Stand+ Footwear - Rewriting the Rules of Performance Footwear

Creating the unofficial uniform of essential workers everywhere.

Stand+ Footwear began with a bold mission: to design shoes for the unsung heroes of our communities—essential workers.

Originally launched as Gales+ during the pandemic, the brand’s first shoes were crafted specifically for nurses, offering more comfort and safety than the Nikes or New Balances they were wearing on the job.

But it didn’t take long for founder Rob to realize he’d tapped into something bigger. While most performance footwear brands target athletes aiming to run faster or jump higher, Stand+ set its sights on a different challenge—serving those who endure long, gruelling hours on their feet every day. From nurses in hospitals to construction workers in harsh environments, Stand+ is on a mission to keep essential workers “standing tall.”

Challenge

The footwear market was saturated with brands obsessed with technical innovation for athletes. But for essential workers, shoes were often an afterthought—generic, uncomfortable, and ill-suited to the demands of long shifts. Stand+ faced the challenge of cutting through this noise, not only to build a distinctive brand but also to scale it rapidly in both the D2C and B2B markets. They had to become the go-to brand for standing comfort in industries ranging from healthcare to construction, aiming to hit $100M in sales by year three.

Insight

Essential workers are the backbone of society, but their needs are often overlooked. They don’t need high-tech running shoes—they need footwear that supports them through 12-hour shifts, standing on hard floors, facing hazards most people never even consider. Our research revealed that these workers want comfort, durability, and style that fits their demanding lives, without the overhyped “innovation” of the athletic shoe industry. They wanted to be heard, not just sold to.

Strategy

Untangld partnered with Stand+ to create a brand that speaks directly to the essential worker community. We co-designed the product with real workers, listening to their pain points and translating those into functional benefits—slip resistance, antimicrobial properties, and long-lasting comfort. The brand proposition?

Proudly not for athletes.

We positioned Stand+ as more than a footwear brand—it’s the unofficial uniform for essential workers. The strategy focused on cutting through the clutter with a product that genuinely improves the lives of the people who wear it. From product design to messaging, we ensured Stand+ stood out by focusing on the unique pressures of standing all day, every day.

By building a brand grounded in purpose, Stand+ not only differentiated itself from competitors but also created a movement.

This is more than just a shoe—this is about standing tall in the face of the toughest jobs.

Impact

Direct sales growth: 122%

MoM Gross Sales: 20%

STAND+ is officially the first footwear vendor for a major hotel/casino chain servicing 45,000 global employees.