A
er swimming with the 'Sharks' on ABC-TV and
striking a deal with Daymond John to help grow
a fledgling beef jerky business, Miami's Jordan
Barrocas has pivoted over the last seven years to become a
full-fledged, albeit younger, 'Shoe Dog' with his new If/en
men's athleisure brand.
e Footwear Insight Business Report Quarterly recently
caught up with Barrocas, a third-generation shoemaker and
first-generation American, to discuss his Cuban family's
work in shoe manufacturing for more than a half century,
and his business approach for developing the If/en brand
over the next five years.
"I grew up in the shoe industry, and I tried doing a
couple of different things, I worked in finance aer college,
but it sucked me back in. I love everything about the shoe
industry," Barrocas tells us in our podcast.
e 39-year-old father of two also details some of the
challenges footwear start-ups face today but also the
advantages If/en maintains thanks to its access to Asian
sourcing and the supply side and infrastructure of a large
manufacturer.
"e strategy that I envision [for If/en] is spending the
next year or two on our direct-to-consumer testing model
where we can identify a strong collection of winning items
where we have data and we understand who our customer
is," says Barrocas. e next step, he says, is to bring a strong
offering to retailers of "already tested products, so we can
ensure they get maximum sell-through." n
JORDAN BARROCAS,
FOUNDER, IF/THEN
THE FOOTWEAR INSIGHT BUSINESS REPORT QUARTERLY PODCAST
"I love
everything
about the
shoe industry."
Photo:
Jordan
Braun
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE
footwearinsight.com Q4 January 6, 2025 ~ Footwear Insight Business Report Quarterly 21
