Mark Wahlberg And Municipal Plan Performance Footwear Expansion

Mark Wahlberg tells me he’s not really a patient person. But he wasn’t about to rush the technology that defines his Municipal brand’s footwear: M.Float.

“When I say it took years to get M.Float right, I’m not kidding,” he says, adding that he knows it takes time to build something special. “I personally must’ve tested at least 10 versions of it myself, but it’s about having a mentality that isn’t satisfied until you reach the vision you set out.”

As Municipal—a brand co-founded by Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson and Harry Arnett—has crafted apparel and footwear to “inspire people to get out there and start making it happen,” the brand has used the technology in its Origin premium trainer and All-Terrain Golf shoes, with plans to expand into additional performance categories over the next 24 months.

“We want to make the most comfortable performance footwear. Period,” Wahlberg says. “M.Float combines layers of premium materials to create that feeling where you’re almost sad to have to take them off at night. And then taking that technology across the new and different franchises we have and have on the way, again, never satisfied.”

Arnett, Municipal CEO, tells me that when the Origin launched in November 2023 it was an entire line of a single silhouette, six colors “straddling the fence of lifestyle and performance.” Less than 12 months later, they launched the golf shoe and now footwear is 30% of Municipal’s business.

“We are incredibly bullish about the category,” Arnett says. “We think we have the chops to really compete in a unique way, doing our own thing.”

Arnett believes people are drawn to the style because of Municipal’s technology. Calling M.Float a system, the tech features five layers of multi-density materials interacting with a supercritical foam for a “luxury comfort, style experience.”

The comfort value was the key. “We were focused on occupying the comfort lane so when people think of Municipal.,” Arnett says, “they think of comfort, performance and style coming together in a clean, elegant way.”

The success breeds more silhouettes, with the next 24 months including a relaunch of the Origin and three new models: a trainer, a court shoe and a performance runner. “There is a lot of technology work we are doing that is more advanced than in the past,” Arnett says, “with carbon fiber and supercritical foam. We feel we have the product market fit box checked and are ready to put the pedal down.”

The ownership group wants to attack the footwear category as an outsider. Wahlberg believes the mix of founders helps with that. “That’s our biggest strength,” Wahlberg says. “We come from entertainment, sports, business, branding and we all bring something different to the table. That mix of perspectives helps us create a dynamic and well-rounded brand, and incredibly well-made products that not only perform but also deeply connect to real life. You know when something makes it as an actual product, it went through a lot of debate and collaboration to get there.”

Wahlberg is hands-on. “Every day is something new, both exciting and challenging,” he says. “I talk with Harry multiple times a day on anything from product ideas, business development, things I’m seeing, opportunities, long-term vision. The energy and the passion that goes on behind-the-scenes is what I love. Everyone looks at the finished product as being the goal, and that’s true, but the community we’re building is probably the most exciting part of the whole experience. When people come up to me and say they love the brand and everything it stands for, that’s really gratifying.”

As the young brand looks to evolve, Wahlberg says they remain focused on connecting with people who want to make a commitment to getting better every day. “That’s really why we started,” he says, “to inspire people to get out there and start making it happen. It’s an authentic mindset we all share.”

Municipal began in 2019 and launched product in the middle of 2020. Built from scratch with the three co-founders, they saw an opportunity to combine the best elements of athleisure, health and wellness, street style with luxury underpinnings for both men and women living the type of life that starts and sometimes ends in the gym. Finding limitations with the brands already on the market, the group decided to build what they wanted themselves, calling it a “sport utility performance” design. “Municipal is the brand and gear for modern ambition,” Arnett says.

Arnett says one of the cool parts has been the range of demographics drawn to it. The core group of young professionals, both men and women aged 25-35, is joined by the next gen category of those age 18-24, now about a quarter of the business. Also in the mix is the 36- to 54-year-old segment. “We are kinda the favorite brand of old dudes like me and the high school and college kids who love the brand and love the style,” Arnett says. “In that segment, they are not used to the quality being accessible to them.”

With the community growing, the launch of shoes happened earlier than expected, giving the brand the head-to-toe solution it knew it wanted. The move into footwear for Municipal was natural, especially for Wahlberg who has a well-known love of shoes. But it was having true innovation in the footwear—and not just a fashion style with the brand name on it—that was going to be the first to release from the brand. “It had to have world-class level of comfort you couldn’t find with other brands,” Wahlberg says.

Engineers worked with the layers of materials to interact with each other in a way that “when people try it on, they have an immediate wow factor.”

Municipal aims to broaden its appeal. “There’s a healthy degree of outsiders’ perspective that drives the innovation and experience,” Arnett says. “We are bringing a new approach to this type of category we felt like hasn’t existed before.”

MORE: On’s The Roger Footwear Line Modernizing And Growing

MORE: Lululemon Brings Brand’s Approach To Wildfeel Trail Shoes