Footwear Plus | October November 2015

N YC’ S STO RY : EMBR AC E YO U R SPAC E

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O C T/ N OV 2 0 1 5

Caroline Diaco Publisher Greg Dutter Editorial Director Nancy Campbell Trevett McCandliss Creative Directors EDITORIAL Tara Anne Dalbow Fashion Editor Kirby Stirland Associate Editor Laurie Cone Associate Editor

F E A T U R E S

Kathy Passero Editor at Large

12 Story Time Entrepreneur and master of retail reinvention Rachel Shechtman of Story offers advice on how retailers can create success stories of their own. By Kathy Passero

Melodie Jeng Contributing Photographer Judy Leand Contributing Editor ADVERTISING/ PRODUCTION Jennifer Craig Associate Publisher

16 Family Values Bruce Munro, CEO of Munro & Co., reflects on how recent sourcing changes and a fresh distribution partnership mark a new era.

By Greg Dutter

Capri Crescio Advertising Manager Tim Jones Deputy Art Director Production Manager

22 Insoles are In Thanks to an increasing demand and growing acceptance, insoles have become the new hot accessory. By Judy Leand

Allison Kastner Operations Manager Bruce Sprague Circulation Director

30 Ready to Wear The Spring ’16 comfort recipe: style plus function equals versatility. By Laurie Cone, Tara Anne Dalbow, Kirby Stirland and Greg Dutter

Mike Hoff Digital Director OFFICES Advertising/Editorial 36 Cooper Square, 4th fl.

New York, NY 10003 Tel: (646) 278-1550 Fax: (646) 278-1553 editorialrequests@ 9Threads.com

36 Brush Strokes A palette of brights raises the style bar on men’s kicks. By Tara Anne Dalbow 40 Mod Moves Athletic-inspired soles add a little muscle to spring sandals. By Tara Anne Dalbow

Circulation 26202 Detroit Road, #300 Westlake, OH 44145 Tel: (440) 871-1300 circulation@9Threads.com

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D E P A R T M E N T S 8 10 14 26 28 50 52 54 56

Editor’s Note Scene & Heard This Just In In the Details Trend Spotting What’s Selling Shoe Salon E-beat Last Word

Xen Zapis Chairman

On the cover: Azura platform sandals, top by Alexis, H&M pants, earrings by Baublebar.

This page: Lug sole sandals by Tamaris, shirt by Comme des Garçons, Yigal Azrouël pants, choker by Laruicci.

Photographer: Trevett McCandliss; Fashion Editor: Tara Anne Dalbow; stylist: Edda Gudmundsdottir; choreographer: Benoit-Swan Pouffer; hair and makeup: Sacha Harford/Next Artists; model: Read/Muse Model Management; assistant stylist: Brynja Skjaldardottir.

FOOTWEAR PLUS ™ (ISSN#1054-898X) The fashion magazine of the footwear industry is published monthly (except for bimonthly April/May and October/November editions) by Symphony Publishing NY, LLC, 36 Cooper Square, 4th fl., New York, NY, 10003-7118. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competition. Periodicals postage is paid in New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Subscription price for one year: $48.00 in the U.S. Rates oustide the U.S. are available upon request. Single copy price: $10.00. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FOOTWEAR PLUS, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853-8548. Publisher not responsible for unsolicited articles or photos. Any photographs, artwork, manuscripts, editorial samples or merchandise sent for editorial consideration are sent at the sole risk of the sender. Symphony Publishing NY, LLC, will assume no responsibility for loss or damage. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. ©2008 by Symphony Publishing NY, LLC. Printed in the United States.

Lee Zapis President Rich Bongorno Chief Financial Officer Debbie Grim Controller

www.gabor.de

Purveyors of luxury European comfort footwear

Tel: (800) 361-3466 - info@kannercorp.net

E D I TO R ’S N OT E If You Build It...

ALL PAIN, NO GAIN With millions of Americans suffering from foot-related ailments, we need a national retail destination dedicated to helping them.

THE PAIN STARTED about a year ago. A sharp, stabbing sensation in my arches when I walked after sitting for long stretches and especially when I took my first steps out of bed in the morning. At first I chalked it up to “getting old” combined with wear-and-tear from years of bike riding. But because the agony came in spurts, I decided to walk it off and hope it would eventually go away.

Instead it got more frequent and intense. Soon I felt sharp stabs with each step. Whenever I was forced to break into a trot to get across a busy city street, my feet throbbed for hours. Making matters worse was the fact that I live in New York, where feet are the main mode of transportation. I walk my daughter to school (about a mile round trip) every morning, and I walk blocks to the supermarket, the dry cleaner, the pet store, the drug store, etc. and often lug heavy bags home. My commute to work requires climbing and descending five flights of subway stairs and amounts to another mile round trip. Last, the elevator in my apartment building has been out of service for the past six months. That has meant tacking on five more flights of stairs several times a day. Long (sob) story short, my feet were killing me by the time I limped back into my apartment each evening.

In an effort to avoid expensive doctor bills, I went online to find diagnoses and remedies. The web can be a tangle of information, but it soon revealed that my affliction was plantar fasciitis. In the weeks that followed, I entered into a trial-and-error phase full of home remedies, over-the-counter solutions and advice from fellow sufferers. I began daily stretching exercises, popped plenty of Advil and iced my feet by rolling my arches over a frozen water bottle. All helped, but none solved the problem. I also invested in, but quickly gave up on, a variety of sock-like, insole and insert contraptions that, despite their POP promises to alleviate my condition, did little. In several cases, they made the pain worse. To add insult to injury (literally), the help working in the few specialty running stores where I bought the aforementioned items knew little about the products they were selling. Luckily, for me, while limping through a trade show I came upon an exhibitor who scanned my feet and gave me a pair of custom insoles that have done wonders to alleviate my pain. The cost would have been around $50 and, the truth is, I would have paid considerably more for the end result.

What if there was a store that provided such solutions? I’m talking about a destination foot care/shoe super center concept on a national scale a la the Home Deport or Advanced Auto Parts.

I envision a place anyone with aching feet immediately thinks of as the place to go in the same way shoppers think of Walmart for low prices or Best Buy for electronics. Imagine a totally tricked-out setting that combines remedy, prevention, wellness and comfort footwear fashion. It would have to be welcoming to all ages because many foot ailments have no age barriers. The vibe couldn’t be too medical, stuffy or traditional. It would need to be a Tesla-like, tryon-driven showroom showcasing the best comfort and (possibly athletic) brands for their respective healthful attributes as well as their range of styles. Most important, it would need to be staffed by trained employees who would measure every foot that walks into the door, address the needs of each customer, explain the product features and benefits, and make expert recommendations that would provide genuine solutions.

Who wouldn’t want to visit such a store? I’m convinced millions of walking wounded would. And while there are specialty comfort independents that do an exceptional job in this regard, many consumers don’t know these stores exist. Others feel they’re not the right fit for them. Worse, with highly fragmented marketing efforts, they lack the collective power to get the message across the way, say, Foot Locker does about being the go-to source for basketball sneakers. Millions of Americans walk around in pain simply because they don’t know any better. They represent an underserved market segment ripe for a nationalized concept—one that could generate awareness that would benefit all retailers in that space.

When I Googled “foot care stores” recently, a few online dealers and pharmacy chains popped up. That’s not the concept I’m envisioning. Granted, I’m playing with Monopoly money, but I believe a one-stop “Home Depot for the feet” presents a tremendous retail opportunity—a bona fide brick-and-mortar one.

Feet, like other overused body parts (think eyes), require regular maintenance, much of which can be preventive and relatively affordable, especially compared to the costs of surgery for issues neglected too long.

So, if you built it, would they come? It’s an age-old retail question that can only be answered by trying. I hope someone will take a stab at it, pun intended.

Greg Dutter

Editorial Director

8 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

SCENE & HEARD

Bob Mullaney, COO and president, ShoeBuy

Career Decision IT WAS TIME for a fresh start, says Bob Mullaney, regarding his recent decision to jump from a wholesale exec to a retail one—namely as ShoeBuy’s new COO and president. Running the day-to-day operations of the Boston-based online giant after decades in wholesale management positions (most recently as president of Rockport’s America’s division) was a challenge that really got his creative juices flowing again.

“I was speaking with [ShoeBuy CEO] Mike Sorabella on the phone, and afterwards my wife said it was the most excited I had been about a potential job offer in a long time,” Mullaney reveals. It was a tough decision to turn down the offer to stay on with Rockport’s new ownership team, led by industry veteran Bob Infantino, Mullaney concedes. “I had put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into that job, but I felt like they needed a new start and I needed one, too,” he says.

More than just a fresh start, Mullaney says the ShoeBuy opportunity inspired and emboldened him.

Drawing on a wholesale background to run a pure play online retailer might be exactly the cross-career pollination you need to succeed in a rapidly evolving landscape. The fact is that online players like ShoeBuy are no longer the only game in town. The competition is getting up to speed quickly, and Mullaney believes his knowledge of managing a brand from a multi-distribution strategy standpoint will be a unique asset for ShoeBuy. “I believe my experience is relevant to how ShoeBuy can add value to its customers as well as how we can engage them in new and unexpected ways,” he says. “I also understand how wholesalers think and I can make relationships work better for

them and our customers.”

The first order of business—or, as Mullaney calls it, phase one—will focus on building strong brand partnerships. Specifically, making sure current partners and potential new ones understand what ShoeBuy can mean to their business today and how it can achieve greater growth moving forward. Part of that will involve more merchandise curation. “Curating our current product assortment as well as becoming more engaged with how our customer wants to see it is a big deal,” Mullaney says. “We have been successful on that front already and we will be expanding that more broadly.” Mullaney will work closely with ShoeBuy veteran Trisha Sweeney, executive vice president of merchandising, in this arena.

Phases two and three, Mullaney says, are in the pipeline. Growth strategies will include readily apparent adjacent business opportunities as well as more forward-thinking concepts that he predicts will make a lot of sense two or three years down the road. “We will be engaging with the consumer in different ways than we are today, and that will be on our current platform and in potential new avenues,” Mullaney notes.

ShoeBuy’s current market position and ownership will help to make these concepts a reality, Mullaney predicts. “We have 1,200-plus brands on our site, making us the largest in that respect,” he says. “We are also owned by IAC [the conglomerate owns Match.com and Ask.com, among several others based online], which has the resources and web expertise to know what the consumer is thinking and how to attract them.”

Mullaney is confident that ShoeBuy is well armed for the tough market share battles that lie ahead.

And while it won’t be an easy fight in an increasingly fragmented tier filled with formidable omnichannel players, he feels certain that “the consumer is going to continue to migrate to make purchases online.”

Mullaney believes this ongoing shift is essentially a migration away from the mass merchants’ big box approach that saw consumers flock to them based largely on low prices. There’s much more to the shopping equation now, he says, including inspiration, convenience and efficiency. “It’s not just about how consumers will execute purchases, but also where they might do it—from the couch, having coffee with friends, or even shopping in a store,” he offers.

“Someone may be shopping in New York and not want to carry any bags around.”

Mullaney’s big picture point is: Retailers today must truly understand their customers and continually exceed their expectations to succeed. “It may be next-day delivery for some shoppers,” he suggests.

“But for others, it may not involve traditional ways.”

Mullaney adds, “Success will be determined by how ShoeBuy manages its business in order to remain important to our brands and customers going forward.” —Greg Dutter

10 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

GABOR GALORE This Gabor bootie is sweeping Germany.

THE VOTES ARE in and Gabor’s ankle bootie (style no. 35644) has reigned supreme this fall among German shoppers. According to a poll conducted in some 3,000 independent shoe stores, the bootie—featuring the brand’s patented Hovercraft air chamber sole design, which provides a soft and cushioned ride—blends the right amount of classic styling with modern comfort technologies to score big with German women.

“It’s a timeless classic with universal appeal,” notes Edward Kanner, CEO of Kanner Corp. and U.S. distributor of the brand. “Allpurpose and practical, it can be worn both casually or dressed up and is extremely comfortable to wear for long periods.”

The bootie (suggested retail is $189) is available in three different iterations, from a lightweight micro version to plush lambskin. “It’s a well-priced, affordable luxury item—a high-quality European product that’s within reach of a wide audience,” Kanner says. —G.D.

FOOTWEAR NETWORK SERIES PRESENTED BY DECKERS BRANDS

Story Time Entrepreneur and master of retail reinvention Rachel Shechtman shares insights from Story, her unique rotating concept store in New York, and offers advice on how retailers can create success stories of their own.

BY K AT H Y PA S S E RO

RACHEL SHECHTMAN OFTEN likens her 2,000-square-foot concept shop in Manhattan to a magazine. And like a magazine, Story produces a new “issue” filled with fresh content—in the form of different merchandise and a redesigned setting—every four to eight weeks.

Since first opening its doors in 2011, Story has featured a kaleidoscope of themes. There was Color Story sponsored by Benjamin Moore, where the store installed splashes of neon-bright color; sold vibrantly hued shoes, socks, cosmetics and electronics; and brought in a senior interior designer to teach shoppers how to use color to detox and de-stress. Then there was His Story sponsored by Procter & Gamble, Details and Birchbox Man, which showcased trendy men’s products and an in-store barber who pampered visitors with products from Gillette, Braun and Old Spice. Last winter, Story presented Home for the Holidays sponsored by American Express, where shoppers could stock up on a variety of great gift items from books to bitters. After each installment, Story closes while the staff transforms the space for the next “issue.”

Most recently, Story created what Shechtman calls a “collabapalooza” featuring a variety of products adorned with distinctive artwork by Instagram illustrator Donald Robertson. For sale were everything from kiss-print Diet Coke bottles to “hyper-limited edition” Canada Goose jackets. In another innovative recent installment, Shechtman convinced designer/fashion icon Iris Apfel to provide a selection of her own jewelry to be sold at Story during New York Fashion Week.

12 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

To date, the store has featured STYLE FILE products from more than 1,000 brands and attracted some of the business How would you describe your world’s heaviest hitters, from Target personal style? Casual. to Intel, as sponsors. For them, Story functions as a sort of shopping lab What’s your go-to shoe style? where they can collect anecdotal data Vans slip-ons. on how consumers respond to their What are you reading now? products. At the same time, they boost Emails. brand awareness among tastemakers and average New Yorkers.

What’s your favorite thing to do Shechtman herself functions as when you’re not working? Travel. a creative agency for her sponsors, What’s your motto? Be authentic. providing services from content What do you love most about creation to marketing and promoyour job? That I’m my own boss! tion. To make it all happen, the fourth-generation entrepreneur draws from more than 12 years of work as a consultant working with brands including Toms, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Gilt Groupe, the Gap and Kraft, among others. This month, she sat down with Deckers Brands and Footwear Plus to explain her unique merchandising/marketing approach and how retailers can weave it into their own narratives.

What have been some of Story’s most successful installments and why?

Each of our concepts at Story is designed to address specific, strategic deliverables for the partners who sponsor the installation. So we measure success differently from concept to concept—and sales are only a part of our equation.

For example, our Making Things Story, created in collaboration with General Electric, was a success from an experiential standpoint because we produced more than 100 events in a three-week span and introduced our community to technology like 3D printers and injection molders. But merchandise was less of a priority. Our last concept, with Donald Story with Donald Robertson, was one of my favorites because we were able to create more than 25 original merchandise collaborations using his artwork. Co-branded merchandise was something new for us and it gave us an opportunity to make Donald’s artwork tangible and accessible.

Why do you think your magazine formula has been such a hit with shoppers?

What are the key ingredients to its success?

At the core of our model is the belief that we are the same people offline as we are online. When I launched Story, there wasn’t really anyone who was offering consumers an opportunity to do more than just shop in a brickand-mortar store. I think that by acknowledging that people are hungry for physical experiences that are as rich and engaging as the experiences that they get online, we have been able to give our community a place to discover, connect and, yes, shop. So the key ingredient is always this idea of creating a community in a physical space and providing people with a reason (or a story) that makes them want to come back again and again because they know we’re always doing something new and different.

How might an independent brick-and-mortar shoe retailer apply some of Story’s concepts?

I think it’s about really thinking beyond the transaction and realizing that as a brick-and-mortar retailer, you have something that many ecommerce >53

THIS JUST IN

KICKS STARTER Fashion Week goers in London and Milan went casual, trading towering heels for cool kicks and effortless street-style chic.

Photography by Melodie Jeng 14 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

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Family Values Bruce Munro, CEO of Munro & Co., reflects on how recent sourcing model changes and a fresh distribution partnership mark a new era.

M

OST COMPANIES TAKE the road more traveled. It’s easier to go with the flow. It often means fewer logistics, costs, difficulties and resistance in going about daily business. And the footwear industry is no exception. In fact, nearly every U.S.-based footwear manufacturer did exactly that when sourcing shifted offshore to Asia, beginning in earnest in the 1980s.

The lone holdout? Munro & Co. While there have been smaller companies making shoes stateside over the past three decades, none have done so on the scale or with the consistency of Munro. The Arkansas-based company has retained its made in the U.S.A. foothold—against enormous odds, challenges and pressures—since it founding, first as a private label supplier (Lake Catherine Footwear) in 1959 by Don Munro, and then as Munro & Co. starting in 1972.

How has Munro managed to succeed with its lone wolf approach to manufacturing? And, perhaps more intriguing, why? Why swim against an enormous tide every day? Why adhere to a model that is all but obsolete in this country? Why go it alone? Why, for example, be forced to raise prices annually for decades while your competitors didn’t? Why did Munro make life harder for itself?

These are all valid questions, concedes CEO Bruce Munro, Don Munro’s son. And it’s not easy to answer them. Essentially, Munro & Co.’s approach boils down to adhering to family—and, by extension, company—values that are grounded in loyalty, dedication and tradition. To cop more current lingo,

16 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

it’s just how they roll. “Sometimes it’s just fun to do things that other people aren’t doing. It’s nice to have that uniqueness,” Munro says. “It’s really powerful when we go into stores and stand next to our product. It’s something that we really believe in.”

Munro’s loyal consumers believe in its products, too. Many cite the brand’s quality, fit (thanks largely to its broad size and width offerings) and American-made and assembled attributes as key purchase factors. They say they’re worth the higher price tag. “We always came to the table with something more in the product,” Munro says, referring to the ability to raise prices annually for so many years. “We always enhanced the product. We enhanced the fit. And, along the way, we built a great relationship with our consumers, who became very dedicated to our brand.”

That dedication is remarkable, given what the company was up against with offshore competitors.

“There was a period of time in the ’90s where the average price point of women’s shoes actually went down,” Munro notes. “I don’t know of too many other products where that’s ever happened.” In contrast, Munro recalls walking into buyers’ offices, year after year, with price increases. “They’d just marvel at us and many said, ‘You can’t give us an increase. Nobody does,’” he recalls. Munro’s defense was, ‘That’s the reality of being a domestically made brand.’ Of course, that response would not have worked without Munro’s stellar performance at retail. Consumers, by and large, shelled out more each year for the shoes they loved. To gain a little perspective on how much love we are talking

O&A about, when Munro starting working in the family business in 1981, the average price point of its products was $44.95 at retail. Today, it’s $189.

But everything has its limits, and Munro’s ability to increase prices hit a ceiling soon after the Financial Crisis of 2008. “That’s when the American consumer became very price-conscious,” Munro says. “Our customers didn’t stop shopping, but we saw a year-on-year slow decline, and we knew that we had to do something.” Enter Munro’s assembled in the U.S.A. program, which began in 2012. The company now imports uppers that are then assembled in its two U.S. factories.

Today, that process represents about 40 percent of the line. “It’s not someWhat is inspiring you most thing we wanted to do, but we were right now? My good health. It getting to the point where the viabilmeans I can give my undivided ity of the brand was being challenged attention to my family and work. by price,” Munro explains, noting that the company’s prices have been comWhat is your motto? Fit comes petitive the last couple of years. More first. Whenever anybody asks important, it’s enabled the company whether we should back up a to contemplate growing its business certain shoe, that’s always rule again. “We made a commitment to conNo. 1. tinue to be as domestic as we can and still be a successful company,” he says.

If you could hire anybody, who While no one could accuse Munro would it be? My father (Don of changing its business model on a Munro, founder of Munro & whim, the company isn’t immune to Co.). He’s not only a very sharp updates. Take this year’s U.S. distriindividual, but he’s a first-class bution agreement with Hispanitas person with very good business as another example of Munro’s willinstincts. ingness to adapt in an evolving retail landscape. Recognizing the extensive Who would you most like to inventory commitment required to carry invite to dinner? Bill Clinton.

Munro, the company sought another His global perspective compared option for its current partners and the to the perspective of many in the many stores its sales reps passed by Republican party of late got me each season. “We have relationships thinking that I’d rather discuss with a lot of independent retailers what the answers to the world’s that we haven’t been able to mainproblems might be with him tain as well with our Munro brand,” than anybody else right now.

Munro explains. “We’re passing up on an additional 600 or so great retailWhat was your first-ever ers. In many cases, we’ve done busipaying job? Working 55-hour ness with them in the past. In other weeks during the summer in cases, they present new opportunities.” the Munro warehouse at age 14.

Munro says Hispanitas is a highquality, European-sized brand that, most notably, is known for its great style. “Retailers can have a lot of sizzle on display without having to have a backroom filled with sizes and widths,” he says, adding that the brand is owned by a family with deep footwear-making roots. “We like what the [Chico de Guzmán] family stands for and the way they do business. I think it’s a great match for both companies,” he adds.

Munro believes the company’s recent moves, while not easy, are necessary for long-term growth. It’s an ongoing process, he says. Munro is still fine-tuning the assembled in the U.S. program and testing the idea of sourcing product entirely outside the U.S. In short, the Munro family is positioning its namesake company to be a player in the years to come. “I think the changes we’re making are going to benefit us,” says Munro, who has risen through the ranks

from sample department gopher to CEO. He is optimistic about the family company’s future. “Every day there’s room for a new opportunity,” he says, acknowledging that there’s been more change of late than the company might have liked. “But it is what it is. You step up to the plate and take your swings.”

Might it just be a Munro family trait to take the road less traveled?

I don’t think we’ve always set out to do that. It’s just the way that it’s happened.

Our family has always been very dedicated to maintaining the company’s success and, while it wouldn’t have been wrong necessarily to go down I’m not sure if it was legal, but another road, we have a tremendous it was family and my father was commitment to our employees. My always all about the benefits of father is a great people person and he hard work. had a lot of relationships he sought to maintain. [At age 88, Don Munro is So there was no nepotism still a weekly visitor to the company involved? Not at all. I wanted headquarters and factories and knows to earn enough money to buy a most of the 250 employees by their first stereo, so I told my dad that I’d name.] Dating back to when I started like to work maybe 10 a.m. to with the company, he wanted us to be 4 p.m. and have weekends off domestically sourced. So I have gone to spend time with my friends. about my day-to-day operations recHe told me to go interview and ognizing that position—and swimsee what they might have. Well, ming against the tide. But you learn sure enough, they had a job for to adapt. We have been able to get out me—starting at 7 a.m., working in front of our unique challenges and until 3:30 p.m., followed by a think them through. We have had a lot half hour for lunch, and back at of good people do a lot of great work it until 7 p.m. I got a real good and found ways to succeed. You’ve got dose of hard work that summer, to put the effort in and envision the which was good for me. success before you can experience it.

OFF THE CUFF

18 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

What is your favorite hometown memory? My family moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas, when I was 4 and my favorite memory is of our home (near Lake Hamilton). It was originally a fishing camp, and my parents kept adding on to it. It was just a great spot where we spent every summer day on the lake boating and water skiing.

Decades of asking for price increases must have involved some epic battles.

We had some pretty big fights with some pretty sharp retailers—people that I think of as the smartest retailers that I have ever done business with and trust implicitly. I understood that they had to challenge us on price because it was the relevant factor in their buying decision as well as 99 percent of their customers. How could it not be a topic of conversation? I recall one particular fight back in the ’90s with a big customer of ours. Even though we had been successful in their stores, they said they would cut the buy because they believed another price increase would kill sales. With all do respect, I asked, “Shouldn’t it be incumbent on letting the consumer decide if the price is too high?” They cut the buy and we got our price, because if they messed with that I said we would have to go away all together. Fortunately, they wound up doing more business at the higher price that season. And since we were domestically sourced, we were able to catch up on fill-ins.

But Munro did finally hit a price ceiling.

Yes. We’ve fought it very hard, but “made in the USA” wasn’t as much of a

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O&A top priority to our customers following the Financial Crisis. Fit still matters most but the second thing has become price. We had to makes some changes. It was one of those moments where we had to be serious about business. It wasn’t about trying to maintain old relationships at that point.

That’s when we launched our assembled in the U.S. program and we’ve been able to maintain our prices since.

How committed is Munro to domestic sourcing going forward?

We are probably more dedicated to domestic production than anyone. If we could have gotten the margins we needed to operate, trust me, we would still be 100 percent domestic, and that’s despite the numerous challenges that go with that. It’s getting harder to make product here. It’s very labor-intensive and requires a lot of hands, but we’re not seeing more hands willing to work on a sewing machine. Along those lines, we will continue to invest in new equipment and technology that makes us more efficient and competitive. We are doing our best to be as domestic as we can, but we still need those imports to make ends meet.

Are there any plans to source outside the U.S.?

We did a test this fall. It’s not our first preference and we’ve got to figure out whether we subsidize the domestic sourcing with the least expensive sourcing opportunities on a complete product. Or do we maintain the assembled in the U.S.A. model? The assembled model keeps us much more involved and we see definite advantages that we love. For example, our two factories—one is less than a mile away from headquarters and our bigger facility is two hours away—enables us to visit on a very regular basis. We are

very deeply involved in the process. Our plan, at least for next year, is to continue with that program.

Do you see more companies increasing domestic production, or is it more of a marketing ploy?

Many Republicans are certainly waving the banner. Actually, I think that’s more saber-rattling than anything. But I do believe the “made in the U.S.A.” theme is strong among a lot of consumers.

It matters, but only up to a certain price point.

I agree. I do about four or five personal appearances with Nordstrom each season, which gives me the opportunity to meet directly with our customers. It’s amazing to see their eyes light up when, first of all, I am introduced as “Bruce Munro” and not “Bruce with Munro.” Many of our customers truly appreciate that there’s an actual Munro working for the company and that we make shoes in the U.S. Many of our consumers love the chance to talk to me as well as my sisters, Christine (director of marketing) and Mollie (executive vice president), when they do in-store appearances. They enjoy talking with the nerve center of the company. They feel a connection. And, let’s face it, everybody is a designer, right? They all have their individual wants and needs and they are more than eager to share them with us. We are happy to listen. We have some really nice people that we do business with.

What, specifically, do consumers love about Munro?

Our consistency of fit and the fact that we offer unique sizes and widths that most other brands don’t make. It’s not easy to do. For example, there are 74

sizes and widths on many of our patterns. Getting each of those pieces bundled together on, say, a 9.5 super-slim versus a 9.5 double-wide is a real challenge. Being domestic gives us more hands-on ability to manage that process.

It’s a great niche, because if your foot hurts there’s a darn good chance the reason is due to wearing the wrong-sized shoes. When you think about what people are willing to pay for pain relief and the fact that we have the potential solution without an operation, you can understand why people love our shoes. For years people have asked me how Munro aligns with fashion brands in the same stores. I’ve always said we love them: the more fashionable the last, the tighter and more uncomfortable it is, which helps create new customers for us. Women either fit their heads or their feet. When they are younger, like my daughters (one in college and the other just out), they tend not to be interested in fitting their feet as much. But that eventually changes. We have a graying of America and feet get needy. It’s one of the first parts of the body that goes. It impacts the quality of life in a big way, so there’s a lot of opportunity. I see our market growing.

Exactly how would you describe the Munro brand?

About 22 years ago my sister Mollie and I sat down to put a label behind it, realizing we had to be about fit and build a niche that we could sustain. We coined the phrase, “Proper size, perfect fit.” It’s served us well. But it requires a significant investment in inventory on the part of our retailers. In order to offer a true sizes-and-widths shopping experience, it requires a big investment in inventory and turning a lot of SKUs each season. For some smaller retailers, Munro doesn’t make a lot of sense. That’s why we’ve entered into a distribution partnership with Hispanitas this year.

What does Hispanitas bring to the table?

They offer a more feminine edge on comfort than almost anybody else in the world. They sell primarily based on their uniqueness, which they have a lot of.

They bring out an enormous number of patterns into the market each year.

And they do it with fit, comfort and quality. But it’s not a sizes-and-widths brand, so retailers don’t have to make as big of an inventory commitment.

What does Munro bring to Hispanitas?

They get an experienced distributor, a really good sales organization that understands the U.S. market and a company with the logistical wherewithal. For example, we have a state-of-the-art, 125,000-square-foot warehouse with plenty of room. We also bring relationships that are important.

We know many of the right independents and department stores and where that product belongs. And we just don’t drop it in and expect it to sell. Our salespeople are dedicated to helping the brand sell through.

So far so good?

We got off to a great start with Hispanitas this fall. The shoes are retailing very well. The bonus is we feel closely aligned with their company and I believe it associates us with the right kind of people. The fact is there isn’t a lot of infrastructure for the shoe industry in the U.S. and we are being forced to travel all over the world to source materials. So you can imagine how I felt when I visited the Hispanitas factory recently and saw a line of five different leather reps bringing in samples for review or testing. We haven’t seen anything that hands-on in 20 years back home. That can be a real asset for us. The Europeans, in this regard, have always respected the shoe industry. Many of the Spanish makers, in particular, have a special feel and great passion for the business.

It sounds like Hispanitas has given you a real shot of enthusiasm.

Absolutely. There hasn’t been a lot of emphasis on the passion of the product for a while in our industry here. The Italians and Spanish are great >55

Superfeet men’s Trophy Guide insole

Insoles are In

As more consumers seek to alleviate and prevent foot-related ailments, boost comfort, and improve athletic performance, insole makers are meeting the increasing demand with new products and technologies. By Judy Leand

i

NSOLES ARE HAVING a moment. Historically, a cheap afterthought in the design process of nearly all shoemakers, the insole is becoming a key component as well as a stand-alone add-on sales opportunity for retailers. It seems consumers—millions of whom suffer from bunions, heel spurs, plantar fasciitis and other foot-, ankle- and back-related ailments—are finally waking up to the fact that walking doesn’t have to hurt. Specifically, that a better-grade insole, whether it’s included within the shoe or involves an additional purchase, can make the difference between a life of pain or comfort—and they’re happy to pay for it.

“One of the main drivers in the market is the increasing number of foot ailments that not only influence the injured person, but those around him,” reports Jeff Antonioli, vice president of sales and marketing for Spenco, noting that it’s also driving the industry to find solutions. “And once consumers are exposed to [better] insoles, they’re buying replacement insoles for multiple shoes,” he adds.

While Antonioli notes that the 45-and-over set represents the highest percentage of consumers buying insoles, younger shoppers are boosting the category’s growth as well. Specifically, he cites healthconscious consumers practicing prevention methods, athletes looking for increased performance and injury protection, and women and service employees. What was once largely a work- or athletic-related purchase is expanding rapidly into casual and dress styles. The premise is: Why should anyone suffer from discomfort in whatever shoe they are wearing?

“The idea that there isn’t just one ‘right’ product that is ideal for everyone is starting to be more widely accepted and is certainly reflected in the way that we are developing new [insoles],” notes Ellen

22 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

Harwick, marketing manager at Superfeet. “Being able to provide an insole product line that has multiple features and an array of different materials that enable the consumer to select the right fit, function and feel for themselves is going to be critical to long-term success in this industry going forward.”

Matt Schwartz, executive vice president of Aetrex Worldwide, makers of Lynco Orthotics, sees plenty of upside in this market.

“Insoles are all about making the inside of the shoe healthier and can help the body function better from the ground up,” he explains. “It’s also a healthy category for retailers—there’s no fashion and no season, and the starting margin is the same as the ending margin.”

The growth of the add-on sales insole market is also forcing footwear manufacturers to up their game, reports Pam Gelsomini, president and owner of OrthoLite, one of the industry’s leading original equipment manufacturer (OEM) insole suppliers. “Consumers are demanding product that’s more comfortable, longer-lasting and higher quality,” she offers. “If the product doesn’t come with a comfortable insole, many will take it out and look for something else, or they won’t buy the shoe at all.” Gelsomini notes from an OEM perspective, the company is seeing growth in the market year over year and its OrthoLite brand is growing organically within the industry as well. “Brands are realizing that they must put comfort into the shoe from the get-go to attract that repeat customer,” she adds.

Chris Gallagher, CEO of Vionic Group, and Medical Division General Manager Mark Sanders peg sports—running, in particular—as the fastest growing insole category for its line of Orthaheel orthotics.

But it’s the everyday casual category for men and women that may represent the greatest overall sales potential. In addition, they point to children and young adults as important market segments going forward. To this end, Vionic is exploring new materials that could

provide a more dynamic level of support in over-the-counter insoles, and is also developing a new line of children’s orthotics for medical professionals. Both initiatives are slated to come to market in the second half of 2016.

What’s in Stores One need only take a few laps around an Outdoor Retailer show to notice that the insole market is growing. There are plenty of concepts and products to choose from. Below is a brief breakdown of what's in stores (or headed their way for Spring ’16) from key vendors.

Superfeet is targeting the needs of casual shoe wearers as well as the hunting market. The company’s five-style Go line and three-model Me collection, introduced this fall, are designed for men’s and women’s casual and dress shoes, respectively. The Go insoles feature the brand’s Memory Cloud foam combined with carbon fiber-reinforced support for optimal comfort. The design transforms a 2-D surface into a 3-D one via a biomechanical contoured shape (which helps reduce stress on feet, ankles and knees) and a heel cup that positions the soft tissue to assist with natural shock absorption. The Me collection of three-quarter insoles is designed to fit in flats and make tight-fitting designer footwear more comfortable. The four-model Trophy hunting collection features an insole designed specifically for each season and includes a version specifically designed for a woman’s foot. All Trophy insoles incorporate Scentlok technology, high-impact waterproof foam, Silent Step stabilizing shape and Ground-Sense impact dampening technology. “The run, outdoor and ski categories continue to be strong for us as we now look to continue to bolster our presence in the brown shoe and hunting markets,” Harwick says.

Spenco is collaborating with protective gear maker, Unequal Technologies, on an insole collection designed to help reduce the risk of foot and leg impact stress injuries many athletes suffer. It will be available in two versions: one for cushioning that provides ultra-thin comfort, and the other for stability that features a lightweight orthotic cradle. Both feature Spenco’s Full Contact Comfort supported with The Shape That Feels Great construction. “Rather than just absorbing the shock that an athlete might experience charging up and down a field, Unequal insoles will more safely distribute the vibration, impact and hot spots away from a particular point of impact on the foot,” Antonioli states, adding that the product should help lower injury rates and increase performance. Plans are already afoot to extend the line into the work market. Also in the pipeline, Antonioli says, is the Medics line of semi-customizable insoles, which will be delivered by medical professionals.

New insole initiatives for Aetrex include a fashion product line expansion aimed at women’s footwear that doesn’t feature removable footbeds, spanning high heel and ballet flat styles. The concept will also be applied to men’s dress products. Helping get the message across as well are the company’s full range of custom Lynco Orthotics and its

OrthoLite Eco X-40 insole

How to Maximize Insole Sales For retailers, insoles can be a huge profit center, providing add-on sales, strong margins and high turns. Unlike most of the footwear they are designed to enhance, insoles are not subject to the whims of fashion or the changing of seasons. Nonetheless, many retailers get tripped up trying to convince customers who have just purchased new shoes to shell out additional money for insoles. Here are some pointers on how to get consumers to slip into something more comfortable. đƫ .5%*#ƫ%/ƫ !(%!2%*#č Most industry experts agree that the best way to sell insoles is via an in-store demo. “Insole sales are strongest when the product is introduced at the beginning of the shoe sale,” says Ellen Harwick, marketing manager for Superfeet.

“If the customer knows it will be part of finding the best pair of shoes for his feet, it becomes part of the conversation and not a hard sell.” Harwick’s advice: “Get the insole in the shoe and let the customer experience the benefits right away.”

Additionally, have customers try the shoes on with one shoe having the stock insole and the other having the upgraded version so they can feel the difference. “After they have tried them on, the sales associate can remove both insoles to show the difference,” suggests Drew Davies, senior director and national sales manager for Sof Sole.

Chris Gallagher, CEO of Vionic Group, suggests setting up a designated runway in the store to allow customers to walk and feel the supportive difference that good insoles can provide. đƫ !!%*#ƫ%/ƫ *+3%*#č Finding the proper placement of an insole display on the sales floor is crucial to success. Most vendors advocate displaying insoles on or near the shoe wall. “The majority of the time, insoles and shoe care

items do not sell themselves,” says Davies.

“The more visible in the store insoles are and the more the sales associates know about them, the more likely you are to be successful selling them.” ƫ ƫ

đ . %*%*#ƫ 5č Aetrex A well-trained and Odyssey iStep merchandiser knowledgeable sales staff can present the features and benefits of insoles and explain that they're an investment in comfort and protection rather than a frivolous expense. What’s more, that service can help differentiate a store from ecommerce sites.

“Retailers paying attention to accessory sales will thrive,” says Jeff Antonioli, vice president of sales and marketing for Spenco.

“Others will find increased competition from ecommerce.”

Training can include educational and vendor certification programs, sales contests and incentives. Along those lines, retailers can also offer tips and interactive clinics to inform customers about insoles and their health benefits. “As a brand with expertise in sports medicine, we recommend that retailers educate their customers on the ways to identify the potential need for an insole,” says Mary Horwath, senior vice president of marketing at United Sports Brands, parent of Shock Doctor. “It’s best to let customers know that if they no longer get the ‘wow’ feeling, an insole can help bring it back to a shoe.”

2015 october/november • footwearplusmagazine.com 23

Spenco Unequal Protective insoles

Shock Doctor Active Ultra insoles

patented in-store iStep digital foot scanning devices that measure foot size, arch type and pressure points in a matter of seconds. “The iStep program is the fastest-growing part of our business and is helping to drive the insole category at retail,” Schwartz says, adding that the software package for Spring ’16 has been upgraded. “It’s an in-store experience [driving new and repeat customers into stores] that has multi-channel implications for retailers.” Specifically, because iStep technology is cloudbased, the data captured can be remotely accessed by retailers, making it easier to tailor offerings to specific users and groups. “Retailers can build a huge database, and they can use it for targeted marketing,” Schwartz explains. The iStep system is currently in more than 5,000 points of distribution and the company is actively growing the technology platform for brick-and-mortar experiences.

What’s Inside On the OEM insoles front, the mission is to offer footwear brand partners a variety of high-quality, performance technologies—such as moisture

It’s What’s Inside...

ehj^eb_j[$Yec 24 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

Vionic Orthaheel Casual Slimfit insoles

wicking, breathability, cushioning and antimicrobial—and design profiles that can be customized for specific shoe styles. A particular emphasis is upgrading the casual and dress product offerings.

OrthoLite, a company whose heritage lies in the athletic market, continues its steady push in the comfort and dress arenas. To this end, OrthoLite has created thin insole foams to fit into high heels that can’t accommodate too much padding. A collaboration of note is OrthoLite’s new partnership with Naturalizer, designed for career women who are on their feet much of the day. Dubbed Naturalizer@work, the collection of shoes features OrthoLite’s Lazy Slow Recovery foam and .11 Medium Density foam in the insoles. The combination allows the insole to conform to the foot, creating a custom fit that instantly rebounds to its original shape after each use. Gelsomini notes the insoles provide all-day, lightweight breathability and comfort where women need it most—under their feet.

Also on tap for OrthoLite is a high-rebound foam for high-impact sports, and a 3D Skive Wave insole that offers a soft, massaging feel and incorporates channels in the foam for comfort and air flow. In addition, the eco-friendly Eco X-40 model (12 percent of the petroleum-based formulation has been replaced with a bio-oil made from castor beans) offers a springy feel that provides cushioning in thinner applications.

Lastly, OrthoLite’s new Patchwork insoles go an extra “green” step by utilizing waste layers of foam from the factory to create designs such as brand logos on the insoles.

Poron, part of Rogers Corp.’s High Performance Foams division, is seeing an upsurge of brand partners requesting its athletic-based insole technologies be incorporated into comfort and fashion categories. “We see growth coming from brands that recognize comfort as a core and build the technology directly into the construction of the shoe,” notes Nicole Perry, market segment manager, footwear. For Poron Comfort, which is offered in multiple categories and appeals to a broad demographic, an aging population seeking durable footwear that combines comfort and lifestyle appeal is helping fuel growth, as is rising interest from the service and work sectors. On the horizon, Poron Comfort will expand into a new range of lightweight materials that will deliver key benefits such as support, durability and long-term performance at nearly half the weight of traditional materials. Poron Plus Cushioning and Poron Slow Recovery Memory materials are also in demand among the company’s comfort and fashion footwear partners, and Poron Performance Supportive cushioning products are sought after by brands in the service sector.

Whether it’s OEM or an add-on purchase, the insole market shows few signs of slowing down. The fact is consumers increasingly seek performance, comfort and customization in all of their purchases. Insoles, by extension, are part of the macro wearable technology movement.

What’s more, once consumers experience the benefits ( joy, really) of alleviated foot pain, there is little chance they will accept anything less.

“We’re very bullish because insoles represent a huge category with an enormous amount of potential,” Schwartz says. “We’re delivering healthy products to the consumer and high margins to retailers, and that’s a good combination for growth.” •

EURSOLE

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SUMMER SOLESTICE Stylish comfort sandals to keep you cool and collected in the heat of summer

Arch stabilizing disk adds more arch support, cradling your foot in all day comfort

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Memory foam layer evokes the instant “aahhh” factor and over time forms to the shape of your foot Contoured, dual-density cork/EVA footbed provides stable support

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I N T H E D E TA I LS

Negative Space Architectural soles with edgy cut-outs lend fresh, modern style to textured uppers.

H Williams 26

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM JONES

Joy & Mario

T R E N D S P OT T I N G

1

5

4

2

Electric Avenue

Contrasting soles, neon leather accents and fluorescent laces give a jolt of style.

1. Camper 2. Cat 3. Vionic 4. Woolrich 5. Khombu

28 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

P H OTO G RA P H Y BY T I M J O N ES

3

DEFINING COMFORT: SPRING ’16

Ready to Wear

F

ar from a fad or a fleeting flash down designer runways, comfort footwear is cementing its place—front and center—in the fashion world. Nowadays it’s cool to feel and look comfortable. No longer a style stigma, the sensible shoe movement is in step with a larger wearable technology trend that demands functional fashions.

The category’s rise to prominence, of course, wouldn’t have been nearly as successful without the significant style upgrades many major brands have introduced over recent seasons. The recipe of style plus function is evidenced further with the latest collections from these leading comfort players for Spring ’16.

Rocky 4EurSole: Style Versatility When it comes to selling shoes—to selling anything, really—there is perhaps no dictum more important than “know thy customer.”

Rocky Brands set out to do just that when it launched Rocky 4EurSole a few seasons ago, a unique hybrid line of versatile and adjustable women’s comfort footwear. According to Liz Horn, senior vice president of lifestyle markets, the company engaged in extensive research, both psychographic and quantitative, to zero in on its target consumer. The former involves “getting into the person’s life, getting into their closet and talking personally with them,” Horn explains. “Then we followed that up with quantitative research and surveys to a broader group to validate it.”

That research revealed a void in the market, as well as the key benefits that would fill that void, according to Horn. Specifically, Rocky 4EurSole’s target customers—active women who spend many hours a day on their feet, like healthcare workers, teachers, hairdressers and retail workers—currently wear either athletic shoes or clogs. “We were finding that they were really looking for something that was a hybrid between the two, something that would give them great durability but a different kind of fit,” Horn explains. The key benefits to meet that need start with the brand’s lightweight support (from the dual density midsole), shock absorption (from the heel and forefoot pads) and superior fit (from a gore insert at the vamp apex). “The clear numberone need for our active market is comfort, and it’s a different interpretation of comfort than she’s getting through her current footwear choices,” Horn states.

Beyond that, the Rocky 4EurSole customer also seeks versatility and style—hallmarks that the brand took into consideration when creating the Inspire Me collection of convertible comfort clogs. “Versatility is important, especially when you’re making quite an investment in your footwear,” Horn attests. (The clogs retail for $140 to $145.) With two interchangeable contoured EVA and Memory Foam footbeds—one open-backed and one closed—plus a strap that can be adjusted around the heel in a slingback style, the Inspire Me collection offers the wearer three different options in one pair, along with add-on accessory customization, like straps and footbeds in an array of colors and patterns. “She can make each pair uniquely her own,” Horn says.

That focus on style versatility extends to the brand’s expanded Spring ’16 offerings. The Summer Solestice sandal line, for example, includes several open-toed styles on lightweight EVA midsoles in clean, sporty white and a variety of on-trend textures, including bamboo and wood grain. Wedges, slides, strappy sandals and more are affixed to stabilizing,

30 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

comfortable bases. “It’s a different comfort system than the clog and, quite frankly, it should be because it’s not a clog,” Horn says.

“We took the things that are important to the brand as a whole from a comfort perspective and infused them into the [EurSole Sandal Comfort System].” That system also features a slip-resistant outsole made of recycled rubber; a lightweight, flexible, shock-absorbing midsole; a contoured hybrid rigid nylon shank for arch support; a cork/EVA footbed; a layer of luxurious Memory Foam and durable allleather linings. The Summer Solestice collection retails between $100 and $140.

Horn reports that the reception from retailers during the August shows was strong.

“Those who haven’t bought into the brand saw that this is something we’re truly committed to and we’re evolving so that [we’re] a true brand and not just an item,” she says. This is a unique opportunity to provide women with a truly innovative comfort footwear choice. “Women love finding and adopting the next new innovation,” Horn says. “In footwear, Rocky 4EurSole is just that.” —Kirby Stirland

Bionica: Light and Sporty Sometimes a step back results in a leap forward. Bionica, a newly launched comfort brand from Söfft Shoe Company (a division of H.H. Brown), must have had that old adage in mind when creating its debut collection of casual shoes that notably have no shank, insole or conventional footbed, but still offer plenty of comfort, assures David Issler, president.

This deconstructed approach is all about providing optimum lightness that, Issler notes, represents a new category for the company: active fashion. “We wanted to build a brand that approached comfort in a new way that spoke to the modern woman,” he says. “Bionica addresses the needs of the active, health-conscious modern woman who’s always on the move— working, keeping fit and balancing family responsibilities—and needs shoes that are comfortable and fit her active lifestyle.”

Uppers are composed of premium leather that’s breathable (read: light) yet durable. Lightweight foam padding in the FreeFit footbed offers cushioning and support. And an anatomically correct molded outsole made of MaxumLite performance PU is slip-resistant, flexible, supportive and…you guessed it, light. Additional comfort features include hook-and-loop closures and gore inserts. “The Bionica brand DNA delivers leather shoes with unequivocal lightness, flexibility and a glove-like fit,” Issler confirms. Fall styles like the Sirius, a lace-up wedge, and the Cosma, a simple slide, retail for $119 while an incredibly lightweight shearling boot goes for $259. The Spring ’16 collection spans strappy wedges, sleek slides and lace-up sandals in a palette of neutrals, metallics and on-trend hues like aqua and coral.

Response has been strong to date, Issler reports. Retailers recognize the need to fill the athleisure niche with a full range of product offerings that are attractive to consumers and span lightweight constructions, glove-like fits, premium materials and sophisticated styling. The latter being a particular key ingredient for Bionica, he notes. “The Bionica customer appreciates the comfort that athletic apparel and shoes provide, but is looking for more sophisticated styling and premium materials,” he says.

“Women want apparel and shoes that multitask—items that are comfortable enough to wear to and from the yoga studio, but also chic enough for brunch with girlfriends.”

Bionica’s direct-to-consumer ecommerce sales launched in mid-September; key brick-and-mortar accounts carrying the brand this fall include Harry’s in New York, The Tannery in Boston and Footprints in Newington, CT. “Our growth strategy is to get the brand in key retailers as well as stores that traditionally haven’t carried shoes, but cater to the needs of our target customer,” Issler says. —K.S.

Ecco: Retro-a-Go-Go While pretty much everybody is offering a version of sporty lightweight sneakers to address the explosive athleisure trend (including Ecco), the Scandinavian footwear maker is also honing in on another athletic-inspired look it expects to be popular for Spring ’16: retro sneakers in the form of its Soft 7 collection for men and women.

Think classic Converse and Vans silhouettes, but with the comfort features and quality leathers Ecco is renowned for.

“It’s more of a premium version of a Converse-type look,” says Felix Zahn, product director for Ecco Americas. “But these shoes fit like a glove compared to a sweaty, stiff Converse.”

The collection first debuted this fall in a tight black-and-white story and Zahn says it will be expanded next season with additional colors, patterns, materials and styles.

“Women’s will include more aggressive colors, such as neon leathers and flower prints, which we see coming up big time for next summer,” Zahn reports. “Men’s will feature more typical colors—plenty of shades of gray and brown.”

The Soft 7 collection, in fact, is the seventh reincarnation of Ecco’s original Soft shoe, first launched in the late ’70s. “It’s a more contemporary version than past incarnations, which were pretty basic,” Zahn offers, noting the current cup sole trend is a bout of good fortune for Ecco. “Now that construction has become a fashion shoe for us,” he says. “And the thicker outsole look, in general, plays well into our PU-injected outsole process, which tends to be a bit thicker in appearance.” Zahn notes, however, that the Soft 7 collection is lightweight, flexible and comfortable—unlike many other cup

sole styles.

The price is also right, according to Zahn. “Converse comes in lower range and designer labels offering their take on this retro sneaker look are in the $300 to $500 range,” he says. “Ecco falls in the sweet spot around $150.”

Zahn says another great aspect about the Soft 7 collection is its simplistic Scandinavian design, which allows the quality leathers to do the talking. “The leather is made in our own tanneries,” he notes. “It’s supple and comfortable on top and we’ve added a second skin lining, which is very thin and breathable.”

In addition, the leather-lined, anatomically shaped, removable footbed allows wearers an extra width option. That aspect marks a first for Ecco, which previously only offered removable footbeds in its men’s dress styles.

So far so good, Zahn reports, on the feedback to Soft 7 from retailers.

“Our retail partners are responding well to the big steps we are making in the athleisure area, but they also believe the cup sole trend is getting bigger in both men’s and women’s,” he says. “Soft 7 addresses this trend in a modern, premium way.” Zahn believes that Ecco’s strong presence in men’s makes this collection an easier add-on while the broader offering in women’s should make inroads for the brand—like the Fara cup sole, part of an ’80s-inspired tennis collection. “It features stretch textile uppers so they fit really well and will be available in a range of colors and prints,” Zahn says. “These thicker outsoles might have looked and felt clumsy in the past, but with our new technologies, better leathers and feminine touches, they’ve become cool again. It’s a combination of an old school look with today’s technologies.” —Greg Dutter

2015 october/november • footwearplusmagazine.com 31

DEFINING COMFORT: SPRING ’16

Wolky: Comfort Couture

Propét: Travel Plans With a new president and a new active line launching, Propét has plenty of exciting announcements in the mix. Rick Wang, a company veteran of nearly 15 years, and the former vice president of operations, is now at the helm. His first order of business has been to introduce fresh styles and technology updates. Enter Propét’s new women’s TravelActiv collection for Spring ’16. Led by its new TravelTek outsole, a one-piece construction designed to increase durability while wearing better, each mesh style in the collection is lightweight, flexible and easily packable—perfect for ladies on-the-go.

The TravelActiv line is updated, but it doesn’t stray far from the tried-and-true Propét philosophy of comfort and fit at a good value. “Our main focus continues to be adding shoes that offer comfort and style,” confirms Chris Doolittle, lead designer. The TravelTek sole, for example, features a new EVA compound and a modernized tread pattern for increased traction. “We are getting lighter and more flexible with our TravelTek outsole,” he notes. “It will be a great shoe for an active lifestyle.”

The TravelActiv line is available in punchy colors like pacific blue and watermelon red along with classic hues like black, honey, white and silver. Whether customers want an understated or amped-up color, they can choose from three styles— slip-on, Mary Jane or lace-up. Finding the right fit shouldn't be an issue either: “We offer them in five widths so any ladies that need a wider-fitting shoe will have many options that are cute and stylish too,” Doolittle says.

Cute, stylish and comfortable are key buying ingredients for retailers, and Doolittle reports the initial reaction to the collection has been huge. “Retailers have been excited to bring in this line,” he says. “We have been able to work with our factory to move up production since our retailers have been so anxious to get these shoes out.”

The success of TravelActiv already has the brand thinking of ways to apply its new outsole to other Spring ’16 styles.

“We are taking the success of the TravelTek outsole forward to offer more colors, fabrics and patterns to our line next season,” Doolittle says. Along those lines, another goal for next year for Propét is streamlining its production process. “We want to respond quickly in the market to trends and utilize the strength of our factory to add new production and styles without long lead times,” Doolittle confirms. —Laurie Cone

32 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

Everyone has heard of the Katrina and the Waves song, “Walking on Sunshine,” but many people don’t know that they can walk on clouds figuratively, too. Wolky, a Dutch, family-run shoe company that launched in 1982, prides itself on just that premise: shoes that feel as soft as walking on a pillow of clouds. After all, the brand’s name translates to cloud in Dutch.

“For Wolky, the goal is comfort first then fashion,” explains Anthony Diks, CEO. “Our mission statement is: ‘It’s what’s inside that makes the difference.’ So we start with comfort then we give it a bit of flair with fashion materials, designs and, of course, functionality.”

The average Wolky shoe is made from 50 different components, including a leather-covered footbed engineered from memory foam and natural, contorted cork, that molds to the foot and is not only shock absorbent, but also anatomically shaped to help spread body weight evenly. Every Wolky shoe is made entirely of full-grain leather and tanned throughout for softness and sweat absorption. “The art of truly making a quality shoe is so intricate and complicated,” explains Diks, who credits the brand’s 30-year working relationship with renowned Dutch footwear designer, Charles Bergmans, with perfecting its process.

For Spring '16, Diks says the brand is making a big push for a more fashion-forward collection with an expanded range of silhouettes, materials and colors.

He points toward the Rio, a double strap sandal on an oversized sole, and the Fria, a delicate, feminine cross-strap sandal, as highlights from the core collection. Each style is available in an array of patterns like cracked metallic and python prints, as well as a selection of ontrend colors.

Along those lines, Wolky is making a concerted effort next season to appeal to a younger customer base as well as grow its North American presence by expanding its Fancy Me line with the addition of the Couture collection. “This line is for ladies who are looking for a relatively comfortable shoe without it looking like a ‘comfort’ shoe,” Diks says. The Couture collection includes four styles named after different U.S. cities, each with distinct fashion culture, including New York and Los Angeles.

Silhouettes span a 3-inch block heel ankle-strap sandal (the New York) and a double-strap slide (the Miami). Zebra and leopard prints, snake-embossed leathers and glossy patent finishes lend the collection an elevated, sophisticated feel, while elegant neutrals replace bold neon shades.

“Our goal for the spring season is to communicate to our dealers that bringing in the new styles will help to incentivize consumers to come visit their shops,” says Diks, noting that the new colors and styles have made up the majority of its spring bookings. “This creates a lot of excitement for the customer,” he adds. —Tara Anne Dalbow

DEFINING COMFORT: SPRING ’16

Alegria: Petal Pusher When funky rocker-bottom brand, Alegria, launched in 2008 the market was chock-full of brown and black shoes claiming to be a part of the fashion comfort movement, and while they may have been comfortable, they didn’t look all that fashionable. “There really wasn’t a lot of color selection,” says Luke Chen, COO of Alegria, a division of PG Lite. This inspired the brand to launch its signature Classic Clog in a veritable rainbow of 22 original prints and colors. Ranging from patchwork to paisley, the bold, bright uppers quickly garnered the attention of women hoping to stay on-trend without sacrificing comfort.

“What made our launch unique was instead of trying to create a fashion comfort image with the same-old products, we took the risk,” Chen says. “Our line is replete with vibrant prints and bold, rich colors that aren’t typical in the marketplace, while at the same time maintaining our dedication to comfort through our footbeds.”

Alegria’s removable footbed ensures a “happy” foot thanks to a patented interlocking system that features a cork base, memory foam and super soft suede. In addition, its

rocker outsole induces a natural walking motion, which helps reduce metatarsal pressure and encourage proper posture.

While the brand is currently best known for its clogs, Mary Janes and boots, for Spring ’16 the line expands to include ballet flats with the launch of the Petal collection. “As popular as the ballet style is, most are without any real comfort and support,” Chen notes. “Our version features our signature removable footbed. It’s a combination that is truly unique in the comfort market.” Retailing for $109, the Petal collection will (naturally) come in a broad range of bright prints, materials and colors such as cherry red, metallic embroidery and an intricate tile print. Elsewhere in the collection bold painted floral patterns, gold hardware and beadwork lead the assortment for spring.

Also new for spring is an expanded line of fashion-forward sandals outfitted with the same comfort technology as Alegria’s closedtoe offerings. “Last year was our best season

for sandals; we received a lot of great feedback from consumers and retailers,” reports Chen. The two new shapes for spring include an adjustable T-strap sandal built on a new construction and furnished with a metal ring ornament, and a slide style, available in a range of intricate embellishments. “Every color has its own unique ornament,” Chen notes.

“Our designers really look at every detail.”

While Chen is pleased with Alegria’s overall continued growth, he says the main focus remains on its comfort premise and applying the brand’s “happy” factor to everything it develops. “We don’t want to be a brand that expands just for the sake of increasing volume; we truly believe in our construction and concept,” Chen says. “Our focus is to bring that belief into the other categories we explore.” —T.D.

Naot: New Hues and Fresh Footbeds Naot is undergoing a colorful— and fashionable—makeover for Spring ’16. “We are re-energizing some of our signature styles with new colors, footbeds and soles,” reports Ayelet Lax Levy, vice president of Yaleet, Naot’s U.S. distributor. While Levy assures that customers can expect the same comfort the brand has always provided, she notes that today’s consumers demand both style

and function. “Everybody requires style these days. You can’t get away with just having comfort,” she says. “The fashion and comfort worlds have really merged in terms of look.”

Along those lines, Steve Lax, president of Yaleet (and Ayelet’s father) points to the makeover of the brand's classic sandals. “We’ve always had a brown-colored footbed on most of our sandals,” he

34 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

says. “For spring, we’ve colored a lot of them to go with the leather and we did the same thing with some of our outer soles.” The Kayla sandal, specifically, will be available in four to five new colors and feature fresh beige and gray footbeds for the first time.

Lax and Levy are seeking a younger, hipper audience with these color transformations. To that end, Naot is also launching a new collection dedicated to a more fashionable aesthetic. The Bloom line will feature Naot’s signature Flexi insoles, which are highly recommended by the orthopedic community, but they will be re-shaped, along with the shoes, to be sleeker. Soles won’t be basic either: “We’re using really funky colors with gradient,” Levy explains. “The new collection is revolutionizing how the industry looks at a shoe with a removable footbed,” she adds.

So far so good, Levy reports, regarding Naot’s latest product introductions. “We were told by many retailers that the new collection is the best they’ve ever seen from Naot,” she says. In addition, Lax notes the sneak peak given to consumers has also been encouraging. “Women who would never wear our other orthopedic-type lines with removable footbeds have all said, ‘Wow, I would wear those in a heartbeat,’” he says.

A large part of the success, Levy says, should be credited to Naot’s design team. “They're constantly being challenged to come up with new ideas and new ways of looking at technologies in footwear,” she explains, adding that the new styles are also in response to consumer demand.

“The market asked us to update our technology with a more modern look.” —L.C.

SHOW INFO & HOTEL RATES

FFANY365.COM

@FFANYSHOESHOW FFANY.ORG

BRUSH STROKES

Pops of neon, all-over brights and paint-inspired details raise the style bar.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM JONES

Ouch velcro mid-top.

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Robert Graham paint splattered slip-on.

Palette pleasers: tangerine,

Camper

Cat

Aetrex

Geox

Rockport

38

lemon yellow, lime green, sky blue and crimson red.

Creative Recreation woven sneaker with TPU strap detail.

Ecco sandals, Tess Giberson top, Tanya Taylor skirt, necklace

by Harrison Morgan, Laruicci earrings.

41

Black and white sandals

by Hispanitas, dress by Stella McCartney, earrings by Rebekka Rebekka and Zara.

Vagabond flatforms, Kowtow dress, bag by Yazbukey.

43

Earthies cross-strap sandals, top and skirt by Marni.

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Lace-up sandals by Mia Heritage, top by Kowtow, Each x Other pants.

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Summit White Mountain platforms, jumpsuit by Bernhard Willhelm, Rebekka Rebekka rings, earrings and necklace by Laruicci.

Charles by Charles David wedge sandals, sweater by Moschino, Victoria Beckham skirt, glasses by Linda Farrow, vintage necklace.

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Coolway lug sole sandals, Jil Sander top and skirt, earrings and ring by Harrison Morgan.

Opposite page: Peep toe sandals by Thierry Rabotin, McQ by Alexander McQueen dress, earrings by Tuleste, bracelet by Laruicci, Baublebar rings.

Fashion Editor: Tara Anne Dalbow; stylist: Edda Gudmundsdottir; choreographer: Benoit-Swan Pouffer; hair and makeup: Sacha Harford/ Next Artists; model: Read/Muse Model Management; assistant stylist: Brynja Skjaldardottir.

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W H AT ’S S E L L I N G

Sił & Fiłs

Let’s educate customers on every single thing that they can use. For example, if they’re traveling to Europe, let’s talk about compression socks for the airplane. I want them to leave our store with so much knowledge and feel like this shop is the only one they ever need to go to.

What are some of your top-selling brands? Aravon by New Balance is one of our big brands. We do really well with their heels. We also do a nice business with Aetrex, Dansko, Ziera and Haflinger.

Any new brands added within the past year? We’ve added a brand called On. It’s a Swiss running company that covers both casual and comfort. We’ve also added Hoka One One and Oofos, which have done really well for us. We just brought in Ara for this fall.

SHOES - N - FEET B e l l e v u e , WA , a n d S a n Fr a n c i s c o

S A SIXTH-GENERATION shoe repairman, Chris Bentvelzen knows a thing or two about shoes—and feet! His father, who immigrated to the U.S. from Holland on his honeymoon, was the first to bring “while-you-wait” shoe repair shops to North America in the 1980s. Bentvelzen laughs, “My parents would give customers traditional Dutch clogs to wear while they were waiting for their shoes and you could hear them clomping down the street if they went for coffee or lunch.”

After realizing that most of his customers didn’t own many comfortable shoes, Bentvelzen’s dad went on to open Shoes-n-Feet in Washington in 1998. The decision followed much official and grassroots research—with podiatrists and potential patrons alike—and the goal was to become a one-stop-shop for the medical community.

Three years later, Bentvelzen joined the family business. “Our mission is to solve problems for the consumer,” he explains. “We’re here to take care of the medical community’s needs and to give the best service possible to each person that walks in our door.”

Shoes-n-Feet has expanded with a location in San Francisco and an athletic outpost connected to the shop in Bellevue. So how does Bentvelzen manage multiple concepts based in two quite different cities?

By understanding that his customers (mostly men and women between the ages of 30 and 60) value utility over style. “I’m more function-based than fashion-based. The shoes have to work and be comfortable. The look comes second,” he says. Along those lines, Shoes-n-Feet manufactures custom orthotics and Bentvelzen guarantees: “You come in our store and you’re going to get fit and get fit well.” —Laurie Cone What makes Shoes-n-Feet’s concept unique? People come in who haven’t had their feet measured in years. We look at their foot shape and their arch and then match shoes to them. In contrast, if consumers go to Nordstrom or shop online, they are usually picking a specific shoe. They might like the look of the shoe, but it could be the wrong shoe for them.

Do you have a specific approach to selling? The way I look at it, everything in my store is fantastic. But it’s not all fantastic for each individual; we have to find the right item for each person. We work on knowledge-based selling: 50 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

How’s business of late? Our Washington sales have been growing double digits for the last five to 10 years. San Francisco is a little more of a struggle. The area that we’re in is turning a bit more big-box and getting away from the smaller boutique-type stores. It’s expensive to be there, but the store is holding steady. In general, customers are coming in. We’re up $10 a transaction this year compared to last year and about 50 percent of our business is repeat business every month.

How would you describe the overall mood of your customers? In Washington, the unemployment rate is low; there are a lot of people with nice-paying jobs. In San Francisco, you have a lot of people who have more money than they know what to do with and then there are people living off of $10 or $12 an hour. We’re conscious of this and we make sure our offerings aren’t all $200 and above. We have some items in the $90 to $115 range.

What is the biggest challenge facing your business right now? The Internet is always going to be our biggest challenge. Online has a bigger selection and

can get you the shoes faster than if I have to special order them. How do I compete with my own vendor to get a product out to a customer as quick?

Where do you see your business in five years? I’m going to carry more brands that aren’t mainstream. I think we will continue to be a leader in the medical referral business and in customer service. Also, I’ll look at expansion in the Washington area.

G ’16 ING COMF ORT : SPRIN NG MOVE S • DEFIN • MUNR O & CO. MAKI .S. RE-LAUNCH • G E OX S E T F O R U ACE YOUR SPACE NYC’S STOR Y: EMBR HIS WEARABLE ART T T U O K C • E H C YS PLE FOR GU T H E N E W S U M M E R STA

Lost in the flood: Many South Carolinians are in need of footwear and clothing donations.

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Soles4Souls Rallying Call to Aid South Carolina Flood Victims SOLES4SOULS (S4S) IS answering a call for help in South Carolina after catastrophic flooding ravaged the state recently. Record rainfall—more than 25 inches—forced thousands from their homes and 20 counties have been declared federal disasters. While 17 people lost their lives, tens of thousands more are without power and water, and many others lost all of their belongings.

In response, S4S is issuing a plea to footwear retailers and manufactures to assist in a relief mission. The non-profit is partnering with local emergency responders in order to provide shoes and clothing to those in need. “We are asking any and all retailers or manufacturers to donate boots, athletic and children’s footwear,� says Brian Granfors, creative director of S4S. Adds CEO Buddy Teaster: “Responding to natural disasters has been part of the Soles4Souls mission from the very beginning and helping people get back on their feet in

South Carolina is a high priority for us.�

Tiffany Johnson, S4S outreach coordinator, takes this relief effort personally. She was raised in one of the hardest hit areas and her mother still lives there. “As soon as we realized the scope of this, I was on the phone talking with various agencies in South Carolina about how and when we could help,� she says, noting one of her mother’s co-workers lost everything. “My mother asked if we could put together a few pairs of shoes for her co-worker, so I sent casual, dress and tennis shoes,� Johnson says, adding that such a small, but meaningful gesture, had an enormous impact. “My mom brought the box of shoes to work and her co-worker was overcome with emotion,� she says.

To donate shoes and clothing for South Carolina flood victims or make a monetary donation to S4S, contact Pattie Graben at 615541-7007 or pattieg@soles4souls. org. —Laurie Cone

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Feel free to contact us anytime at circulation@9threads.com or (440) 871-1300 with your questions. june 2008 • footwearplusmagazine.com 51

EDITOR’S PICKS Sey Collection

DESIGNER CHAT

WHEN ASKED TO describe Intentionally Blank’s target customer, footwear designer, Ty McBride, rattles off a list of names spanning Solange Knowles to Cybill Shepherd to Cindy Sherman to FKA Twigs. Beyond being accomplished and creative, these women have very little in common, yet McBride says he designs with them all in mind. “I want to be the shoe industry sweetheart, the brand worn by stylists, editors, moms, the woman next door, as well as global influencers,” he explains. “I want to create shoes which inspire women to take their own personal style to a new level.”

McBride launched Intentionally Blank in 2014 after spending 14 years working for footwear innovators such as Jeffrey Campbell and Solestruck. “Doing my own brand has always been a dream, and something I have had on the back burner for several years now,” McBride reports. He describes the brand as weird and quirky, something uncommon in the mid-tier space where most brands are taking their design cues straight from the runways. “Intentionally Blank goes against the grain,” he says. “It has an actual vision, a scope and a point of view.”

McBride says the Spring ’16 line’s unique point of view is resonating with buyers—it’s his best received collection to date. Fusing the casual ease of California with the downtown edge of New York, the grouping is led by denim ankle-wrap mules, western Chelsea boots, metallic foil star print flatforms and block heel sandals. Inspired by movement and the busy lives of women all across the country, each shoe is designed with comfort in mind, from padded toe boxes to chunky, stabilizing heels.

Beyond black and nude, burnt orange and faded denim lend chunky mules and block heel flats a sun-kissed, vintage feel. The colors “look like they’ve been left out in the sun to dry,” notes McBride. Elsewhere in the collection, metallic foils and pat52 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

Summit White Mountain Mia

LOOSE ENDS Ballet flats receive an elegant update with strappy, tie-up laces.

ent finish up the glam factor on a range of elevated sandals and heels. “This collection is like the best summer of your life rolled into the perfect shoe offering,” McBride says. —Tara Anne Dalbow What part of the design process do you find most rewarding? I suppose it’s once I see the shoes ship, especially if that shipment is on time. I feel very calmed and rewarded.

What season do you most enjoy designing for and why? Fall! I love the end of summer so much. As a kid, back to school shopping was an event for me. I love an Indian Summer and the change of seasons.

Which shoe in your closet is currently getting the most wear? I wear vintage

cowboy boots the most. My favorite is an Old Gringo pair, now cut off just above the ankle; I love to wear them with my jeans smashed down inside.

If you could change one thing about the current fashion climate, what would it be? The Kardashians.

What are the biggest challenges facing emerging footwear brands? The cost of starting a brand is, for sure, the most intimidating. The lead-time for the first few collections can really be intimidating, as well. Do you like living on Top Ramen and riding your bike to work? Then get into it and launch a brand.

What do you love about the footwear industry? I love the challenge of a very small industry.

E D I TO R ’ S P I C KS P H OTO GRA P H Y BY T I M J O NE S

TY McBRIDE

continued from page 12/Story Time shops don’t have—space. So, what are you doing to squeeze as much value out of your space as possible and to create experiences that your customer can only have with you? It could be as simple as serving coffee on Saturday mornings or having a yoga class for moms in the morning.

If you were opening a shoe store today, what’s the first thing you would do?

Shoes are something that many people prefer to shop for in brick-and-mortar locations, so I think shoe stores are actually at an advantage. The first thing I would do is look at the opportunities to create and build a community around the experience of buying shoes. Running shoe stores do this really well, offering in-store foot analysis, treadmills and weekly running groups.

Next, I would figure out the story that I’m telling beyond shoes. Is it about style, comfort, fashion or fitness?

Are there any shoe retailers or formats you admire? If so, why?

I think Kith in NYC has carved out an incredible niche with its mix of curation of hard-to-get sneakers and scarcity. They’ve really created a destination for the sneaker fan. I like the way that its new Brooklyn store has taken this a step further through its collaboration with Snarkitecture and the in-store DIY cereal bar.

What do you think shoppers crave in a physical shoe shopping experience?

I think people want to be entertained when they shop more than ever. They’re looking for physical shopping experiences to capture their attention—and hold it, so it becomes the job of the retailer to find ways to make entertainment a part of the in-store experiences, whether through technology, event programming, photo booths or interactive displays. As a retailer, your job is to give people a reason to come to your store, and merchandise alone isn’t a compelling enough argument.

Looking into your crystal ball, what might the U.S. retail landscape look like in 10 years? Will it still include shoe stores as we now know them?

I think shoe stores will ultimately move to a model that’s more analogous to a Warby Parker, where it’s as much a showroom for the brand as it is an actual brick-and-mortar retail shop. I think customization and 3D printing technology hold a lot of promise for the footwear industry, and this will definitely impact how shoes are produced, packaged and sold for the consumer. Imagine you can walk into a store and completely customize your shoes onsite—and then leave with your pair.

Your bio says you “love finding the next big thing and sharing it with others.”

What’s the next big thing?

I am obsessed with a new app called MikMak. It’s like Comedy Central meets HSN meets shop-able Instagram. It was founded by the former social media director at the Gap, and it’s insanely forward thinking in terms of how it looks at packaging content and selling merchandise for the always-on consumer.

[Editor’s note: Dubbed “QVC for the Millennial generation,” MikMak features bite-sized infomercials—30 seconds is the average length—viewable on a smart phone. Written with a focus on wit and brevity, each video features an entertainer or comedian promoting accessories, jewelry, beauty, gadgets and home decor products costing more than $100.]

What do you love most about the physical aspect of going shopping? Why might it be a concept that the Internet will never entirely replace?

I love discovering something that I didn’t know about before I walked in the door. It could be a new brand, a new technology or simply a great pair of shoes. I think shopping is a great way to get to know your city, whether it involves finding your favorite wine shop or an amazing boutique. And that experience isn’t something you can get online. •

E - B E AT BUYER CHAT

Match Maker Shopping Links helps brands and bloggers hook up.

TO MOST AMERICANS, Australia is a fairly exotic place—in fact, more than 80 percent of the plants, mammals and reptiles that call it home can’t be found anywhere else on earth. But one thing about Australia that’s not so different from the U.S. is the growing importance of social media and digital marketing. For brands trying to get the word out about their products and connect with their consumers, those media are now indispensible.

In an attempt to harness that power, tech entrepreneur Kim Westwood is zeroing in on what she calls the “influencer marketing channel,” i.e. the stars of Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and the like who can cause a pair of shoes to sell out in minutes with a single post. “It’s well known that consumers are more likely to buy from someone they have been following—someone they know and trust,” she explains. “Social media is having a real impact on buying habits.”

Enter Shopping Links, an online marketplace start-up that aims to encourage genuine and mutually beneficial relationships between brands and bloggers. “It’s something of a cross between an online dating site and a recruitment platform,” Westwood quips. The service streamlines the blogger outreach process for participating brands by identifying those Internet superstars who might be a good match, culling from its network of more than 7,500 thoroughly vetted fashion, beauty and lifestyle bloggers worldwide. Plus, brands can keep tabs on essential blogger metrics, like demographic data and number of followers (the site encourages bloggers to post their Google Analytics to their profiles), as well as emerging blogger talent. Westwood says it’s this transparency, along with the service’s cost-effectiveness, that differentiates Shopping Links from its competitors.

Brands pay a flat fee of $79 for each collaboration opportunity they post to Shopping Links, while bloggers can create profiles, browse and apply for relevant opportunities on the site for free. Posting a collaboration is as easy as filling out a form with a chosen title, category, description and type (such as a giveaway, sponsored post, guest blog, product review or speaking engagement).

There’s no limit to how many collaborations a brand can post simultaneously— which means, according to Westwood, brands get plenty of bang for their buck.

She adds that whether a company seeks to debut a new product, boost its SEO, promote an event or generate editorial content, it can likely find an appropriate blogger on Shopping Links who’s eager to do it. After the site connects a brand and a blogger, it’s up to them to negotiate compensation and continue the working relationship.

To date, Shopping Links has helped facilitate campaigns for a number of footwear brands, incuding Crocs, Toms and Reebok, as well as retailers like Macy’s, Anthropologie and Target. Westwood points out that the service is also ideal for niche brands that cater to specific audiences, citing Skinnycalf Boots (which makes boots for women with slim calves) and Lonia Shoes (which offers women’s shoes in larger sizes) as two examples. Along those lines, Westwood is interested in helping companies appeal to older consumers who are often neglected by influencer marketing. “Brands are increasingly looking for bloggers in the 40-plus and 60-plus demographics,” she notes.

While it’s still early, Westwood is excited about Shopping Links’ ability to bring brands and bloggers together for mutual gain. “Our vision is not only to make it easier for bloggers and brands to connect, but help them to realize value a lot sooner,” she says. “[Shopping Links] gives brands a way to engage leaders within demographics who authentically influence the buying decisions of their peers,” she says. “It’s as close to word-of-mouth marketing as brands can achieve in today’s marketplace, and that’s extremely valuable.” —Kirby Stirland 54 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

Monique Soulet DNA Footwear

WHEN IT COMES to fashion, Monique Soulet can see the future.

“I know what men will want to wear before they know,” she asserts.

That gift serves her well as senior men’s footwear, accessories and apparel buyer for DNA Footwear, a New York-based chain and ecommerce hybrid. Soulet explains that the company’s target customer “rides in three lanes: we have the young, creative professional that appreciates fashion on a shoestring budget, the cool mom or dad with 2.5 kids who enjoys a one-stop-shopping experience and the tourist that is introduced to DNA Footwear for the first time while on vacation.”

On the e-commerce front, shoppers seek marquee brands like Vans, Toms, Hunter, Birkenstock and New Balance, which Soulet reports drove online sales for the first half of this year.

Shoppers who visit DNA Footwear’s site will find an assortment that includes more than 150 brands, from athletic stalwarts to fashion-driven labels, ranging in price from $39 to $595. Consistent sellers include Ugg’s Classic Short boot, Toms’ canvas slip-ons, Hunter’s Original rain boots, Birkenstock’s Arizona sandal and Converse Chuck Taylors in all-white and all-black.

A keen awareness of what’s cool helps Soulet keep her edge.

“How are men wearing their trousers this season—straight, rolled, or cropped, with a slight break in the leg? What are the key leathers in bags and belts?” are the types of questions she asks herself.

But Soulet is careful not to chase trends indiscriminately, and price is always top-of-mind. Most importantly, she strives to put herself in her customer’s shoes: “I build my assortment as if I am living in his closet, taking myself through his work week to the weekend, addressing every end use.” —K.S. What are some key men’s trends for Spring ’16? Dress casual, athleisure and canvas will continue to be important. I am especially excited to see brands like H by Hudson playing with materials on dress constructions. I believe canvas oxfords on leather soles will convince men to start dressing up their weekday casual looks.

What about this fall? Chukkas, Chelsea and authentic military boots are key. We are loving the Clarks Mali beeswax desert boot and the Freedom Made in the U.S.A. military boot by Artola. The canvas/ athletic category also remains strong.

What designers should we keep an eye on? H by Hudson has filled a major void for us with their vast offering of beautifully made oxfords, boots and loafers at affordable prices. It speaks to how wellmade shoes do not necessarily have to break the bank. I am looking forward to delivering Decode, Vagabond out of Sweden and the emerging Australian brand Urge.

Any trends you’re over? Overly distressed, cracked or burnished leathers. The days of paying extra money to give the impression that you’ve traveled a million miles on foot are over.

O&A continued from page 21 at it. The Germans, from an engineering standpoint, are fantastic as well. It’s too bad that there’s not more of that type of product in the U.S., because it creates a lot of excitement. When I passed the Spanish booths at various shows of late I knew we had to find a way to bring this to market—something that would create an edge for us at retail. I believe we’ve found that in Hispanitas.

With regard to sourcing challenges in general, how might the recent difficulties in China affect Munro?

It is getting harder to source in China. Footwear manufacturers used to have the best locations close to the best ports. But now those factories are being converted for other industries and some shoe factories are moving 1,000 miles further inland. That changes the logistics. The infrastructure is splintering.

It’s a good thing in general for us, but we still need the price gap to shrink considerably. In the meantime, I honestly think our government made a huge mistake not trying to be a little more supportive of our neighbors—where we might get some logistical advantages to sourcing shoes. There could be real advantages to producing shoes 500 to 1,000 miles away. I think our industry should still look into that possibility. The bigger issue, however, relates to expendable income and how, over the last 30 years, the amount devoted to footwear and apparel has dropped about in half. There used to be a huge hole in people’s wallets that funneled down to us. Cell phones and other gadgets are getting a big chunk of that money now. Our industry needs to focus on ways of regaining some of that lost share.

It starts with great products and exciting retail formats.

The retail world is changing dramatically. The online footprint is huge and has changed consumer-buying habits. What does that do to the traditional retail format? What, specifically, does this mean for sit-and-fit retailers? We were a little slow to sell online, because we wanted to make sure we protected the people that put us in business. But when Nordstrom, who is our biggest customer, told us it was time to get more involved—that it’s about being part of the omnichannel experience that it wants to offer its customers—we needed to respond. Nordstrom has discovered ways to use online to enhance their overall shopping experience. And while a lot of our consumers still like to shop for Munro in store settings because they like the service and, quite frankly, often need it, we have to recognize that there’s a place for both formats. Zappos, for example, has done a fantastic job selling our brand. They service that customer to the extreme. It’s been a good experience for our customers. It all fits together, as far as we’re concerned.

Can smaller sit-and-fit retailers maintain a meaningful place amid this growing omnichannel landscape?

Everybody is going to give a pound of flesh to the Internet. There’s just a price advantage to shopping online, starting with sales taxes. Even if an item

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is on a MAP policy, they escape those taxes. For the consumer standpoint, how can you blame them? That’s why stores have got to have differencemakers on their floor to close sales. In general, I think brick-and-mortar retailers need to take a step back and ask themselves: How do we create loyalty? They need to get inside their customers’ heads and figure out what they want and need. In order to get to a higher level, they must show their customers that they can be superior in every way than where they may be shopping elsewhere.

Any suggestions?

Perhaps it’s the addition of a personal shopper, like a few top retailers have put a real emphasis on of late. A good one can be really worth it. They can get consumers to spend more money as they recommend items that the customer wouldn’t have known to buy themselves. A good personal shopper has all these wonderful reasons why you need it and why it’s a superior product.

They understand the difference between the $120 and $300 product and can convey those reasons. Of course, this requires an investment on the retailer’s part—good people can greatly enhance the value of the relationship, but they don’t come cheap. However, a customer is likely to return if the personal shopper gains their trust. Why not go all the way and invest in a personal shopper rather than someone who just slings shoes?

When it comes to foot-related aches and pains, I believe there’s a tremendous opportunity to take a retail concept on a grander scale.

I agree. There are millions of consumers with such needs that spell nothing but cash opportunities. Why not? But it’s going to take the right people to get with it. There are other niche opportunities out there. While it’s not easy to do, the days of stocking five or 10 mega-brands and expecting that to drive business are gone. There are just not that many easy sales anymore.

What were some of the best business tenets your father taught you?

My father taught me that the footwear industry is a people business and you have to treat everyone with respect. If you do, it’s amazing what you can achieve. Relationships go a long way in what is a relatively small industry. He also always emphasized quality.

What do you love most about your job?

I enjoy the competitive nature of it. I also like the people that I work with— our employees, family, retail partners and consumers. I think recognizing that importance is a Munro family trait. We like people and when you do, people tend to like you, too. I believe we truly enjoy our relationships and we hold them as being very valuable. Along those lines, Christine, Mollie and myself are very proud of our family legacy and will make every effort to keep it alive. •

OH 44145, Richard Bongorno, 26202 Detroit Rd. Ste 300, Westlake OH 44145 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None. 13. Publication Name: Footwear Plus. 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: September 2015. 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation. Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months/Actual No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: a. Total No. Copies: 17,883/16,534 b. Legitimate paid and/or requested distribution: (1) Paid/ Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions: 9,192/9,923 (2) Paid/Requested In-County Subscriptions:0/0 (3) Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, and counter sales:0/0 (4) Requested copies distributed by other USPS mail classes:0/0 c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation:. 9,192/9,923 d. Nonrequested distribution:

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17. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions and/or clivil sanctions.

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LAST WORD

Hometown Hero

A local workforce handcrafts each pair of Chaco sandals in the brand's Rockford, MI factory.

MICHIGAN - MADE Adventure brand Chaco finds success once again making shoes stateside. By Laurie Cone IF YOU LIKE beer, perhaps you’ve heard of Grand Rapids, MI, a.k.a.

“Beer City, USA.” With multiple breweries dotting the charming town, the local community is awash in the fermented favorite. But Grand Rapids is home to more than just tasty brews—a mere 10 miles away in the suburb of Rockford lies the headquarters of Wolverine Worldwide and its Chaco sandals and accessories factory.

Chaco, born in Colorado in 1989, began by making sandals stateside before transferring production overseas in 2008. When Wolverine purchased the brand in 2009, it brought part of its manufacturing back to the U.S., beginning in 2012 with the introduction of MyChacos (customized) and the continuation of ReChaco (repaired) sandals along with capsule collections and accessories. Since the inception of the MyChacos designyour-own program (with over a trillion combinations to choose from!), tens of thousands of custom sandals have been made in Michigan. In addition, many thousands more have been repaired with the ReChaco renewal program, which launched more than 10 years ago.

“We wanted to give consumers a choice in where their products were produced,” says Colin Butts, director of marketing. “Having a local factory opens up a lot of interesting opportunities for the brand, from rapid 56 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2015

prototyping to personalization to accessory creation to limited-edition products.” Logistically speaking, producing in Michigan allows for shorter lead times, local material sourcing and lightening the carbon footprint related to manufacturing and shipping. And, let’s not forget the U.S. jobgenerating aspect.

Currently, the Chaco factory employs 25 full-time workers and 20 temps, all performing skills ranging from sewing to buffing to trimming to lacing. And customers, despite paying a 25 percent premium, are responding positively to the made-in-the-U.S.A. goods. In fact, the Rockford factory is set to expand for the second time in March. “The Michigan-based team has picked up the torch and run the brand further than ever before into accessories for pets and people and into customizable products,” Butts says. He hints at additional customization opportunities to come in the future, too.

Butts attributes the success of the MyChacos and ReChaco programs, in large part, to their Rockford workforce. He cites the Midwestern labor traits of being dedicated and hard-working as special. “It’s the people here that make the difference,” he says, noting such attributes are worth funding long-term. “The brand will keep investing in ways to make domestic production possible and exciting for our community,” he adds.

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