A trip to Japan would provide the next spark. Tiller was in Tokyo on a trend shopping trip, and behind glass discovered a vulcanized shoe he’d never seen. An avid collector, the shoe captured him. He asked the proprietor to open the case, and then held in his hands a sneaker with light blue herringbone outsole and a heal tab slightly askew on the lateral side. The cost was $400. Tiller bought the shoe thinking at the very least it would be a nice addition to his collection. It turned out to be the beginning of something real.

Back in the States, Galkin and Tiller dug around and unearthed the forgotten Seavees brand. They liked that it was a California company. They were enamored with the early advertising - clean imagery depicting a classically attired man leaning against his car, girl by his side, the excitement of a rally race in the background. Going back to the shared values explored at the Avalon hotel, the two men saw a brand beginning to take shape.

Here was a shoe, and a brand, that appealed to their sense of history. And, furthermore, it appealed to an interest in California culture and design from the 1960s, providing a base platform for a new company that allowed for contemporary reclamation of a style forged by Steve McQueen, the music of Brian Wilson, and the now revered mid-century Californian architecture. The rich heritage of California, and explicitly the cultural production of the 1960s, generated a wealth of inspiration from which to form a new story. A second chapter for Seeveas.

Having revived brands before, Galkin and Tiller were not interested in simply bringing back the old. For one, the Seavees company was too small. Beyond the basic story and a few extant advertisements all they knew was the original price - $5.99 - and that the offerings came in four color choices.

What they did know was that the name, Seavees, was perfect for their brand of respectful rehabilitation. It would be a new collection built on 40 years of reflection and contemplation. Rather than revive they developed an aesthetic hinged on contemporary amendments - adding leather linings, better footbeds, and using natural rubbers. The admiration for California culture, and the continued discovery of the rich archive of 1960s California life, ensured a rich cache of inspiration. “For us, Seavees had great bones. It had a name that had the ocean in it, one of our favorite things. It had a clean logo. It provided a platform for us to be true to ourselves and celebrate an era.”