WKOW: "UW grads make their mark on sandal season"

The story:

Two UW grads are putting their degrees to good use.

"When we tell people we sell sandals, and we're from the Midwest, it's a little bit contradictory," says Matt McManus, owner and founder of Bokos Footwear Company. He and his brother, James, launched their staple rubber sandal two years ago this week.

"My brother had actually been traveling overseas in Beijing, and he found a sandal similar to what Bokos is now," says Matt. The two showed their friends, and the shoes were a hit, so Matt put his business background and his brother's Chinese knowledge to work. They teamed up with a manufacturer and launched Bokos in the United States.

"The great thing about the product is it works for so many different people, whether they wear it after working out, before a run, in the locker room showers, in the garden or just kind of casually around the house," says Matt.

The company has sizes for men and women in six color varieties. So far, they've put in orders for over 23,000 pairs to their manufacturer.

"It's been pretty much everything we could've hoped for since the launch," says Matt.

In the future, they hope to expand the sandals to include kid sizes. Plus, Matt says they would like to make more shoe styles.

To see the story online: Bokos on WKOW