Product Update

Is Slinks Still in Business? (2026 Update)

Is Slinks from Dragons’ Den still around in 2026? The deal it made, the dragons who invested, and where to buy Slinks today.

Dragons' Den IndexUpdated 11 April 20266 min read

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Slinks was one of the simplest ideas ever pitched in the Den: a beautifully made sandal base with interchangeable uppers, so one pair of shoes could do the work of five. Founder Jane Rafter walked out with an investment and, more usefully, sold out her entire stock the same week the episode aired. Years later, the short answer is yes, the brand is still around, though not quite in the shape it left the Den in.

The Short Answer

Slinks sandals are still being sold in the UK today, primarily through third-party footwear retailers rather than a dedicated Slinks-branded storefront. That fits the pattern in our data, where this pitch is logged as having no standalone company website.

It is worth being precise here. There is a separate, unrelated product also called Slinks sold by the US label Nine West through Amazon, Macy's and Belk. That is a coincidence of naming, not the same company Jane Rafter pitched in the Den. The original Slinks, the leather-based sandal with the silk-wrapped interchangeable uppers, is the one we are covering.

The Pitch

Jane Rafter, a fashion designer from Stroud Green in North London, brought Slinks into the Den in series 7, episode 5. Her pitch asked for £75,000 in exchange for 40 percent of the business, a chunky slice of equity for a product built on a genuinely clever piece of design: a leather sandal base with three attachment points, paired with dozens of interchangeable uppers so the buyer could change the whole look of the shoe in seconds.

The idea worked because it solved a real travel problem. Instead of packing five pairs of sandals for a holiday, you packed one base and a handful of light uppers. It is the kind of pitch that sells itself the moment the Dragons see the demo.

The Deal

Jane secured her £75,000, and in the aftermath both James Caan and Theo Paphitis came on as directors of her company. The publicity from the episode was immediate and dramatic: her entire stock of Slinks sold out within days of the broadcast, a genuinely rare outcome for a small fashion brand.

What is less commonly reported is that the working relationship with her investors was not entirely smooth. Jane has since said she does not regret how things played out, noting there was a lot of paperwork behind the scenes after the appearance, and that the arrangement was not quite suited to the direction she wanted to take the business.

Where Things Stand Now

The brand has had a longer life than most single-product Den pitches. Slinks bases and uppers, retailing at £70 for a base with two uppers and £15 to £30 for additional uppers, have continued to circulate through UK footwear retailers over the years, including specialist stockists that carry the SLINKS name alongside other independent shoe brands.

The company never built out the kind of large consumer e-commerce presence some Den alumni chase. It stayed a smaller, design-led fashion label, sold through boutique and specialist channels rather than a big-box retail push.

Why the Modular Idea Held Up

The core insight behind Slinks was always stronger than a typical single-season fashion trend: separating the base of a sandal from its visible upper means one well-made component can be restyled indefinitely, which is a genuinely useful proposition for anyone who travels or simply wants variety without buying a new pair of shoes every time. That kind of practical, repeat-value idea tends to age better than a purely aesthetic gimmick.

It also explains why the product could survive as a smaller, specialist item sold through independent retailers rather than needing constant reinvention or heavy marketing spend to stay relevant. A genuinely useful design does a lot of its own selling, season after season, long after the initial television buzz has faded.

The Honest Verdict

Slinks is a case of a Dragons' Den pitch that got its investment, got its sell-out moment, and then settled into a quieter, sustainable life as a niche fashion accessory brand rather than becoming a household name. That is not a failure. For a small, founder-led label, staying in business for over a decade after a single TV appearance, without collapsing under the weight of investor demands, counts as a genuine win.

If you are hunting for the original Slinks, look to UK independent footwear retailers rather than the big US shoe chains, and be careful not to confuse it with the unrelated Nine West product sharing the same name.

Where to buy Slinks

Still selling as of 11 April 2026. Check today's price and availability.

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See the full Slinks deal breakdown and term sheet →