Yes, Guy Harvey has a favorite pair.
“The one I’ve got on right now has the sailfish on the sole on the outside,” he says. “It’s very comfy. I do like these shoes for casual evening wear. Flip-flops are nice, but this has great imagery.”
And the man knows a thing or two about great imagery.
Renowned for his paintings of sport fish and more, Harvey has long been licensing his artwork for use on products people can wear. There are short-sleeve T-shirts, long-sleeve tees, rash guards, tank tops, hoodies, shorts, bathing suits, hats, belts—and that doesn’t even include the additional women’s, kids’ and infant items.
But until 2018, there were no shoes. “We try to do everything from head to foot,” Harvey says, “but a lot depends on the kinds of partnerships you can form with the different manufacturers. Well, it’s taken this long to find JSSI. We struggled to find the right partner.”
The New York City-based footwear company, which also makes branded Emeril Lagasse footwear for the restaurant industry, started making Guy Harvey shoes in 2018. This past November, several new men’s styles were unveiled.
“They’ve figured out which ones work really well and branched out,” Harvey says. “The packaging is beautiful too. They’re not throwaway boxes. They’re covered in art. They’re pure art.”
JSSI president David Schwartz says, of all the branded shoes the company has done, the Guy Harvey designs have the most precise imagery. And a portion of the income from every sale goes to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, which benefits ocean conservation, research and education.
“Like all of our licenses, they are giving back,” Harvey says. “They have to, or I won’t sign up.”
