Footwear Plus | The Source for Retailers | 2010 • April - May

THE SOURCE FOR RETAILERS • APRIL/MAY 2010 $10.00

Børn Handcrafted Footwear / featured: Robin / www.bornshoes.com

Water stays out.

Warmth stays in.

The Elite. No other boot like it.

100% waterproof. Elastic stretch panels.

3.7° inclined sole for whole-body fitness.

ELITE Cherry

water pr

oo

f

Now available in Iron Grey, Chocolate, Black, Brown Leopard and Winter White

Warm insulated lining Waterproof protection 3.7° incline burns more calories*

Contact your Earth® Sales Representative to learn more today — 877.746.3364. www.earthfootwear.com * For complete clinical results that attest to these benefits, please visit www.earthfootwear.com. Earth, Inc. does not make weight loss claims, nor are any claims based on weight loss studies. © 2009 Earth, Inc.

CONGRATULATIONS FOOTWEAR PLUS ON

YEARS IN PRINT

FROM WSA & ENK INTERNATIONAL

WORLD SHOES + ACCESSORIES THE VENETIAN & SANDS EXPO

AUGUST 9.10.11 2010 FEBRUARY 7.8.9 2011 REGISTER @ WWW.WSASHOW.COM

20 YEARS OF...

16

Evolution Revolution Designers revisit 20 years of influences and pinpoint how their craft has changed.

By Angela Velasquez

18

Q&A:

Shoebuy.com CEO Scott Savitz shares how the massive e-tail site turns casual browsers into repeat customers.

By Greg Dutter

26

They Said What?

The design inspirations of Kenneth, Isaac, Calvin, Lulu... Juicy quotes and creative genius straight from our archives.

28

Flash Back The world according to Footwear Plus: The “it” shoes, big news and related popculture touchstones of the last two decades.

36

The Biz

Insiders mull over the biggest industry changes in recent history and ponder what the future might hold.

By Melissa Knific

40

Shoe Dogma Timeless retail wisdom from the folks in the trenches.

42

Sound Bites Dream hires, heroes, hometown memories and first jobs of leading wholesale executives.

44

Heavy.

What’s old is new once again as 1990s grunge filters back to market for Fall ’10.

8 Contributors 10 Publisher’s Letter 12 Editor’s Note 22 This Just In 24 Trend Spotting 25 Brand Focus 54 Shoe Salon

Above: Sendra boots with studded buckles.

Right: Schubar cut-out army boot; Penny Loves Kenny studded ankle boot.

Photography by Glynis Selina Arban.

56 Show Stoppers 60 In The Details 62 What’s Selling 64 Made You Look

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, 8 West 38th Street, Suite 201, New York, NY, 10018-0150. 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. Ride-along mail enclosed. 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. ©2010 by Symphony Publishing NY, LLC. Printed in the United States.

Caroline Diaco Publisher Greg Dutter Editorial Director Nancy Campbell Creative Director EDITORIAL Leslie Shiers Managing Editor Melissa Knific Features Editor Angela Velasquez Assistant Editor CREATIVE Trevett McCandliss Art Director CONTRIBUTORS Dorothy Hong Photojournalist Bahar Shahpar Stylist Jamie Wetherbe West Coast Editor Kathy Passero Editor at Large Paola Polidori European Editor ADVERTISING Jennifer Craig Advertising Director Rita O’Brien Account Executive Erwin Pearl Special Accounts Laurie Guptill Production Manager ADMINISTRATION Alexandra Marinacci Operations Manager Theodore Hoffman Special Projects Director Melanie Prescott Circulation Manager Julie Gibson Webmaster CONTACT INFO Sales/Editorial Offices 8 West 38th Street, Suite 201 New York, NY 10018 Tel: (646) 278-1550 Fax: (646) 278-1553 nyeditorial@ symphonypublishing.com Circulation Office 21 Highland Circle Needham, MA 02494 Tel: (800) 964-5150 Fax: (781) 453-9389 circulation@ symphonypublishing.com CORPORATE Symphony Publishing NY Corporate Headquarters 26202 Detroit Road, #300 Westlake, OH 44145 Tel: (440) 871-1300 Xen Zapis, Chairman Lee Zapis, President Rich Bongorno, CFO Sid Davis, Group Publisher

contributors i n s i d e t h e c r e at i v e m i n d

m

TIM JONES, GUEST ART DIRECTOR To help us construct a timeline depicting the industry throughout our 20-year history, Footwear Plus tapped a familiar face. Jones—who worked for this magazine in the mid’90s and has also designed for Nickelodeon, Twist, Fitness, Self and Spin, among others—eagerly signed on. “I’ve had many cool magazine gigs over the years but nowhere did I have more fun than at Footwear Plus,” says the San Francico native, Brooklyn dweller, musician and father.

“Coming back is such an unexpected pleasure.

It feels so good to design just for myself, as I did back then. This project helped me get back in touch with something special.”

GLYNIS SELINA ARBAN, PHOTOGRAPHER A writer, painter and self-taught photographer, Arban—who hails from Charleston, SC—was deemed “One to Watch” by Models.com. Known for her talent at catching beautiful, spontaneous moments, her work tends toward a sensually stark romanticism.

Since moving to New York, Arban has shot editorials for Bust, Lula and Trace magazines as well as lookbooks for Built by Wendy, Element and Haute Hippie. For this issue’s grunge footwear shoot, she lent us a few of her closest friends to give the story an authentic, straight-from-thestreets vibe.

EDDA GUDMUN, FASHION STYLIST A native of Iceland, Gudmun jumped to New York, where she approaches styling with a penchant for the gorgeous and subtly, unpredictably bizarre. In addition to dressing Björk and Katie Lee and outfitting photo shoots for Puma, Yigal Azrouël and VPL by Victoria Bartlett, Edda designs fashions herself and has created uniforms for several hotels, restaurants and bars. Our 20th anniversary grunge spread may have been inspired by the early days of Footwear Plus, but Gudmun says observing today’s youth culture gave her fresh ideas on how to give Courtney Love’s closet staples a twist for 2010.

A Giant Value

FJFQBA QFJB LCCBOÂ? t Products ŇżJFČ UÎĽ ÇŁ Í—OÎ?X͸ Č?SÇ‘OČ t 5SǑùȗ Č?Ӆ̢MČœĚ˘OH promotions t ,Ë’Ň‘UÎ?OČş ŃźÍ?Ó…T 10% margins

Flynn NG6215 Retail Price $169.99 (keystone plus)

DF>KQPELBPÂ’@LJ $Î?ÍŠUBDÓ‚ (Ç‘SZ .Ç‘SÍ—IǑͨ ËŞÎ?S ͧÎ?SČş EʚǑ̢Í?T t ËŠ t HÇ‘SZ ͧǑSÍ—IǑͨ!҉ΕDÍ•ZČ?SÇ‘OČžT DÎ?ͨ

publisher’s letter milestones & memories 7

A Life’s Work

20 YEARS OF...

“You look mahvelous,” Billy Crystal’s “Saturday Night” Live character Fernando would often say. He would also say, “It’s better to look good than to feel good, dahling.” On some level, especially in the fashion business, this does ring true. Whether you’re a man, a woman or a magazine, getting older is easier if you can look good doing it.

As you’ll see inside this issue, which celebrates our 20th anniversary, Footwear Plus has steadfastly covered the fashions, embraced the key trends and reflected the moods of each season, year and era in its pages. Along the way we’ve had our share of shining moments and, yes, an awkward stage or two, but there’s no denying we’ve gotten better with age. To say I am proud of our editorial and creative staff far understates how I feel about their work, issue after issue.

Footwear Plus broke the mold on the trade magazine genre with its first issue back in 1990, and we’ve been raising the bar ever since. Delivering an award-winning publication that educates and inspires readers in a luxurious environment is exactly what our industry deserves. Footwear Plus is simply the ideal venue to exhibit exquisite footwear creations and state-ofthe-art store designs and share stories and strategies behind them.

Since I joined the title as a sales rep 14 years ago, countless readers have told me how much they enjoy Footwear Plus and stressed what an important industry resource it has become. The fact that we are a respected and trusted voice is truly rewarding because I know firsthand the tremendous effort and care that goes into every page we publish. We do not take our opportunity lightly, and the goal is to always outdo ourselves. Similar to the industry mantra that “you are only as good as your last season,” we refuse to rest on any laurels. I promise that we are committed to improving across all communication platforms. Our print remains as beautiful, in-depth and insightful as ever and our rapidly expanding digital media offerings improve upon our immediacy and frequency as well as our ability to target a broader audience. While we have, in career years, earned “Shoe Dog” status, I can assure you that over the next few seasons Footwear Plus will continue to redefine what an industry publication can mean to its audience.

Despite all of the change we have covered in 200-plus issues, Footwear Plus and the shoe industry have proven to be the two solid constants in my life. Outside of breathing and being my parents’ daughter, I have not done anything else consistently for as long of a time. And while much has happened to me personally during this period, the foundation has been a rewarding career that helped me flourish via friends, travel and self-discovery— and more recently, create a cherished family life with my husband and our two sons. The people and the passions of the footwear industry have always been a part of this journey. It has been a true honor to call many of you friends and to witness ringside the successful businesses you have built. I know how hard you work and how passionate you are about your respective careers, co-workers and families. It’s all a labor of love and I trust you see that it’s the same for me.

For the next 20 years and beyond—besides trying to always look mahvelous—I wish all you dahlings continued good health, happiness and success.

And I thank you for being such an important part of my life’s journey.

Caroline Diaco, Publisher

www.titanindustriesinc.com contact: 714-934.8800

20 YEARS OF...

editor’s note anniversary reflections 7

What a Trip FOOTWEAR PLUS WAS born in We’ve documented the bells-and-whistles athletic shoe era, the a recession and a time of war in the heavy chunkiness of grunge, the anti-tech retro and skate era, the hipMiddle East. The magazine’s first hop nation’s influence on street fashion, the “Sex and the City” glamorbatch of issues, which appeared in ization that made Manolo and Jimmy household names, and the growlate 1990, contained plenty of dooming focus on the great outdoors. We’ve followed fashion’s flow between and-gloom articles concerning an utilitarian styles (think wellies, Crocs and Uggs) to simplistic designs economic downturn “unlike any in (ballerina flats, gladiator sandals) to loud-and-proud style statements recent memory, with no end in sight” (tattoo prints, oodles of jewels and luxurious exotic materials). We’ve and increasing alarm over how a prowatched flip-flops and boots become a 24/7 footwear option; the extracted war in Iraq (boy, did history plosion of the rocker-soled wellness craze; and sustainability become prove that to be a premature assessan industry-wide concern. Trade show to trade show, we’ve witnessed ment) might scare the American contrends, from fringe to fur to over-the-knee heights, wax and wane. And sumer shopless. Combing through those issues in preparation for this, we’ve never dismissed a shoe without giving it the benefit of the doubt. our 20th anniversary edition, I took some comfort in the fact that we That’s because we have always believed the final say is up to the retailer, were able to crawl out of that murky, discouraging period. our industry’s first customer. That said, we hope our extensive market Now the American in me says, “See? Times do get better. Even in what research, analysis and exclusive visual presentation provokes, prods appears to be our darkest hour, there will one day be a better tomorrow.” and inspires the entire buying process.

However, the ancestral Irish blood in me simply In addition to reflecting the beauty and artcounters, “What’s the point? Once we emerge from istry we see in so many designs, we have made it a recession, the only place left to go is right back our goal to lend a helping hand through solutioninto one.” (Damn my mother’s Irish roots.) oriented articles and to include the human eleStill, I’m an American first and foremost, and I am ment whenever possible. This is at the root an confident a brighter day awaits. And knowing that industry of people—people who happen to make our industry finds a way to persevere in times both shoes and sell them under brand banners. It has good and bad makes me evermore optimistic. What been a privilege and a pleasure getting to know a bunch of tenacious street fighters we are, riding so many of the individuals behind these shoes the never-ending rollercoaster of fashion while abover the course of my 17 years working in varisorbing body blows from whatever an unforgiving ous capacities at Footwear Plus. It’s a business world economy—or natural disaster—hurls at us. If filled with all types: creative thinkers, numberyou are reading this, congratulations on being one crunchers, go-getters, comedians, (a few real of the survivors. If the past year didn’t knock you characters) do-gooders, artists, dreamers, innoout, then, as Mick Jagger sings, “You must be tough, vators and copiers. And I’ve enjoyed interacting tough, tough, tough, tough...” with them all.

My daughter, Darby, makes her Footwear Plus The same can be said of Footwear Plus. Let’s face To anyone who might think I’ve spent a long modeling debut in Aug. 2004. it: Retailing and magazine publishing have been at time at one publication, my answer is: You have the top of the Great Recession’s hit list. Yet here we no idea about the pace of change in the footwear stand 20 years later: older, wiser, with a few scars, but—if I do say so myindustry. It switches direction almost daily, and my job follows suit. Beself—better than ever before. One of the beauties of magazine publishsides, why change when you are having fun and enjoying the company ing is that we can reinvent our title every month, and, at the same time, of the people you cover? we accumulate knowledge. So 200-plus issues and oh-so-many trends By the way, I attribute my dedication and tenacity to the German and shoe styles later, Footwear Plus has covered our industry in-depth, blood in me. My father is an 83-year-old architect who still works seven beautifully, and—as its original mission statement proclaimed—unlike days a week because he loves his job and, well, that’s the German way. any other publication, past or present.

It’s really no different here. Like father like son, they say.

Greg Dutter, Editorial Director

12 footwearplusmagazine.com • april/may 2010

Fresh.

All the latest styles. All under one roof.

Convenient. Affordable. And fresh new areas to shop: The Fashion Collection and The Kids Shoe Box. The Atlanta Shoe Market: the one show you should attend this season.

Cobb Galleria Centre | Renaissance Waverly Hotel | atlantashoemarket.com | 706.923.0580 | August 13-15 2010

TRU Show Stay in Step! Attend a TRU Show in a city near you...

6HNZO>

:EP:RL

Austin

August 22-23

;>>G BG LM>I

Scottsdale

August 22-23

PBMA MA> MBF>L

Hard to believe

San Francisco

Footwear Plus has been covering this beat for 20 years already. We salute you for your in-depth reporting of the industry’s news, the changing trends and the players.

Congratulations on your anniversary... now go ahead and kick up your heels!

August 29-30

Honolulu

September 15-16

Denver

September 26-27 Register at: trushow.com

Congratulates FOOTWEAR PLUS MAGAZINE for years of

EXCELLENCE AND OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO OUR INDUSTRY

800.962.0030 www.springfootwear.com

20 YEARS OF...

SPECIAL REPORT

Evolution Revolution DURING THE LAST two decades, footwear designers pulled every trick in the book to garner consumers’ attention and dollars. And despite the novel fun of monster platforms, painful jellies and collectable kicks, the period’s most poignant approaches to design—utilitarian and high fashion—cultivated in one traffic-stopping crossbreed in 2002: the “J.Lo boot.” Manolo Blahnik’s couture take on Timberland’s classic wheat boot made a splash after songstress Jennifer Lopez wore them in a music video. Part outdoor, part hip-hop, part designer, part grunge and part practical, the boot was the ultimate hybrid and perhaps best encapsulated two decades of footwear trends in one shoe. And like any hot shoe du jour (ahem, Crocs), consumer reactions ran the gamut from unabashed worship to utter disgust.

“Most remember the disaster that was the J.Lo boot,” offers designer Jeffrey Campbell, describing the four-inch heel suede work boot as if it had been burned into his memory. Alan Bongo, designer of XOXO Footwear and Wanted Shoes, also recalls the shoe’s popularity. “It seems like every girl had a pair or two of those high-heel, lug-soled gems,” he says.

But one person’s fashion disaster is another’s ticket to notoriety. Years later, deeply cemented in pop culture and answered with countless knockoffs, the J.Lo boot still resonates. This fall’s lug-sole, outdoor trend could be seen as its more practical, less blatantly sexy stepsister and, interesting enough, Campbell admits shoes encapsulating this look are some of his brand’s hottest sellers right now.

Trends repeat, shoes must look good (in every size) and, according to Stuart Weitzman, “the ones that make the most noise are still the sexy ones.” While the J.Lo boot offered one take 16 footwearplusmagazine.com • april/may 2010

on sultry utilitarianism, the industry has made massive strides since it hit retail. Designers say technological improvements in material production during the last two decades have changed the design process across all footwear categories forever.

“Each time I step into the factory, I’m amazed at how far we have come and what we are able to accomplish now with materials,” Weitzman says. ‘Technology fuels creativity,” adds Ben Pruess, vice president of Adidas Originals. “Manufacturers and designers are pushing each other, and there will be an even huger evolution in the next 20 years.”

Shoes are lighter, more seamless and more durable today than before, but Brian Moore, Timberland’s global vice president of men’s footwear and outdoor performance, predicts the biggest technological strides in the forthcoming years will most impact green design. Perfect timing, says John Fluevog. “It’s starting already, but more consumers are going to consider what has gone into their shoes: the materials, country of origin, the overall design sensibility,” he predicts. “People will pay for shoes that are repairable and recyclable.” Moore described early attempts at ecofriendly shoes as styles that only conveyed a natural-living ethos (think natural materials, frayed edges and lots of beige), but thanks to advancements in vegetable tanning, he says designers are now at a point where they can improve the aesthetic, functionality and even margin contribution of styles by making them more environmentally responsible. “In a way, green is delivering a whole different kind of green,” Moore explains.

However, leaps and bounds in the tech world can’t guarantee good taste levels. As designers

consider the shoes of the past two decades, they cop to some cringe-worthy moments. Many are willing to pardon Ugg boots for the fact that the brand helped the industry weather difficult times, but others styles are not so easily forgiven. Crocs strike a negative cord with Miz Mooz owner Ron Kenigsberg, Bettye Muller can’t stand the “slinky” shoe (a single elastic band on an EVA bottom) and open-toe boots are a conundrum to Sendra’s Jamie Lawenda. And strangely enough, high heels—the go-to for many designers’ industry role models, including Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Alexander McQueen and Miuccia Prada—continue to raise eyebrows. “People are still teetering around in six-inch heels, even after they watch models topple down catwalks in them,” laughs Miranda Selwyn, the designer of Seychelles. Kate Spade designer Deborah Lloyd adds, “Any shoe in which a woman requires assistance to take a single step is not progress.”

Don’t tell that to Carrie Bradshaw. Designers overwhelmingly crown Sarah Jessica Parker—the woman and her “Sex and the City” character—as the most influential celebrity in the last 20 years of footwear design. “Shoeaholics were definitely defined and inspired by Carrie. The show exposed even the most conservative areas of the U.S. to high fashion and designer must- >58

ILLUSTRATION BY MICHAEL O’BRIEN

Designers travel down memory lane recalling a world of influential styles and the modernization of manufacturing. By Angela Velasquez

Congratulations to Footwear Plus on twenty years of objective and fair reporting about the footwear industry.

Good luck for the next twenty !!

Your Friends at Pentland Group

O&A The Quiet Giant Scott Savitz, CEO of ShoeBuy, America’s second-largest footwear e-tailer, discusses why the site’s sales continue to boom— recession be damned. By Greg Dutter Before I ask anything else, what’s on your feet? I get asked that question a lot. Bally’s Caddo slip-ons that I bought off our site, of course, last month. I love them to death. They are a great pair of comfortable dress shoes but you can wear them with jeans.

Did you make the purchase at 2 a.m. like a lot of other online shoe shoppers? Yes. I was actually checking out something on our new designer micro site, and I ended up buying three pairs.

Was the delivery OK? It went great, and I kept all three pairs.

That purchasing experience is a reinvention of shoe retailing as the world had known it for generations. Yes, this is certainly a different way to shop for and buy shoes. But I wasn’t as prescient as some people might think, as the idea really started from a friend who couldn’t fi nd a good site to buy shoes for himself or his family. It became one of those crazy things where I looked into it and thought if we could partner with a bunch of great brands, have a really terrific selection and offer it in a convenient manner, we could have a terrific business. By solving a problem for him, it solved a problem for many more people. And it obviously gave the brands a friendly way to put their products in front of millions of shoppers. The process certainly has created a lot of the success at ShoeBuy. Back then, did you ever envision your site becoming what is now: with more than 1,000 brands, 800,000-plus products and more than $3.5 billion in inventory? You build these types of businesses because you think it could be something big or a lot of fun—otherwise, you probably wouldn’t get excited about it and give it a try. Interestingly enough, the business that exists today is exactly the one that we envisioned. We have this mantra of putting the customer front and center in everything we do, so we decided to just continue to listen to the customer and keep trying to create a better shopping experience.

That hasn’t changed in the 10 years since we launched ShoeBuy. We keep adding brands—last September we launched a designer store featuring 200 labels—we added an iPhone shopping app, and soon we will launch a mobile 18

ECCO CONGRATULATES FOOTWEAR PLUS ON 20 YEARS OF SUCCESS!

eccousa.com

O&A shopping site that will work across a variety of smart phones.

We are extremely analytical in looking at how our customers tell us they want to shop.

That has influenced things like our advanced search function, which allows browsers to narrow their selection by size, width, color, price, heel height, country of origin—you name it. Additionally, in the fourth quarter, we launched a sister site called Product Express, which highlights more than 10,000 products all with free overnight shipping. We also rolled out new product categories our customers said they were interested in like sunglasses, watches and flowers, and we are aggressively adding activewear and outerwear.

It may sound crazy, but we do hundreds of thousands of end-of-transaction surveys, questionnaires and site feedback, which are all ways to hear what the customer is saying. We even bucket calls that come into customer service to hear what they may be having trouble with. By listening, you are letting the customer dictate what is important. These concerns are an evolution, and you change based on what your customer tells you.

Sounds like you would have made for a good detective or reporter. I’m still trying to figure out how to sell shoes (laughs).

But we are as metrics-obsessed as anyone.

We just feel like our customers are a lot smarter than us. It’s not like I’m a rocket scientist. What we’ve done is simply let our customers make us much smarter. We retrieve data, execute on it and see if it translates well to the customer. If we are wrong then we pull back quickly. And we are wrong more often than we’re right. We are just very quick to identify the mistake.

In your case, the customer truly is always right? The customer is king, without a doubt.

I still hear today how some retailers think they know more than the customer: ‘We know what the customer should be buying, our customers look to us to tell them what they want.’ I would disagree and recommend always listening to your customers. You should be getting smarter from them so you can become much more relevant, so your customer says, ‘Oh my god, they knew exactly what I wanted.’ Like with Product Express—we used to hear customers say, ‘I love ShoeBuy. The only time I don’t use it is when 20 footwearplusmagazine.com • april/may 2010

I need the product now.’ We launched the site, shot them an e-mail about it and then we got the ‘Oh my god’ reaction. Well, we did it because you told us to!

Still, some of the current stats—for example, surpassing 8 million site visitors in December alone—must go way beyond what you fi rst envisioned. Yes. You get crazily immersed in this business—addicted, actually—and in the beginning you are in hyper-build mode and don’t take a second to look back on it. But we absolutely take a second now and say, ‘I can’t even

“We are a quiet company and we become more in vogue whenever the economy is doing badly...

During good times, people think we’re boring and anal.” believe it.’ We were the second-largest seller of shoes online in the U.S. and the seventh mostvisited apparel site in the country last year. But did I think we would see 8 million visitors in a month? No. It just goes to show that if you are resonating well—whether it’s 10 customers or 1,000 customers telling you you’ve added an awful lot to their shopping experience—then that number can end up becoming 10 million.

So now we are attacking the business from the perspective that there is no limit to how big it can become. We just need to keep focusing on each individual customer one by one, which fuels that viral growth.

Twenty years ago there was no Internet to speak of, and even fewer than 10 years ago many experts weren’t convinced people

would buy shoes online. What do you say to those skeptics now? That’s a good question.

A lot of times those doubters have come up to me fi rst admitting their mistake. I remember one in particular who said, ‘How wrong was I?!’ The reality is that’s one of the aspects that attracted me to the business in the fi rst place.

These businesses can sometimes become successful because you are going against the curve. If everyone thought it seemed so intuitive, then everybody would already be doing it.

The marketplace is typically pretty efficient.

I even have relatives who have confessed they thought I was out of my mind. They admitted it took a number of years for them to shop the site, but now they never buy their shoes any other way.

Why do you think that online buying conversion is so strong? Customers like to have choices and they like to shop in a lot of different ways. It might be just researching an item online and then buying it in a store. Or they are window shopping, deciding they must have that item now and ordering it from home. The fact of the matter is we should never underestimate what can make people’s lives easier and better.

We listened to the customer and created a better experience for them. It was hard to know at fi rst, because the Internet was so new and few expected that it would become so prolific and that people would be willing to shop differently when they were so used to shopping 9 to 7 in stores. Would they shop at 2 a.m., for example? What many people in this business weren’t listening to was that getting to the store was becoming increasingly difficult for a lot of consumers.

Or when they did go to the store, the retailer didn’t have the shoe they wanted in their size. Exactly. Or, they simply might love to shop for shoes. If a person is like Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City,” they like shopping for shoes while lying in bed at night.

Were you a shoe-aholic before all this? I was not a shoe guy by any means. I was in banking. But, in hindsight, it wasn’t a big leap. I fi rst worked in the mortgage business and soon after was the leading seller of mortgages by an individual in Massachusetts. Basically, I took something that everyone was doing and found an easier way to do it by offering a no-cost, >61

:ROYHULQH :RUOG :LGH ,QF FRQJUDWXODWHV )RRWZHDU 3OXV RQ WZHQW\ \HDUV RI VXFFHVV

THIS JUST IN

Kristen, 12, loves her laceless Ed Hardys.

Fiona, 7, rocks a pair of sparkly “Wizards of Waverly Place” sneakers.

Ayla, 10, sports Airwalk’s canvas boots.

11-year-old Brigette wears Adidas hi-tops.

Jillian, 9, kicks around in Converse.

Pop Rocks For young and trendy scenesters, bright and funky kicks are necessities for a day of idol worship.

Long Island, NY’s tween and teen set swarmed to the recent Pop-Con concert event—an all-day music fest headlined by chart-topping singer Justin Bieber and Disney sensation Selena Gomez. Girls were quick to cite the “Wizards of Waverly Place” starlet as their biggest fashion influence, while the boys on the scene copped to admiring the slick style of Bieber and the Jonas Brothers.

Canvas kicks and skate shoes proved all the rage among the 7- to 13-year-old crowd, but Ugg boots also were a go-to for the marathon of dancing, karaoke singing, indie fashion browsing, video gaming and more. —Leslie Shiers, photos

by Nancy Campbell

Luke, 8, plays it cool in Nike SBs.

Classic Uggs kept Courtney, 8, comfy for hours.

Roxy skate shoes hook-up 13-year-old Tara’s look.

TREND

Tethered Leather Men’s fall lace-ups cover all ground, from rugged to urban to sleek.

Clockwise from top left: Harley-Davidson welt-constructed boot; Bed Stu lace-up; Ugg Australia shearling-lined boot; Tsubo hi-top; Frye hiker.

24

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NEAL BRISTON

SPOTTING

BRAND FOCUS

The Eagle Has Landed

T

CaliEagle introduces France’s beloved 160-year-old natural rubber boot brand to America.

alent, they say, instantly recognizes genius.

Case in point: The day American Hiram Hutchinson met inventor Charles Goodyear back in 1850 and learned about his revolutionary new vulcanization process for rubber.

Intrigued, Hutchinson bought the patent to manufacture footwear made from the material and set up headquarters in France in 1853, naming his business A l’Aigle (To the Eagle) in honor of his homeland’s national bird.

It turned out to be what the French call “un trait de genie”—a stroke of genius. A whopping 95 percent of the country’s population at the time earned a living from the land, and they had spent generations doing so in wooden clogs.

Hutchinson’s newfangled knee-high waterproof rubber boots put an end to slopping through fields and mucking out barns with raw, chapped, wet feet. Within four years, Aigle was turning out 14,000 pairs of its handmade rubber boots per day.

Now nearing its 160th birthday, the brand has become “un classique,” as ubiquitous and beloved as croissants or baguette among the French, and nearly as popular throughout Europe.

It was just five years ago that the “eagle” soared across the Atlantic and landed in America, thanks largely to visionary distributor Olivier Martin. When French-born Martin, then a consumer electronics expert living in San Francisco, realized his favorite brand was unavailable Stateside [the brand had been sold in limited quantities in the States years before in the horseback riding and hunting markets], he convinced management to let him launch CaliEagle in 2004 as the exclusive U.S. distributor of Aigle rubber boots. The name is a blend of eagle and California, where distribution was initially headquartered, though it has since moved to Dallas.

CaliEagle has enjoyed double-digit growth in America every year since. Still, educating retailers—and, by extension, their customers—remains one of Martin’s primary challenges. “In France it’s extremely common to have three generations of Aigle users in one family,” he says. “The grandpa and the grandma like Aigle for outdoor activities. The mom not only looks at function but at the fashion aspects for herself and she looks at the “green” attributes for her children.”

Martin believes that once U.S. retailers and customers get to know Aigle, they’ll fall for the brand, too. What’s to love? First, 95 percent of the company’s boots are still handcrafted in France using Aigle-patented natural rubber. Natural rubber is not only more durable but more comfortable than synthetic, Martin explains: “It’s supple.

It expands. It takes the shape of your foot, doesn’t require break-ins and feels comfortable from day one.” That means crossover styles—like Aigle’s black Jumping boot with a brown top, inspired by French cavalry uniforms—are el-

egant and wearable enough that lots of women sport them in the office all day, he says. “From the feedback we are receiving from customers, quality, comfort and design really set us apart. Add piece-by-piece manufacturing, and you come up with a product that lasts much longer than anything else on the market,” Martin adds.

An additional incentive: The price is right for most customers. The majority of Aigle boots retail between $100 and $200 for adults and $40 and $70 for children.

Plus, Aigle designs don’t slip out of vogue easily. Some bestsellers have stayed in the collection for decades. Take the Ecuyer, also from Aigle’s riding collection: “The boot has been really popular in the U.S. fashion market for the past three years, but it was introduced in 1972,” Martin says. The same holds true of the Parcours, a Wellingtonesque rubber boot designed for the hunting market but adopted by trendsetters. “It was introduced in 1992 as the first rubber boot with a shock-absorbing midsole,” Martin notes.

“People still love it for long-distance walking.”

Timelessness makes Aigle a good choice for retailers, in Martin’s view. “We don’t come to the end of a collection and need to get rid of everything we have left,” he says. “Whatever we don’t sell in a season, we’ll sell in six months.” Aigle rounds out its classics with frequent new designs and, less often, limited editions, including one for Tory Burch, one for Colette in Paris and another for Swarovski Crystal last year. The latter was carried exclusively by Jeffrey New York, which sold every pair.

With success of that caliber, it would be easy to rest on your laurels. But Aigle’s longstanding commitment to innovation is evident in its technical linings, including Neoprene, Cambrelle SoftTouch and Outlast. These have garnered a loyal fan base in professional sports like hunting, fishing, sailing and horseback riding. The firm is an official supplier of America’s Cup and the equestrian World Cup and has designed Olympic footwear.

The 2010 collection includes new patterns, new colors and more styles, such as higher heels designed for city wear.

Also, in response to consumer demand, the company has added black to a number of bestsellers previously made only in earthy tones. Now, these styles have been appropriated by a fashion-conscious crowd.

Although Aigle makes clothing, only its boots are available in the States. “We’re concentrating on penetrating the market with the most classic products because they are proven successes,” Martin explains. “Once we reach a certain threshold, we’ll see about introducing more products.

“There aren’t many 160-year-old, high-end European brands in the U.S. that American consumers aren’t aware of,” Martin concludes. “That’s why we’re so motivated about distributing Aigle here. It’s a jewel, but people haven’t discovered it yet.” •

“From the feedback we are receiving from customers, quality, comfort and design really set us apart.”

20 YEARS OF...

CALVIN KLEIN

THEY SAID WHAT? TWENTY YEARS OF WIT AND WISDOM FROM THE INDUSTRY’S MOST IMAGINATIVE MINDS.

ANNA SUI

STUART WEITZMAN

—STUART WEITZMAN (JAN. 1992)

“IT’S A BITCH TO MAKE STUFF SALEABLE & EXCITING.”

“YOU DON’T DICTATE TO A WOMAN.”

& I’D LIKE TO DO MY PART TO CONVINCE CUSTOMERS NOT TO GET INTO THAT FRAME OF MIND.”

MICHAEL KORS

—MICHAEL KORS (NOV./DEC. 2000)

“I BELIEVE RECESSION IS A STATE OF MIND,

BETSEY JOHNSON

ISAAC MIZRAHI

KENNETH COLE

“IT’S ALL FUN & GAMES— UNTIL SOMEONE BREAKS A HEEL.” —REED EVINS (MARCH 2008)

—BETSEY JOHNSON (FEB. 1994)

“I AM SURE THAT FASHION FOOTWEAR IN THE YEAR 2050 WILL BE RETRO 2030.”

— ANNA SUI (OCT. 1994)

“TODAY’S 50 IS YESTERDAY’S 35, & 60 IS THE NEW 40.”

—SAM EDELMAN (SEPT. 2006)

26 footwearplusmagazine.com • april/may 2010

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PAIR OF SHOES? “THAT’S A TOUGH QUESTION. IT’S LIKE ASKING A PARENT TO PICK A FAVORITE CHILD.” —KENNETH COLE (FEB. 1996)

“ANY SHOE THAT WEARS THE WOMAN INSTEAD OF THE WOMAN WEARING THE SHOE IS A FASHION DISASTER.” —ISAAC MIZRAHI (AUG. 1998)

SQUAWK BOX KHAKI CRAZY “Casual looks are going to become an integral part of the general lifestyle.”

—vince camuto (nov./dec. 1993) DRESSED FOR SUCCESS “A lot of men are put off by wearing a polo shirt to work. Face it—once you’ve climbed the corporate ladder, you’re not going to dress like the parking attendant.” —nick hilton (oct. 1994) CHILHOOD FRIENDS “My Clarks Wallabees are my favorite shoes that I have been wearing since I was about 4. They are just divine.” —todd oldham (aug. 1995) DEATH WISH If you could wear only one pair of shoes for the rest of your life, what would it be? “I’d rather die!

As Imelda said, ‘Shoes are my life!’”

—cynthia rowley (sept. 1996) CAREER CONFESSIONS “I’m not a designer the way Karl Lagerfeld is. I’m a shoe man. I’m a cobbler. I worked as a stock boy, a salesman on the floor like TV character Al Bundy, and I know what women want.”

—steve madden (oct. 1996) MATCH POINT “I am not suggesting that everyone needs to match their shoes and handbags exactly. Although, I did love the era when women did that. It was so elegant.” —lulu guinness (aug. 2002)

“SHOES AFFECT THE MOOD OF AN OUTFIT. THEY COMPLETE THE WHOLE PICTURE— THE IMAGE I HAVE IN MY MIND.” —CALVIN KLEIN (JUNE 1997)

“I HATE UGLY SHOES– THERE’S JUST NO REASON FOR THEM.” —ANDREA PFISTER (NOV./DEC. 1999)

GADGET MAN “Inspiration comes from looking at electric shavers and electric components and interesting little toys for boys.” —mark ecko (sept. 1999) GETTING LUCKY “I’ve always believed that business is 50 percent intelligence and 50 percent luck, and I’ve had my 50 percent luck. I’ve really been at the right place at the right time.”

—dan sullivan (nov./dec. 2003) GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS Do you have a muse? “The women in my life: my wife and five daughters.”

—max azria (nov./dec. 2003) INFORMATION OVERLOAD “Years ago, fashion magazines used to tell the customer what to buy. Now, they show all the key trends, and the customer is left to decide which trends they should follow.”

—jeffery campbell (aug. 2004) BLUEPRINT FOR DESIGN “Style for style is not the way I see the shoe business. Whatever you do, it should be something that is technically correct.”

—michel meynard, (jan. 2009) LITTLE-KNOWN FACT “I began my design career in women’s couture in Dubai at the age of 20, designing for sheiks’ wives and daughters. And I have more than one tattoo.”

—camilla skovgaard (feb. 2010) april/may 2010 • footwearplusmagazine.com 27

Educating, informing, provoking and inspiring for twenty years.

Congratulations, Footwear Plus— and thank you!

-Your friends at The Clarks Companies, N.A.

20 YEARS OF...

Back 20 fashion, yearsof

fame Footwear Plus and

april/may 2010 • footwearplusmagazine.com 29

1990-91

1992

1993

grunge

AIDS

awareness

You can’t touch this.

Premiere issue, Fall 1990

Desktop publishing era begins

Converse stands by its endorsee, Magic Johnson, after he announces he has A.I.D.S.

Retro craze“First it was the ’60s and then the ’50s and now it’s the ’30s and ’40s.”

Sneaker violence “The car industry is not blamed

—Chris Cherry, fashion director,

for car thefts. You can’t blame the sneaker industry for these kinds of thefts.”—Greg Hartley,

Nine West

“Retail is about to get sideswiped by electronic, interactive television shopping. I think it will wipe out half of all retail today.”

executive director, Athletic Footwear Association

—R. Fulton Macdonald, retail analyst

chunky,

clunky,

“They are both incredible dancers and athletes and have a strong fashion sense.”

heavy

—Sandy Saemann, L.A. Gear

Air Jordan

Say, WHAT? “Much like aerobics

Moss

style makers Green is good

walking can be the story of the ’90s.”

—Will Kussell, marketing

Greed is not good

director, Reebok

Huge

Madonna

“We didn’t do much to publicize our green initiatives because we didn’t want people to think we were just cashing in on the environmental issue.”—Elise Klysa, spokesperson, Timberland

was a big success for Reebok in the ’80s,

Michael Jordan

Mark

Reebok Pump

trendshoe

trendshoe

“Consumers have begun to shift from their consumption phase to the value phase— the less willing to dress up phase.”

Jan. 1991: Retro Chic

endorsement deals Bo Jackson

Larry ”Grandmama“ Johnson Anfernee “Lil’ Penny” Hardaway

—Kent Wall, president, Johnston & Murphy

Remember backward pants?

“The amount of kids who told me that Kurt Cobain was wearing Converse One Stars as his feet stuck out from the white sheet was amazing.”

—Anonymous

1994

1996

crack epidemic Forrest Gump wears Nike Cortez...

Clinton reelected

Seinfeld

“It seems the country is more positive today than it has been in years. I think things will continue going up as long as something bad

...while Jerry sports his white kicks.

doesn’t happen.” ...it —Jan Friedman, buyer, Jildor’s

does.

trendshoe

“

Our research showed that Rush Limbaugh had the best combination of reach, affordability and persuasivness.”

gun violence

—Brian Smith, president, Ugg Australia

We are convinced “that we got much

more for our dollar with Howard Stern than we would have gotten anywhere else.”

—Michael Muskat, president, Deer Stags

pimped laces

introducing the

world wide web

“By providing gift certificates to eliminate guns from the streets, we hope we can make a difference.”

—Tim Finn, general manager, Foot Locker

First appearance of advertiser’s URL, January 1996.

Good luck with THAT...

“It’s the stigma

of the Al Bundys of the world.

People think that selling shoes is beneath them.”

—Ron Scott, owner, Scott Shoes

“Basketball is slowing because other shoes like hikers are becoming street shoes.”

—Frank Kinney, president, F+M Sports

“[O.J.] will certainly give Bruno Magli

trendshoe

some recognition.”

—

Puma Clydes

—Fiore Guglielmi, salesperson, Tanino Crisci

“When Mike D. donned a pair of Puma Clydes on the cover of the Beastie Boys album Check Your Head, it was

the match

that lit the fire.”

—Tony Bertone, Intl. Business Manager, Puma

1997

1998

Internet sales estimated at $850 million— up from essentially zero two years prior.

1999

We’re gonna party like it’s...

2000

“into We’re about one minute the first 100 years of online commerce.”

—Matt Hyde, VP of online sales, R.E.I.

. uts The n le bloo eop p m is iving Say, WHAT? Paris Hilton orff t Reebok’s No. 1 rule: eedn r a h —J s d e im No showing product online.

“People today Dav ors Perez Hilton lete is, C EO, em are interested in “We didn’t think anyone The ath New e s Bala nt “ celebrities nce .” everything would want to see it.” are doing and

social conscience “There are direct commercial payoffs

trendshoe

to cause-related efforts. People respect you, trust you and believe you care about the things they care about.”—Richard Polk, owner, Pedestrian Shops

wearing. They want to be—and dress— like them.”

—Max Azria, designer

disputed e And the

“Gor like lic d Chad.

...Dubya! trendshoe

“Steve Madden stores are like nightclubs—tying together music and the product.”

—Jaques Lavertue, GM, Merrell

trendshoe

“Guys somehow think boat shoes work with everything.

And they don’t.”

—Bob Infantino,

—Gary Weiner, president, Saxon Shoes

Clarks

Ben Affleck in Good Will Hunting

That was then,

“

trendshoe

this is now: Tiger Woods is a class act.”

—Tom Doyle, National Sporting Goods Association

“If you don’t have a front door, you shouldn’t be able to have a cyber door.”

Say, WHAT?

“You can cut the lawn in Jungle Mocs, travel to Europe in them and go through airport security with ease.

Everybody wins.”

“The word urban is so overdone.

You don’t say ‘suburban footwear.’”

—Jeffrey Bernstein, sales manager, Avirex Footwear

NASCAR

“The fans really take note of what their favorite driver is wearing or endorsing... That’s what helps sell products.”

—Chuck Gordan, owner, Gordan’s Shoes

Hollywood h “for what’s co

The Wedding is an ’80s mo ahead of the —Mark Haskins, senior designer, Vans

Rock Star

Michael Jordan announces his retirement from the NBA. (only to un-retire 2 years later)

Joe Dirt

Ya think?

2001

ection

winner is...

’s preppy. He’s Banana Repubude. Bush has a little more of the cowboy thing.

He likes his jeans tight.”

patriotism

Dolomite launches Uptown USA boot featuring a U.S. flag embroidered on the tongue. Ten percent of sales were donated to FDNY and NYPD Disaster Relief Fund.

Ya Think?

“The e-tailer stock

prices were too high to begin with.

It was speculative.”

ad o r e le th u r s SUV “To be quite honest, Nike is paying the ultimate compliment to Converse by buying it.”

—Ruthie Davis, Simple

Manolo Blahnik

Invasion

Consolidation

yoga

—Tom Luck, president, Lucky Shoes

trendshoe

2003

utilitarian trendshoe

Jimmy Choo

Metrosexuals “Men are growing

J-Lo

“I TOOK 10 PERCENT OF MY SALES AND DONATED IT TO THE RED CROSS. I juSt

wAnteD to help.” —Rosco Rolnick, owner,

Guaranteed Shoe Center

Sneaker boutiques

10th Anniversary issue

“It’s a shop for people who really know sneakers...

They can talk to someone who is not dressed like a referee.”

s a good feel ming. Look at Singer. That vie that was curve.”

“We had a store in the World Trade Center concourse.

We found out that everyone got out safely, which was great news.”

—Stash, co-owner, Nort 235

Alife Rivington 9/11 tribute page, Oct. 2001

—Anneli Shearer, spokesperson, Cole Haan

The Wedding Singer

“Malls and department stores are clearly suffering, especially as a result of the government’s advice to avoid large public places.”—Amanda Cabot, CEO, Dansko

freedoms that we didn’t have before... we’re coming out of our ‘closets.’”

—Donald J. Pliner, designer

trendshoe

“Flip-flops...easy to wear, easy to buy and pretty much goes with everything. It’s having a real resurgence.”

Homer Simpson endorses Reebok Classic.

Homer Simpson High Dunk

by Nike

2004 Donut burger.

Obesity

Hip-hop hawkers

“Everybody— I think even my mother— knows who Snoop is.”

2005

Katrina

bird flu

“You sold your soul the day you put on those Jimmy Choos.”

“It’s really humbling to see how much of a difference Soles4Souls has made in the lives of others—just with a gift of shoes.”

—Wayne Elsey, founder, Soles4Souls

trendshoe

—Killick Datta, CEO, GBMI

Soles4Souls 5th anniversary issue

Western

50 Cent for Reebok

Snoop Dog for Pony

“We’ve proven that Ugg is here to stay. It’s part of a much larger trend related to comfort and luxury.”

Missy Elliot for Adidas

Jay-Z for Reebok

Gucci

“Our motto is fashion, function and fun… once in a while we

—Angel Martinez, CEO, Deckers Outdoor

also hear we’re

‘fugly.’”

“Unseen, untold,

Kids

unsold:

We live and die by that model.”

—Michael Greenberg, president, Skechers

Sex sells

When Carrie Bradsaw wore ruby red Uggs on an episode: “Our phone was ringing off the hook... Every woman in town was looking for those ruby Uggs.”

trendshoe

—Mike Margolis, national sales manager, Crocs

“The kids’ busiParody of classic movie posters for 2005 fashion feature

Desperately Sexy

“Married women between 25 and 45 can relate to Desperate Housewives better than a magazine writer who

ness has a better chance to perform well because children grow out of sizes and parents take care of their children first.”

—Robert Campbell, CEO, BBC Intl.

trendshoe

lives in a $5,500-a-month

apartment and wears Manolos every day.”

—Jeff Yeh, creative director, NYLA

—Tarek Hassan, co-owner, The Tannery

King James

Lebron Our kids’ footwear supplement.

2007

hope

2008

Prez race

iPad era begins?

California wildfires “The store’s been here for 48 years, but this is as bad as I’ve ever seen it.”

trendshoe

—Harry Bosley, Bob Jones Shoes

“Wellies are a dramatic, bold statement...There has been an explosion of interest.”

—Rob Moehring, CEO Washington Shoe Co.

MBT

viral marketing

Our sneaker botique supplement.

Sustainability

“Anybody that is dismissing the sustainability movement has got their head in a particular orifice.”

“[2009] was a year where the best retailers designer would did OK if they want to get lucky, their hands on.” were and anybody —Gina La Morte, celebrity stylist who wasn’t good just got hammered or disappeared.”

“Michelle is someone any

trendshoe

“YouTube [offers] a huge opportunity for retailers to market their businesses in an organic way.”

—Jennifer Nielsen, spokesperson, YouTube

trendshoe

Chooka

—Gary Weiner, president, Saxon Shoes

“Health and wellness [footwear] is truly going to make an impact on our industry unlike anything in a lot of years.”

—Charlie Liberge, president, Klas Shoes

—Angel Martinez, CEO, Deckers Outdoor

The industry’s only magazine devoted to green practices.

“[Cause-related marketing] really “[Social networking] has been the ballooned in the last 12 months. All of savior of my business. I don’t a sudden it was bam—everywhere.”

—Blake Mycoskie, know where I’d be without it.” chief shoe giver, TOMS

—Tony Zelaya, owner, Zelaya Shoes

“Metrosexuality is dead.”

—Darin Hager, designer, Heyday Footwear

Already?

But I just got my mandals!

Cheers! Footwear Plus

20 YEARS OF...

THE BIZ VINCE CAMUTO, CEO, CAMUTO GROUP What have been the biggest changes in the industry over the last two decades? This recession has changed how we all operate— we have to make smarter choices, become more efficient. We can’t change the economic climate, but we can be sure our strategy is more passionate and deliberate. Plus, the consolidation at retail. There are fewer stores and people are shopping online more and more. Today’s world is much smaller.

Biggest surprise? Consumers have gotten smarter over the last 10 to 15 years. They’re more tuned into the trends and have a sharp eye for quality and comparison. The Internet and the media have helped this along; with so much access to information at their fingertips, you can’t fool anyone.

What’s stayed consistent? Women are always going to want a great pair of shoes. Footwear is and always will be the purchase that can change an outfit, change an attitude.

Predictions for the next 20 years? Things will get better. In the long run, I like to say that everyone has a short memory. When [the economy bounces] back, people will forget [the recession’s effect].

What would you like to see change? As retailers constrict and consolidate, you can see a lot of the same—people playing it safe. But the thing about America is we have a lot of talent. There are a lot of entrepreneurs coming up with new ideas; they are going to stimulate the economy.

STEVE HILL, VICE PRESIDENT OF MERCHANDISING, ZAPPOS Biggest changes? The diversity and variety of footwear offered today is the largest change. Athletic, casual and wellness are all categories that have experienced great growth, and fashion has become accessible for all consumers.

What’s changed for the better? Increased competition and consumers’ ability to see what brands are doing from both a style and technology standpoint has pushed vendors to continue to innovate. Those that have inspired customers are the ones that have experienced growth in any market.

36 footwearplusmagazine.com • april/may 2010

What’s changed for the worse? The consolidation of retail has caused a bit of a homogenization of the selection in many stores.

What’s stayed consistent? At the end of the day, it’s always been about having great product and great service.

What would you like to see change? More collaboration and information sharing among retailers, brands and customers would be beneficial for all.

We believe transparency leads to trust and confidence with customers and brand partners.

Predictions for the next 20 years? In 10 years, the Internet went from nonexistent to the primary choice for many consumers. The pace of change and innovation will accelerate as customers have access to increased amounts of information, brands and great product.

MANDY CABOT, CEO, DANSKO Biggest changes? Consumers have raised the bar on comfort, allowing new brands to emerge with better products and some older brands an opportunity to reinvent themselves. Additionally, consumers now have far greater access to far more information about the products they buy and the values of the companies behind those products, and they’re exercising their right to make intelligent choices now more than ever before.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH RENNER

Manufacturers and retailers reflect on the last 20 years of business, pinpointing the good, the bad and what might happen next. By Melissa Knific

What’s changed for the better? This decade has witnessed the development of more organic and sustainably produced components and materials as well as increased attention to corporate social responsibility and safer manufacturing. Meanwhile, the growth of offshore sourcing has benefitted consumers, manufacturers and the economy in general by holding prices in check and allowing for growth of footwear businesses.

What’s changed for the worse? Manufacturing of components and finished shoes in the States has decreased to negligible levels, making it now the largest importer of footwear in the world. Not only does this contribute to our trade deficit (most notably with China) but also the industry’s increasing carbon footprint, and the loss of manufacturing expertise in this country makes brands increasingly more captive to offshore manufacturing partners’ objectives.

What’s stayed consistent? Consumers are still looking for brands they can trust from retailers who are committed to high levels of customer service and satisfaction. Also, shoes are both a wardrobe essential and the go-to accessory of choice for women.

Predictions for the next 20 years? Business will be better but more difficult to manage in terms of distribution and supply chains. Just as the Internet has revolutionized the way consumers shop, I wouldn’t be surprised to see an equally game-changing development in the next 20 years.

What would you like to see change? I’d like to see more eco-friendly components, materials and manufacturing processes as well as more localized production and distribution on a global scale.

RICHARD POLK, PRESIDENT, PEDESTRIAN SHOPS Biggest changes? In some ways we’ve come full circle. Even though modern technology has changed the way we operate, we’re also going back to our roots. Pedestrian Shops opened 40 years ago as a complete walking shop, different from a shoe store in that it sold “walkwear” (shoes, socks, hats, gloves), “walkware,” (shoe inserts, walking sticks, pedometers, hand and travel bags) and “walkwhere” (guidebooks, maps, etc.). Over the years, the growth of our comfort shoe business pushed aside some of those other-than-footwear elements. However, our younger staff members have encouraged us to shift our product mix back toward that original concept.

What’s changed for the better? The partnership between the retailer and vendor has become more sustainable. Each understands the importance of the other.

What hasn’t changed? The excitement of knowing that new and better products will always be part of our industry’s future.

Predictions for the next 20 years? Everything will be green. It will have become clear that taking care of the earth is profitable. I’d like to see more green business initiatives, such as using solar power (as we do), energy conservation, zero waste practices and sustainable manufacturing strategies. Saving money is green.

“TEN YEARS AGO I SAID, ONE DAY CUSTOMERS WILL PUT THEIR FOOT ON THEIR TV SCREEN AND ORDER SHOES IN THE RIGHT SIZE.”

JOE OUAKNINE, CEO, TITAN INDUSTRIES Biggest changes? The speed of the execution of knockoffs, thanks to camera phones and email and the sophistication of the knockoff companies. A shoe can be copied and sampled in a day or two. It makes the life of a great shoe very short.

What’s changed for the better? Not much reDAVID KAHAN, SENIOR VICE —GARY WEINER, ally. The industry has been in a slump for quite PRESIDENT, ROCKPORT a while now.

Biggest changes? The massive consolidation at PRESIDENT, SAXON SHOES What’s changed for the worse? Consolidations retail. We’ve now lived through the end of the and the near extinction of independent retailers. “regional” department store chains. The job of Biggest surprise? The success of online retailers. one Macy’s buyer today used to be done by 15 Also, Ugg Australia as a brand and its continued amazing run. buyers in independent regional offices. Even back when May Company and What hasn’t changed? We’re still responsible for department store’s profMercantile existed, despite the rise of matrix assortments, there was still a itability. high degree of regional focus and specialization. Now that’s much harder What would you like to see change? The strength of the U.S. dollar, so we to accomplish. In addition, the focus on retail financial metrics puts trecan go back to manufacturing in Europe at reasonable prices. And I’d like mendous pressure on vendors to balance the management of their brand to see zero duty on imported footwear. Import duty was created to protect with the near-term margin requirements. It’s far more challenging than it domestic manufacturers. Our country has very little shoe manufacturing, was 20 years ago. so [eliminating it] just makes sense.

What’s changed for the better? The integration of technology in footPredictions for the next 20 years? China will price itself out of the marwear. Shoes with true “engineered comfort” give people the ability to perket. And I don’t think [business] will get better. form better in their daily lives.

What’s changed for the worse? Consumers are so focused on value, and GARY WEINER, PRESIDENT/CEO, SAXON SHOES there is so much more “value” offered at sharper prices that the ability to Biggest changes? There aren’t a lot of variables out there—and those that raise average retail prices becomes challenging. exist all revolve around the customer. Depending on what they want and Biggest surprise? Twenty years ago, moderate and family footwear need, the result is seen in manufacturing and in retail. [Recently,] we have chains bought a mix of closeouts and low-end branded shoes. Now they gone from a “want” to a “need” mindset, though early selling tells me there have access to most top consumer brands and their offering is so evolved is more want out there than I have seen in a good while! that even highly knowledgeable consumers see the value in shopping What’s stayed consistent? The premise of selection, service, fair value, their stores. the reward of community service—basically, what our business has always What’s stayed consistent? True sit-and-fit independents still must focus been about. on customers one at a time, and customer satisfaction remains the key to Biggest surprise? The success of the J.Lo wheat nubuck lace-up boot from their success. years past, and how someone changed the old Cherokee rocker bottom into What would you like to see change? Instead of focusing on pricing incena wellness craze. tives and consumer discount promotions, I’d like to see retailers be more Predictions for the next 20 years? In the words of R.E.M., “It’s the end of open to testing new products, embracing a brand’s new ideas, and thinking the world as we know it, and I feel fine.” It’s a new world, and we will deal with creatively to drive sales and consumer excitement. april/may 2010 • footwearplusmagazine.com 37

it as our parents and their parents did. Ten years ago I said, one day customers will put their foot on their TV screen and order shoes in the right size. In short, the next 20 years will be better, worse and, at times, more of the same.

What would you like to see change? I’d like to see the pace change, but there is absolutely no chance of that happening.

PATTY AND STANLEY SILVER, OWNERS/BUYERS, FRED SEGAL FEET Biggest changes? A weak dollar is causing our prices to go sky high, as we buy mostly from Milan, Paris and London. And whoever voted for Obama got what they wished for, as our luxury business is at a standstill and not affordable anymore for most customers.

What hasn’t changed? Our clients still want cool, hip and exciting shoes and handbags, and that is what we have been delivering for 40 years.

What would you like to see change? I’d like to see the collections that we represent stop giving free shoes to celebrities and moving their production from where they originally made shoes to lower priced economies.

BILL LAROSSA, PRESIDENT, PRIMIGI USA Biggest changes? A direct result of the weak economy has been massive discounting; it’s happening across all industries. It has been devastating to independents small and large and those without the liquidity to ride out a prolonged downward cycle. If the industry doesn’t do a better job of protecting and helping the independent sector, [I fear] we will lose much of the talent and creativity that has shaped this industry.

What’s changed for the better? Some good has come from the recession.

Strong relationships have been further solidified. We take much less for granted in our everyday exchanges with our customers and friends, and are very gratified to know that it is reciprocal.

What’s changed for the worse? So many people focus on the negatives

so relentlessly that it becomes self-fulfi lling. The 24/7 news cycle that pervades every aspect of modern living seems to be particularly good at feeding extremes. It is as noticeable in business as it is in politics.

What’s stayed consistent? History and strong friendships rule the day.

Companies that were vigilant about their partnerships are being rewarded, and rightly so.

Predictions for the next 20 years? The promise of a better future depends heavily on some simple premises that our industry and others have strayed from. How we treat each other in tough times is a good indicator of what the future holds for us.

MARTIN BERENDSEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES AND MARKETING, GEOX Biggest changes? Computers and the abundance of information have diminished, for a lot of retailers, the personal touch on what to buy. It dramatically improved sales information regarding productivity and profits, but it made buying less of an art. Consequently, this has decreased relationships between buyers and sellers. In addition, the loss of independent retailers is a great concern, since new fashions almost always start with a number of trendsetting individuals leading the way.

Biggest surprise? The Internet allows information to flow around the world in split seconds, but the distance between people is growing. Anybody who can keep close relations with their customers has the biggest chance to survive and do better.

What would you like to see change? I’d like to be able to spend more time with more customers. That’s where the business is at—that’s who we need to listen to and communicate with. I’d also like to see the industry work together to strengthen the footwear business and support its members. And less blatant copying. Let’s try to increase a category rather than sell identical products. If everyone copies the No. 1 shoe, it eventually

“A RETIREMENT DEFINED BY EXCESSIVE LUXURY A FEW YEARS BACK IS NOW MORE LIKELY TO BE DEFINED BY GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING.”

tion is filtering what’s important from the clutter. There’s also a lot of misinformation out there.

Biggest surprise? It’s amazing to see how quickly China has adapted to free market principles: wages, markets, lifestyle, culture—the whole gamut.

What hasn’t changed? The manufacturing process. There have been GARY CHAMPION, PRESIDENT, improvements and, all in all, the conEARTH FOOTWEAR sumer receives a much more consisBiggest changes? Comfort has become tent product. But it’s still rather time more mainstream [and a consumer exconsuming, and a lot of nuances and pectation], with even high-fashion looks details go into doing it right. now working to incorporate comfort Predictions for the next 20 years? ingredients into their designs. From a We’ll see more mass customizaconsumer standpoint, the baby boomer —GARY CHAMPION, tion. Take social media: How will phenomenon has multiple dimensions.

PRESIDENT, EARTH FOOTWEAR that type of back and forth between Boomers are hard-wired to be thinking manufacturers and consumers afabout staying young and taking care of fect something like product design? their bodies, and living through a few reWill you see co-creation of product? cessions has prompted them to be more Consumers are looking to create new relationships and alignments with sensible. A retirement defi ned by excessive luxury a few years back is now manufacturers and retailers. more likely to be defi ned by good health and well-being. And since the What do you hope won’t change? I hope that things don’t become so autoboomer segment is so large, what they’re doing reverberates through the mated and mechanized that the human element goes away. There are just greater economy. certain aspects of the footwear industry that shouldn’t be lost: From how a What’s changed for the better? Greater competition heightens focus. If shoe feels or smells, to what it’s like to listen to a customer and really hear consumers use the available information to their advantage, they should them out, or hearing a consumer talk about a personal experience with be in a position to demand a higher level of service and greater value from a product—those personalized elements are what makes this industry so their product purchases. fascinating, and I hope they’re not compromised. • What’s changed for the worse? The flipside of having so much informadiminishes interest in the category.

Predictions for the next 20 years? We’ll see a strengthening of the major players but also a larger amount of independent retailers with innovative stores, products and concepts. The bigger the big retailers get, the more space there is for independents.

SHOE DOGMA

20 YEARS OF...

Some retailing truths never change. Straight from our pages, these tenets will steer you in the right direction for decades to come.

“SELLING BEGINS WHEN THE CUSTOMER SAYS, ‘NO.’” –MARK JUBELIRER, PRESIDENT, REYER’S (JAN. 1995)

“You need to know your area so you are not marketing merchandise to the wrong people.

You can’t sell ice cubes to an Eskimo.”

–Peter Hanig, owner, Hanig’s Footwear (Oct./Nov. 2006)

“Having grown up in retail, I would have been hit with a baseball bat if I didn’t sit the customer down, take their shoes off, place the Brannock device under their foot and then lace them up.”

–Dean Estes, president, Wolverine (Aug. 1997)

40 footwearplusmagazine.com • april/may 2010

“I will call our customers if I feel like we’ve got a shoe that’s perfect for them. They like the personal touch.”

–Joe Costa, co-owner, De La Sole (Sept. 2007)

“You haven’t locked in customers who you’ve attracted via a sale. They will go wherever the next sale is.”

–R.W. Scott, president, Scott Shoe (July 1992)

“To be successful in this business, you have to be thinking 24 hours–even when you are asleep.”

–Sam Hassan, co-owner, The Tannery (Aug. 1994)

“You need to treat your customers like guests in your house.”

–Gary Champion, president, Earth (Jan. 2009)

“Take care of the customer and 99 percent of the time they’ll come back the next week and spend more than they did before.”

–Dennis Pollicino, owner, Western Treasures (Aug. 1994)

“[In a recession], people won’t go shopping unless they need to, so your audience is in a purchasing frame of mind.”

–Robert Schwartz, owner, Eneslow (Oct./Nov. 2008)

“The windows are the eye and soul of the store in terms of how people perceive you and your merchandise.”

–Linda Cahan, retail consultant (Feb. 2003)

“Whether the consumer goes into a shoe store or a discount store, they expect to be waited on.”

–Danny Wasserman, owner, Tip Top Shoes (Nov./Dec. 1993)

“You have to have the products of tomorrow yesterday in order to be ahead of the trends.”

–Tarek Hassan, co-owner, The Tannery (Jan. 2005)

“Don’t feel bad about taking the customer’s money–take all of their money.”

–Rosco Rolnick, president, Guarantee Shoe Center (July 2000)

“People get too attached to [past sales] numbers.

Then they miss out on something spontaneous that they could have done really well with.”

–Kathy Branch, owner, Fetish (June 2001)

“68 percent of adults spend more than the value of a gift card.”

–Candace Corlett, retail analyst (Jan. 2006)

“The customer must get an emotional buzz out of shopping; [he’s not] just shopping for his needs.”

–Elliot Goodwin, president, Larry’s Shoes (Feb. 1998)

“Most people will spend the minimum on what they need, but if they want something, they will pay whatever the price tag says.”

–Gary Hauss, owner, J. Stephens (Jan. 2009)

Soles4Souls’ Barefoot Week June 1-7, 2010. Get involved!

20 YEARS OF...

(((((( SOUND BITES ))))))

THE MUSINGS, MUSES AND MEMORIES OF LEADING EXECUTIVES

Condoleezza Rice.

Her leadership abilities would be a terrific asset.

–Fred King, marketing director, Lucchese

The Dalai Lama.

We could create world peace through better flip-flops.

–Jeff Kelley, founder, Sanuk

Tony Robbins.

He would get people motivated.

–Michael Greenberg, president, Skechers

A genie, and I would ask him to bring back the shoe business to what it was 10 years ago. I will pay him whatever he wants.

–Joe Ouaknine, CEO, Titan Industries Bill Clinton.

I think he‘d get us in a few doors. He’s a closer.

–Angel Martinez, CEO, Deckers Outdoor

Bob Dylan.

I have some questions I need answered from him.

–Adam Tucker, CEO, Me Too

Oprah. She’d be a great rep–no one ever says no to her.

–Michael Katz, CEO, Matisse

DREAM HIRES

Colin Powell.

His understanding of different cultures would be an asset. –Andrew Raggatt, CEO, Emu Australia

Jack Welch.

For his legendary management skills.

–Rob Moehring, CEO, Washington Shoe Co.

Barrack Obama.

It might be a good PR move. –Edward Kanner, CEO, Kanner Corp.

Playing high school football in Phoenix.

Football was my ticket to an education at Brigham Young. I was the first one in my family to go to college and I went through five knee surgeries in three years just to hang onto my scholarship and finish school. –Greg Tunney, CEO, R.G. Barry Corp.

I grew up in the Bronx, NY, and I’ll always remember the guy who rode down our block on a horse-drawn vegetable cart yelling at the top of his lungs what he was selling that day.

–Angel Martinez, CEO, Deckers Outdoor

Going to soccer matches with my dad on Sundays to watch the pro team he managed in Casablanca, Morocco.

–Joe Ouaknine, CEO, Titan Industries

Playing ice hockey on outdoor rinks in -20 degrees and the Montreal Canadiens winning four consecutive Stanley Cups.

–Edward Kanner, CEO, Kanner Corp.

Lemonade stands in the small New England town of Hamilton, MA. –Amanda Cabot, CEO, Dansko

HOMETOWN MEMORIES It would be fun to work with Julia Roberts every day. From a business sense, Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, has done a phenomenal job creating a great brand and connecting with consumers.

–Gary Schoenfeld, CEO, Vans

Bill Belichick, head coach of New England Patriots.

He has a great work ethic and he’s a great leader.

–Danny Schwartz, president, Schwartz & Benjamin

Watching the Gold Cup hydroplane races in Seattle.

–Rob Moehring, CEO, Washington Shoe Co.

Spending the entire day in Huntington Beach, CA, with no sunscreen, a peeling nose and bleachedout hair–living life large. –Jeff Kelley, founder, Sanuk

Saturday mornings I’d take the train to Winter Park ski resort near Golden, CO. My parents would drop me off with a bunch of other kids and say, ‘Now make sure you catch the last train home…’

–Tony Post, CEO, Vibram USA

I’m a Brooklyn boy, so I grew up playing stickball and going to Dimola’s for egg creams.

If you don’t know what stickball is you ain’t from Brooklyn, and if you don’t know what an egg cream is “fuggedaboutit.” –David Kahan, SVP, Rockport

George Carlin.

–Jim Van Dine, president, Keen Richard Branson.

He has a fresh angle.

–Bill LaRossa, president, Primigi USA

Warren Buffet.

He has incredible vision. –Charles Liberge, president, Klas Shoes Bill Gates. He’s a pretty awesome businessman, right? –Vince Camuto, CEO, Camuto Group

42 footwearplusmagazine.com • april/may 2010

In my hometown of Manhattan Beach, CA, I loved attending the Hometown Fair and Holiday Cheer fireworks with my family. –Michael Greenberg, president, Skechers

Y

I grew up in the center of Rochester, NY, in an Italian and Jewish neighborhood where I thought everyone was related. I felt like I always walked among friends. –Bob Infantino, CEO, Clarks Companies

I’ll never forget the freedom I had as a 10-year-old growing up in Des Moines, IA, where I could hop on my bike and be gone for 8 hours and nobody would think a thing about it.

–Timothy O’Donovan, CEO, Wolverine World Wide

My dad. He ran the company from 1974 to the late ’90s.

–Danny Schwartz, president, Schwartz & Benjamin

My father. His childhood was something out of a Dickens tale.

Orphaned at 3 and later crippled by diphtheria, he learned to walk again, fled his foster home and took night classes to earn an engineering degree.

Eventually, he became head of engineering for a hospital chain. He told me he loved me every day, which is pretty good for someone who had no role models.

–Jim Van Dine, president, Keen

Bruce Springsteen.

I’m in awe of how he continues to remain relevant as an artist.

–Larry Schwartz, CEO, Aetrex

Joe Theismann.

I think I’m the only Washington Redskins fan in the state of Texas.

–Fred King, marketing director, Lucchese

Albert Einstein His quote “Imagination is more important than intelligence” probably defines me best.

–Jeff Kelley, founder, Sanuk

Ronald Reagan.

I admired his principles.

–Robert Campbell, CEO, BBC Intl.

I’m a history buff, so I admire Alexander the Great and Napoleon and modern leaders like presidents Truman and Eisenhower.

–Andrew Raggatt, CEO, Emu Australia

I was a garbage man. All day I would dump debris into the Minneapolis/St. Paul dump. –David Murphy, president, Red Wing Shoe Company

Working in my mother‘s sub shop, Ellen’s Italian Cuisine.

–Charles Liberge, president, Klas Shoes

A cutter of raw fiberglass. Worst job of my life.

–Greg Tunney, CEO, R.G. Barry Corp.

MY HEROES

Barrack Obama.

His message of hope is one that we need right now.

–Bob Infantino, CEO, Clarks Companies

Jane Goodall, anthropologist and my former boss, for her compassion and making the world a better place.

–Amanda Cabot, CEO, Dansko

Miles Davis.

–Adam Tucker, CEO, Me Too

I worked retail–in a ski shop.

–Tony Post, CEO, Vibram USA

Mowing lawns in my neighborhood.

–Rob Moehring, CEO, Washington Shoe Co. Lawn mower for a hotel in South Carolina. There were snakes in the trees that came out when I rode by.

–Fred King, marketing director, Lucchese

My paper route.

–Bill LaRossa, president, Primigi USA

I worked in a boutique shoe store on New York’s Fifth Avenue. My first job was basically listening to women’s complaints.

–Vince Camuto, CEO, Camuto Group

My paper route.

–Bob Infantino, CEO, Clarks Companies

I worked for my father at a domestic shoe company.

–Sam Edelman

MY FIRST JOB

Sir Winston Churchill, for his slogan to never, ever give up.

–Rob Moehring, CEO, Washington Shoe Co. Sir Winston Churchill.

–Edward Kanner, CEO, Kanner Corp.

The Boston Red Sox. –Michael Greenberg, president, Skechers

As a Montreal native, it’s former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. He was an intelligent person who didn’t suffer fools and had a vision for a unified Canada. –Jacques Lavertue, general manager, Merrell

Dishwasher at a restaurant called La Bamba. –Adam Tucker, CEO, Me Too

Sweeping the floors of my father‘s plastics factory. I made $1 a day. –Stephen Lax, CEO, Naot

A chicken washer and a delivery boy for Chicken Delight.

The initiation for new employees was getting tossed into the washing tank.

–Larry Tarica, president, Jimlar

A referee for a youth basketball league. You can’t make anybody happy being a ref.

–Larry Schwartz, CEO, Aetrex

I was 9 and worked on a bakery truck in Pittsburgh, PA. –Robert Campbell, CEO, BBC Intl.

A Macy’s sales associate working 14 hours a week.

Hard to believe I was working at Macy’s 14 hours a day a few years later. –David Kahan, SVP, Rockport

At age 15, I became one of the first Birkenstock reps in Canada. My father owned the license.

–Edward Kanner, CEO, Kanner Corp.

april/may 2010 • footwearplusmagazine.com 43

’90s-ERA GRIT IS BACK IN ROTATION FOR FALL ’10.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GLYNIS SELINA ARBAN

Dr. Martens VELCRO-STRAP BOOT YIGAL AZROUﾃ記 TOP; DARYL K VEST; WORTH & WORTH WEAR HAT

45

WORTH & WORTH WEAR JACKET AND PANTS

DIESEL MILITARY BOOT WITH COVERED STUDS

46

Styling by Edda Gudmun; hair by Ava Shen; makeup by Lisa Aharon. Fashion editor: Leslie Shiers

SAM EDELMAN

CREPE HEELS

VPL DRESS AND LINGERIE; DUCT TAPE TIARA BY ICELANDIC LOVE CORP./JONI

47

W H AT G O E S A R O U N D C O M E S A R O U N D S H I RT

B O OT S

48

BERNARDO SHEARLING-LINED BOOTIES Pleasure Principle dress; Looks of London stockings

49

ALEXANDER WA N G S H O R T S

Restricted

G R A N N Y B O OTS

50

daniblack

WEDGE BOOTIES PLE ASURE PRINCIPLE DRESS ; KRIA JEWELRY ; TRASH & VAUDEVILLE BELT

51

DUCKIE BROWN BY FLORSHEIM SUEDE BROGUES. WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND TEE; WORTH & WORTH WEAR VEST; PLEASURE PRINCIPLE PLAID SHIRT; YIGAL AZROUﾃ記 JEANS

52

N

A

L I C TI O FF

PLE ASURE PRINCIPLE DENIM; HAIR-TRIMMED HOODIE BY SHOPLIF TER; AMERICAN APPAREL TEE

53

Shoe Salon From top: Charles Jourdan pump; Sorel snow boot; J75 by Jump oxford.

Designer Chat: Abel Muñoz

54 footwearplusmagazine.com • april/may 2010

Clockwise from top left: Chocolate Blu ballet flat with bow; engineer boot by Franco Sarto; Marc Joseph New York pump; Contessa by Italian Shoemakers mule; cut-out bootie by Sergio Zelcer; hidden platform pump by Schutz.

E D I T O R’ S P I C K S

Sting Operation

Stingray skins glide into Fall ’10 styles.

bring the shape of the female body into play.”

plicated. It’s one of the best lines I’ve seen.

Who is your customer? Anyone who understands the investment in good design, quality and Old World craftsmanship.

Describe a shoe we’d never see in your line.

Something with a lot of gimmicks based on trends. When designers go crazy, it won’t sell.

I try to stay classic.

What shoes could you not live without?

Five-inch heels. They turn people on. When women try my shoes on, I look at their facial expressions, and everything changes when they get that second shoe on and stand up.

What would people be surprised to know about you? Despite being a designer, I am a very simple person. The older that I get, the more I love simplicity.

What other brands do you admire? When studying in Milan I fell in love with Bally’s original designs. They’re exquisite and com-

What is your motto? Keep yourself grounded. The minute people start thinking they’re too great, they’re in trouble. —Melissa Knific

EDITOR’S PICKS PHOTOGRAPHY BY NEAL BRISTON

ABEL MUÑOZ, WHO hails from Latin America, learned his craft from an Italian modallista, and has designed shoes in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia, says he believes women around the globe want alluring footwear. “A high heel is very sexy,” he notes, explaining that skyhigh versions will always be part of his eponymous footwear line. “In Costa Rica, mothers are running around with their children in their heels.”

The designer got his start in fashion as an art director for Canada’s FQ Magazine. That opportunity led to the chance to study at the Arpel Institute of Shoe and Accessory Design in Milan, where he ended up pursuing “the most complicated category.” But Muñoz (who says he’s always had a passion for shoes and confesses his own closet is filled with custom-made styles) was up for the challenge, and in 2008 debuted his women’s collection with a soft launch. “In the last few years, the industry has gained more recognition, and I thought that [it] was a good time to give it a try,” he notes. After slow expansion each season, the Abel Muñoz collection includes approximately a dozen styles for Fall ’10.

Muñoz maintains that his line, which is designed in Toronto and crafted in Italy, offers a modern take on classic silhouettes that reflect the artisanal work of shoe designers of the ’30s and ’40s. While the collection is concise, he offers a wide range of options retailing between $500 and $1,200. Highlights including a grayish-pink suede stiletto with oversize tassels, a sienna lace-up ankle bootie with a contrasting bordeaux stripe and an olive peep-toe bootie with black stripes. “I’m very Old World, but I’m always trying to take the elegant silhouettes and make them sexier,” Muñoz explains. “I always try to

June 8-10, 2010 Tuesday – Thursday Hilton New York Hotel and FFANY Member Showrooms

Join us for our 30th Anniversary Party on Tuesday, June 8th Celebrate 30 years of FFANY with us and recognize Two Ten’s Annual Giving supporters.

Save the dates August 3-5 / December 1-3 Check out our new website at www.ffany.org

FASHION FOOTWEAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK 212.751.6422 (EXHIBITORS X15 OR X16, INFO X10) INFO@FFANY.ORG

Show Stoppers

Dolcenera

Jette

German Translation

CUFFS

Melvin & Hamilton

Nicolla Mezzi

WHETHER SHORT, TALL, covered in fur or studded out, boots ruled at the March edition of GDS in Düsseldorf, Germany. Some designers flirted with over-the-knee versions while others stuck to safer bets, such as calf and ankle heights. Interpretations of the desert boot silhouette appeared in various colors, from minty green to vibrant red. An Americana influence shined through with logger-inspired styles for both men and women. Also crossing genders, the biker theme maintained its pole position of the last few seasons, complete with studs, buckles and motocross-inspired stitching. And perhaps masking gloomy economic times, the presence of fur made a luxurious statement. —Melissa Knific

Stuart Weitzman

Tamaris

Timezone

Pointer

Ash Emma Lou Tiggers

DESERT BOOTS Arche

Blonde Ambition Daniel Hechter

MOTO 56

HTC

Peter Kaiser

Opening Ceremony

Casta単er

Emma Lou

B Store Eject

Roberto Rinaldi

Jette

Ilse Jacobsen

TASSELS

Chibs

Opening Ceremony

Joop

HIKER

Steven by Steve Madden

Snipe

Mario Valentino

Bearpaw

Malibu Cowboy Scholl

Tentazione Strenesse

Sorel Tentoes

Gabrielle Barth

OVER-THE-KNEE

Sam Edelman

FUR Cinque Via Uno

Special Report • continued from page 16

haves,” notes Fabiana Rigamonti, co-designer of Daniblack.

There is no question that celebrities drive many of today’s footwear trends, and many designers suggest consumers are making riskier footwear choices to mimic their famed style icons. Even Cesare Casadei finds actress Sharon Stone’s “endless legs and charm” inspiring. Yet Michael Petry, design director of Frye (a brand spotted on actress and media darling Jennifer Aniston), believes the growth of tabloid magazines and celebrity websites has had a bigger impact than any single celeb. Kenny Robinson of Penny Loves Kenny calls MTV the “ultimate celebrity” for the network’s impressionable consumers, who look to their favorite singers for style advice. “We are living in an era of extreme exposure to these individuals, and they will remain trendsetters for the foreseeable future,” Kenigsberg notes.

Designer Chie Mihara says she’s more interested in hearing what a 20year-old fashion lover has to say about “cool” style than fashion-world big shots. “It’s amazing how quickly the youth understand fashion, trends and cycles,” Campbell agrees. Case in point: Tavi Gevinson, a.k.a Style Rookie, the 13-year-old blogosphere wunderkind, who cropped up at the last run of New York and Paris Fashion Week shows, charming designers (and blocking Italian editors’ second-row views with her eclectic taste in headpieces). Along with inciting the Great Blogger vs. Fashion Editor debate, Campbell says bloggers like Tavi are spiking the need for innovative

design—and changing the rapid pace and way consumers learn about trends. “Bloggers are going to turn conventional institutions inside out,” he says.

Melissa Shoes creative director Edson Matsuo coins it the “dictator trend.” With the web fostering a network of fashion ingénues, Pruess says groups of decision makers (a.k.a. fashion editors) who “dictate what’s cool and what’s not” are becoming less relevant. He sees the Internet as the great equalizer. “Social media sites like Facebook are virtual focus groups for designers and the web is the platform for The concept of an ideal emerging creative talent which may have shoe continues to evolve, been lost 20 years ago,” he explains. “Kids but over the years designunable to get to the big cities or to design ers have given Footwear schools are able to show their work to the Plus insight into their world and access new ideas.” own personal definition.

Still, designers note the Internet has instigated new problems. Colin Lin of All “There’s a perfect shoe for a Black believes the web makes it easier for perfect look, but not necessarstyles to be copied, and Lawenda says it ily one perfect shoe.” —Gordon takes as few as three designers to create Thompson III, creative director, a trend now—only for it to “die an instant Cole Haan (Nov./Dec. 2001) death in the press.” But despite oversatu“[For me, the perfect shoe is] rating the market with trends and curban anti-gravity shoe that does ing designers’ originality, Lawenda credyour taxes... But I haven’t been its the Internet for adding momentum to able to figure that one out yet.” the design process and getting products —Grant Delgatty, designer, within the reach of more people than ever Vans (July 2002) before. Ann Duttrich, creative director of “I’d say very high-heel, red Dansko, says the speed of communicapatent leather Mary Janes. But tion and information technology has ulif I were satisfied with just one timately changed the footwear industry pair of perfect shoes, I wouldn’t for the better. “In the 1980s and even into have an excuse to buy or design the ’90s, we worked by fax and sent packany more.” —Lulu Guinness ages back and forth to Asia, losing days (Aug. 2002) and weeks in the design and development “It’s something that crosses process,” Duttrich explains. The onset of generations and not only e-mail (and more recently, Skype) has reappeals to a 15-year-old but duced Dansko’s process by months. a 50-year-old as well. It gets As for the next 20 years, Elizabeth people to take a chance and Olsen of Olsenhaus says the industry escape normality.” —Dan needs to tame the monster it’s created.

Sullivan, designer, Irregular Choice (Nov./Dec. 2003) “Mass production and cheap labor costs have consumers brainwashed into buy“It follows the line of the leg and ing cheap and disposable shoes,” she exis high enough to look sexy but plains. Consumers are already changing comfortable enough to dance (how many times have we heard “quality the night away.” —Holly Dunlop, over quantity” since the start of this recesdesigner, Hollywould (Dec. 2004) sion?) and designers say the revived inter“It’s the shoe that does everyest in classic styles shows no sign of abatthing for the woman who buys it. ing. Even Muller confesses she lives in her The woman comes first.”

Converse All-Stars. As Moore notes, the —Stuart Weitzman (Dec. 2004) days of consumers being fooled by faux technology are long gone. Rather, “We are “I haven’t found it yet. I’ve bought many shoes that I can’t moving past the point of contrived design walk more than a block in.” and are getting back to what is real.” •

Seeking Perfection

—Betsey Johnson (Feb. 2007)

“We continue to expand our selection of casual comfort footwear (at OR)… We are already selling customer lifestyle clothing and so now we want to sell lifestyle shoes.”

–Scott Brown, owner of The Base Camp, MT

FOOTWEAR RETAILERS G E T R E A DY F O R O U T D O O R R E TA I L E R S U M M E R M A R K E T 2 0 1 0 • Join the 20,000+ professional participants and experience the latest technology in footwear style and function, modern merchandising, tech applications, and more.

• Over 200 Footwear brands occupy the show floor with prominent performance brands such as Brooks, Saucony, K-Swiss and New Balance.

TRADESHOW • AUGUST 3-6, 2010 Salt Palace Convention Center • Salt Lake City, UT OPEN AIR DEMO • AUGUST 2, 2010 Jordanelle Reservoir • Heber City, UT

Check out exhibitor list at WWW.OUTDOORRETAILER.COM

IN THE DETAILS

Heavy Metal Silver and gold studs and beads put an extra glint on boots and booties of all shapes.

60

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NEAL BRISTON

From top: House of Harlow moccasin; Sendra motorcycle boot; laceless ankle boot by Sam Edelman; Joe’s Jeans studded bootie.

Q&A • continued from page 20

no-points program before anyone else. I took out ads and the sales just went crazy. Then I realized I was working nonstop and got recruited into banking, where I quickly realized I was again working nonstop—just for someone else. While I wasn’t looking to do anything new, this idea got into my head about fi nding an easier way to sell shoes online. That was the brainchild of ShoeBuy. I recently spoke with a retailer who said online megasites like yours are wiping out brick-andmortar independents—that customers go in for a fitting and then leave to buy it cheaper online.

What is your response to that? I 100-percent believe that anything that gets people excited about buying shoes bodes amazingly well for both brickand-mortar and Internet retailers. When we started ShoeBuy, it was a very mature $40 billion U.S. footwear market and people said it kind of ‘is what it is.’

Now it’s closer to a $45 to $50 billion market, and that growth is despite these hard times. I believe the Internet has excited the customer and it is ultimately turning the dial for all players.

When ShoeBuy gets 8 million visitors clicking on products [it sees approximately 3,000 queries per minute throughout the day], some are doing research and then going to a store to buy that product. The fact is people do like to shop—and in a lot of different ways. And they like to have choices and want to do what is best for them. So the key is to continue to differentiate and innovate and raise the bar on the consumer experience. In contrast, a lot of retailers spend so much time trying to get people into the store and less time focused on those people who are already there. What we are finding is that customers have a lot of choices, purse strings are tighter, and they are going to reserve their money for those brands and retailers they know and trust.

Our last holiday season was our tenth consecutive of double-digit sales growth, and I think a big part of that comes from our repeat business, which has gone from 17.9 percent of our revenue nine years ago to 65 percent today. If you are differentiating and innovating, customers will reward you. But if you are cutting customer services or are ignoring them in an effort to reach new customers, then I think you are going to have a much more difficult time.

From a shoe perspective, are you still in the early stages of growth? Yes. As long as we continue to fi nd new ways to excite the customer, there are still plenty of great years ahead. I think the Internet and the technology surrounding it is still fairly new and we will continue to figure out ways to make the shopping experience more exciting.

Who is the typical ShoeBuy customer? We are about a 60-40 split between women and men. Clearly, men like to shop for shoes, too.

So there’s a bit of Carrie Bradshaw even in male consumers? We make it extremely convenient for the male buyer who wants to come in quickly, find what he’s looking

for, and have a very seamless shopping experience. But there are definitely men out there who like to shop and explore. We also see a lot more family buying, which is part of this evolution. In the last few years, we have families literally standing over each other on the computer and shopping together. That is probably a function of >

www.ASRbiz.com

AUGUST 13-15, 2010 • SAN DIEGO CA

The most comprehensive business to business marketplace for surf, skate, swim, moto, music, art and youth culture lifestyle brands in the Western Hemisphere.

ASR Marketplace is the platform for Retailers from around the world to do business with over 500 authentic action sports brands.

Register today: www.ASRbiz.com Interested in exhibiting? Contact dan.moylan@nielsen.com

w h at ’s s e l l i n g

fashion retailers 20 YEARS OF...

Fred Segal Feet

Lori’s Shoes

Barneys New York

As the West Coast authority on what’s hot, Fred Segal’s unique brand of retail has attracted Hollywood’s A-listers, trendsetting stylists and fashion-conscious civilians since 1958.

Unlike many L.A. spots that tempt celebs with goodies, owners Stanley and Patti Silver say Hollywood’s stars seek out their boutique for eclectic, exciting shoes and accessories. A cool vibe makes this Melrose Avenue institution a fun place to shop, but its success lies in a mix of low- and high-end brands, styles and colors often overlooked by competitors, and fun services, including artists who customize kicks with artwork and crystals.

After college, Lori Andre decided to turn her passion for shoes into a business. Twenty-six years and six locations later, thanks to buyers with an editorial eye, Lori’s Shoes is still updating Chicagoans’ footwear wardrobes each season. Merchandising manager Corree Hamilton says today’s consumers are choosier—and wiser—than ever. She has noticed regulars researching online before making purchases in-store, which is why Lori’s staff keeps the store’s site updated with Shoe of the Week and blog posts. “The Internet has changed retail dramatically, but it complements our brick-and-mortars,” Hamilton reports.

In a city filled with big personalities, Barneys delivers a carefully curated footwear selection with an exceptional style for each character.

“People have always sought individuality through their footwear choices,” explains Lisa Park, DMM of women’s shoes. Stylish, eccentric and sharp-witted, the luxury department store has been a Madison Avenue hotspot since 1993. Over Barney’s 87-year history, its buyers have watched consumers and designers become more daring. As more fashion designers delve into shoe design, Park notes, “There is more diversity, eccentricity, color and emotion than ever before.”

Current top styles: Mesh ring platform pumps

by Christian Louboutin; Gucci’s Pierce sneaker for men.

Current top styles: Dolce Vita’s double-buckle Uma espadrille wedges; Jeffrey Campbell’s wood-heel Charlie clogs.

Current popular colors: Yellow, silver and black for women; black for men.

Current popular colors: Nude; yellow and turquoise as accents.

Current top styles: Givenchy’s woven leather sandals with front-zipper closures, Ann Demeulemeester’s multi-strap buckle sandals and platform wedges from Celine.

Projected best-selling brands for 2010: Christian Louboutin, Pierre Hardy, Valentino, YSL and Giuseppe Zanotti for women; Prada, Gucci, Cesare Paciotti and Dsquared for men.

Projected best-selling brand for 2010: Jeffrey Campbell sells great because he works so close to season and designs for the right trends.

Los Angeles, CA

Chicago, IL

New York, NY

Current popular colors: Browns, khaki, black and leopard print.

What about the 2000s? Gladiator sandals, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

What are some memorable best-selling shoes from the last two decades?

Lanvin ballet flats, peep-toe platform slingbacks from Christian Louboutin, Fiorentini & Baker’s three-buckle flat boot, western ankle boots by Henry Cuir, and Manolo Blahnik’s rhinestone-buckle d’Orsay heels.

What trends will never fade? Women’s 3-inch heels; men’s sneakers and boots.

What trends will never fade? Basic pumps and classic riding boots are everlasting.

What trends will never fade? Ballet flats and boots.

Which designers have had the biggest impact on sales in the last two decades? Christian Louboutin, Prada, Stephane Kelian, Nike, Prada and Converse.

What trends from the last 20 years do you hope to never see again? Western styles.

What were the biggest shoe trends of the 1990s? Chunky heels, loafers oxfords and platform wedges.

What were the biggest shoe trends of the last two decades? For women, Andrea Pfister’s Circus collection, Stephane Kelian’s weave and Christian Louboutin’s heels. For men, Zodiac’s Beta style and Nike’s Dunk Splatter.

What do you hope to see in future collections?

The same quality but more realistic pricing.

62 footwearplusmagazine.com • april/may 2010

What was the biggest shoe trend of the ’90s?

Heavy, chunky bottoms, which is funny, because this season is full of wedges and lug soles.

What do you hope to see in future collections? More transitional shoes. The market is oversaturated with boots and sandals but offers nothing for the in-between months.

What about the 2000s? Sneakers, ballet flats, gladiator sandals and over-the-knee boots. —Angela Velasquez

engaging the child more in the purchasing process, which increases the probability that they will actually wear the shoes. It’s a function of consumers being smarter about what they are spending. But it’s also the fact that there are more computers with high-speed access in the home. We used to see more shopping at work, and now that’s evened out.

We are also seeing an increase in the amount of older people purchasing. The habit is continuing to become more common across a range of demographics.

What might ShoeBuy look like in ďŹ ve years?

I believe we will be the same company—just a lot bigger. It continues to feed on itself, and that gets you more excited and invigorated to stick with the original plan. That’s why we added more than 100 brands during the past holidays and we continue to raise the bar on the consumer experience—like rolling out 30,000 videos regarding certain products, introducing enhanced images, and adding alternative payment methods and personalized product recommendations.

It all centers back to our customer-centric focus of a tremendous selection in an extremely convenient manner. The bonus of this approach: By not being distracted, we have been able to reinvest in the programs that created that success. And as people were laying off employees, we were hiring, and when others were reducing inventory, we were adding.

Is ShoeBuy recession-proof? We are a quiet company and we become more in vogue whenever the economy is doing badly. We get a lot of

attention then because we continue to do well.

During good times, people think we’re boring and anal. We aren’t running Super Bowl ads or doing other crazy stuff. We are just hyperfocused on investing back into our consumer experience. The result is a business that has done extremely well whether the economy is good or bad.

Have you come up with the golden mousetrap or is it just plain common sense? To me, it’s common sense. Lots of people want to launch a business and do everything right away, but if you look at a lot of great businesses, they weren’t built in two seconds. If you can be patient and focus on the customer and build the business the right way, you end up being able to do a lot of those other things anyway.

You get to those 8 million visitors and you’re able to launch other categories and sites. We saw a lot of crazy inated growth during the dot-com era and we saw crazy things three years ago and we will surely see them again, but we just continue to keep our heads down and stay focused. Sometimes we get criticized for not moving faster, but we want to grow in the right way so we don’t stumble or sacriďŹ ce the consumer along the way. We are not in a tremendous rush.

Are there advantages to not being the media darling of online shoe retail? We’ve always been a quiet company. We like who we are and don’t see a disadvantage to it at all.

If we can be a company that prides itself on continuing to have success for our employees, brands and customers in good times or bad,

then we are comfortable in our skin. But there are always going to be different people with different approaches. Like I mentioned, we don’t think anything that creates excitement around the category is a bad thing.

Is there room for everyone? This category is not under- or overcrowded right now. If you are able to differentiate, innovate and provide great service, you will ďŹ nd a place. And you really want someone like Zappos, for example, to be hyper-focused on providing a good consumer experience because at this stage a lot of people are still making their ďŹ rst online footwear purchase, and you don’t want them to have any apprehension or a bad experience because then no one is going to get a second chance. You want people to tell their friends, ‘If you haven’t tried this out, then you really should.’ That’s what puts wind in the sails of everyone who is selling shoes online.

If this idea hadn’t panned out, what do you think you’d be doing now? I get asked that question constantly—even my wife asks me that—and I haven’t thought of a good answer yet. But I don’t think about it too much. We sold ShoeBuy to InterActive Corporation four years ago and that caused people to ask the question more frequently, because a CEO as crazy-fanatical and committed as I am is rare once you sell. But I told my team then: As long as we are having fun and doing good things, we are not really going to think about ‘what next.’ If we come in one day and decide it’s not fun anymore, or we stop coming up with new ideas, then I’ll pay more attention to that question. •

‹” —�‹– ‹� –Š‡ Š‡‡Ž ’”‘˜‹†‡• ‡š–”ƒ‘”†‹�ƒ”› …—•Š‹‘�‹�‰

WLQJ 'LVN LYR 3

ž

Ž‹’ ”‡•‹•–ƒ�– ”—„„‡” ‘—–•‘Ž‡

‹‰Š–™‡‹‰Š–ř •Š‘…Â?ĹžÂƒÂ„Â•Â‘Â”Â„Â‹Â?‰ř Â?‹†•‘Ž‡

ƒ–‡�–‡† ‘–ƒ•‘Ž‡ †‹•� ƒŽŽ‘™• –Š‡ •Š‘‡ –‘ ˆ‘ŽŽ‘™ –Š‡ �ƒ–—”ƒŽ �‘–‹‘� ‘ˆ –Š‡ Ž‘™‡” „‘†›

&RQJUDWXODWLRQV )RRWZHDU 3OXV RQ \RXU WK $QQLYHUVDU\

’‹˜‘–ƒŽ ”‡˜‘Ž—–‹‘Â?Ĺœ Â‹Â–Â‡Â”ÂƒÂŽÂŽÂ›Ĺœ Â‘Â–ÂƒÂ•Â‘ÂŽÂ‡Ĺ¨Â• „”‡ƒÂ?–Š”‘—‰Šř ’‹˜‘–‹Â?‰Ş†‹•Â? –‡…ŠÂ?‘Ž‘‰› Š‡Ž’• ”‡†—…‡ ‹Â?’ƒ…– •–”‡•• ‘Â? Â?Â?‡‡•ř ƒÂ?Â?Ž‡• ƒÂ?† Š‹’• ™Š‹Ž‡ ‹Â?’”‘˜‹Â?‰ ’‡”ˆ‘”Â?ƒÂ?Â…Â‡Ĺœ š…‹–‹Â?‰ř Â?‡™ ƒ†˜ƒÂ?…‡Â?‡Â?– ‹Â? –Š‡ ˆ‘‘–™‡ƒ” ‹Â?†—•–”›Šʍ

ZZZ ./$6VKRHV FRP

made you look 20/20 for 2030

å

20 YEARS OF...

Chie Mihara

John Fluevog

Sendra

Mea Shadow

Pretty Ballerinas Jean-Michel Cazabat

Intelligent Design

Forecasting the future of fashion footwear.

WHILE THIS MONTH’S grunge fashion feature took us back two decades, Footwear Plus asked designers to turn to the future and imagine their collections 20 years from now. Our guess is the recent iPad mania steered several to envision a techno-centric world where solar panels, USB ports and scrolling text screens will be commonplace even on shoes.

Some armored up to provide beauty in the face of a feared dystopia. (Jean-Michel Cazabat reports drawStuart Weitzman

ing inspiration from the sci-fi thriller “Mad Max.”) Even the most surreal projections offer hints of solid design direction: Expect the future to hold more anatomical structures, sustainable components and unconventional materials not so far off from Hollywood’s futuristic visions. On the other hand, maybe the future won’t look so different from today. Chie Mihara, for one, is confident that even in 2030, basic pumps will sell. —Leslie Shiers

rialtoshoes.com

Sandalistas

TM

liberation of the sole!™

www.aetrex.com