Running Strong for 125 Years: Saucony's Kathryn Pratt on the Brand's Evolution and Future Direction

Saucony (pronounced sock-a-knee) is a footwear label that was founded in 1898 in Pennsylvania, on the high banks of the Saucony creek. Originally created to provide athletes with the best possible footwear, the brand is still an industry-leading name today in both performance and lifestyle sectors. Set to celebrate its 125th anniversary, Saucony is one of the longest-running footwear brands of all time, and it certainly hasn’t finished innovating just yet, as there’s some incredible product launches planned for 2023.

Here at The Sole Supplier we recently made the trip out to Paris to attend Saucony’s private showroom, where we were lucky enough to catch up with Kathryn Pratt, the label’s Chief Marketing Officer, to talk sustainability, collaborations and more. Read on for the full interview and be sure to stay locked in right here for all the latest sneaker news and updates!

Well, I've only been at the company for 6 months, so I have a brush and new perspective on it, but what I keep returning to is the fact that we have a long standing heritage, so we have so many stories to pull from the past. Whether it’s through our own products or through collaborations, we're then able to layer newness into the history. That's what's created this longevity we have.

Saucony is sort of this brand that has an "if you know, you know" attitude, and that exists on both sides of the brand - the dedicated running sector and on the lifestyle side. It's the people who are ingrained in the culture who really make the brand and see this longevity we have.

Since I've joined the company I've definitely seen that running is very much part of the culture, but the way we talk about it is in a broader sense. Not everyone in the office is a die-hard runner, but there are definitely a few of us who are super passionate about it. Then there are those like myself, who have evolved into casual runners, but what’s great is that everyone is made to feel welcome, no one feels intimidated regardless of the level they're at.

What's interesting is if we look at all the elements that help create running culture - I'm talking music, the arts, and all of those components that help make running special, these are the things we try to bring to life and interpret through Saucony Originals.

I think being in the footwear industry at this time is fascinating. There's so much energy and innovation in the sneaker scene right now. I see Saucony as a challenger brand, a brand that has to work that bit harder to be disruptive and to hold its own against the competition.

This is where creativity really comes into play, and of course that's always enticing to me as a marketer. As well as this, the people at Saucony are some of the best professionals I've ever met, there was a great deal of respect around the table when I first went into talks with the business, and the office is really a place that just empowers you.

Yes, the brand definitely felt a huge amount of growth kick in around the time of the pandemic in particular. The running boom in specific really highlighted an increase in sales and demand for us. I think what's difficult though, is maintaining the interest shown by those new consumers, not necessarily regarding Saucony itself, but more so how to keep them interested in running as a whole. Like most businesses, we're always looking to work smarter, make fast decisions and listen to what the consumers want.

There's so much conversation around this issue, and for good reason, this really is a challenge that the industry is facing right now. Operating in a more sustainable way is new to us all. The way we've been approaching it is through the lens of what we're good at - through design and innovation. Where you see sustainability show up the most within Saucony is through the products. Finding elements that can be used during the production process from nature is a huge part of this, whether that's waste from pineapples, mushroom leather, or even fishnets - that's where we're able to bring a unique take on sustainability and anchor it to something that's already authentic to us.

Sustainability is part of our decision-making process every step of the way. Even when we were designing our showroom for Paris Fashion Week, we made sure that the decor was crafted entirely from cardboard boxes to make the event carbon neutral. We use 60% less water during our entire production process too, sustainability is something that's in the back of our minds every step of the way.

The biggest project or campaign that we'll be working on this year is celebrating our 125th anniversary. There's so many stories that have been kept in the Saucony archives over the years, so we've spent a vast amount of time carefully selecting the stories we want to share. We're not just talking about our history either, we're evolving it, and showcasing how it relates to Saucony as a brand today.

We're going to be highlighting this throughout product offerings that will be launching over the year, some of which are pulled directly from the archives, and others which draw inspiration. That's really our biggest opportunity and challenge this year - refreshing that 125th anniversary story, the combination of heritage and innovation.

Collaborations have definitely become very prevalent in the industry, but I think they can continue onwards because they challenge brands to be creative, and to think differently. For us, what strikes me is that we don't chase trends, certain artists, or certain personalities. We're really thoughtful and curated in regard to who we work with, it has to be the right fit and the right story for Saucony.

That's the space where we want to be, we don't want to keep up with the flow or with what other brands are doing, instead we want to take the right opportunities. Our Senior Brand Manager and Lead of Collaborations Jason Faustino has done a phenomenal job at building relationships with our collaborative partners, and finding creators that bring a unique spin to our heritage products.

So, the Made in Italy line was born out of the fact that our Originals line is so popular in Italy. It's basically been developed as a test run, to see if products developed in Italy resonate with our audience. I think we're still trying to figure that out right now, but the focus behind the line was to truly reinforce the craftsmanship. Every detail on these sneakers has been crafted with immense care and precision, meaning that these are luxury products that sit a cut above the rest of our offerings. I'm still yet to get my hands on a pair of my own, but I absolutely can't wait to check them out.