepidai (蛇皮袋) or “snakeskin bag” woven-plastic material, so named because of its scaly texture.
“ospop provides yet more proof that Chinese brands have now to be taken seriously by Western brands; competition will be tough in the coming years,” says Lionel Derimais of Nicely Made in China.
“People outside of China have to realize that products are now made in China with international standards in mind.”
As the sales figures attest, Western shoppers have embraced ospop’s narrative. Now Walters is taking the gamble that Chinese consumers will get down with his brand’s homespun labor-chic.
In early 2011 ospop launched its Taobao store, where shoes sell for RMB 118-288, and Walters plans to announce the opening of a retail space in Shanghai this year.
He has also partnered with creative branding consultancy NeochaEDGE to develop innovate ways to reach China’s youth market.
ospop provides yet more proof that Chinese brands have now to be taken seriously by Western brands; competition will be tough in the coming years.— Lionel Derimais, Nicely Made in China.
“My original idea wasn’t to move into China so early,” says Walters. “I didn’t think we were ready for China and I didn’t think China was ready for us.”
But when he started seeing knock-offs of his own shoes in China, he knew he had no time to lose in entering the domestic market.
“Clearly the best way to win that battle [with counterfeiters] in China is to beat people in the market, not in the courtroom.”
Try Googling “ospop” and you’ll see the fakes abound. One such impostor website is almost completely identical to the official ospop site. If you want to be sure you’re getting the real deal, buy them only on ospop.com or therealospop.taobao.com.
Judging by the phony ospops kicking around, it seems that China’s fashion savvy are embracing working-class patriotism of the brand. Walters’ challenge now is to educate consumers about the quality design and materials that set his genuine article apart from the fakes.
Perhaps aware of how easy it would be for some cynical reporter to put a negative spin on his enterprise (Can’t you just picture the headline? “Foreigner Gets Rich by Romanticizing the Lives of China’s Poor”), Walters has gone to great lengths to give back to the culture that gave him his golden egg, launching a university scholarship fund that has so far sent five promising young students from rural Henan to college.
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Walters has forged strong friendships with the scholarship recipients, and estimates that he receives emails from them at least once a week.
“If you’re in a for-profit business, there’s a moral obligation to contribute,” says Walters.
“The biggest strength of our business is our marketing, and we capitalize on the developing world. So there’s an obligation to give back.”
