OluKai has partnered with New Heights, the blockbuster podcast hosted by NFL brothers Jason and Travis Kelce, for a limited-edition sandal collaboration that launched in early June. The collection centers on the Mea Ola Nu’u, a beach sandal that Jason Kelce has worn for years and now carries the branding of the show that made him a crossover cultural figure.
The collaboration bridges two distinct audiences: the outdoor-and-comfort demographic that has made OluKai a $200-million brand, and the pop-culture-sports audience that has turned New Heights into one of the most listened-to podcasts in America. The crossover is executed with a restraint that prevents the product from feeling like a cash-in.
The sandal is built on OluKai’s proprietary footbed technology, which uses a compression-molded EVA midsole and a wet-grip rubber outsole. The upper is a full-grain leather in a dark java color, accented with a tan strap that carries the New Heights logo in a debossed finish — subtle enough to pass as a standard OluKai sandal to the uninitiated.
The limited-edition sandal launched at $135 and sold through its first run rapidly. A restock is planned for late June, suggesting that the Kelce effect extends beyond jerseys and podcast ads into the footwear category.
Jason Kelce’s long-standing personal endorsement of OluKai gives the collaboration an authenticity that the brand has leveraged in its marketing. Campaign imagery shows Kelce in his natural habitat — post-practice, pre-interview, moving through the rhythms of NFL life — wearing sandals that have been part of his uniform off the field for years.
