This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
This week's Utah Crowd-Funding Project is for people who want to be light on their feet. Or have lights on their feets.
Growing up in the Philippines, Nina Sanders spent a lot of time laying in the sand, soaking in the sun, and playing in the water. Of course, flip-flops were part of the standard beach attire.
Sanders, now living in Salt Lake City, describes on her Kickstarter page a 2009 trip back to the Philippines, and the difficulties buying an interesting pair of flip-flops for her 11-year-old son. That got her thinking about designs that could be "fun, colorful, innovative and unique" for kids.
Sanders hit upon the idea of adding flashing LED lights in front and on the sides. (Longtime fans of the Utah Jazz will recall when Karl Malone endorsed a basketball shoe with similar lights, and the trouble he got into with the NBA when he tried to wear them in a game.)
Sanders' BrightFlops also include festive designs with signature accents. The Aloha design, for example, has Hawaiian-themed designs embossed in the soles.
So far, the Sanders family has invested $15,000 toward developing BrightFlops. The family has taken to Kickstarter to raise another $11,000. So far, the campaign has raised $327. The deadline is March 20.
Benefits for backers range from a vinyl sticket (for a $9 pledge) to a pair of BrightFlops, in children's sizes (for a $20 pledge), to bigger combo deals.
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