Footwear Plus | October/November 2014

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO FLATS • LEATHER KICKS FOR GUYS • WHAT WORKS FOR MILLENNIALS • DEFINING COMFORT

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 • VOL. 24 • ISSUE 9 • $10

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

12 The New Flattitude From the boardroom to the runway, women are making a strong case that flats are the new height of shoe fashion. By Tara Anne Dalbow

14 Tech Bunch Larry Schwartz, CEO of Aetrex Worldwide, discusses how leading with technology is a win-win for all parties. By Greg Dutter

20 Millennials at Work As the workplace continues to change dramatically, Millennials require performance and style versatility when in their occupational footwear. By Samantha Sciarrotta

26 In the Zone Six brands zero in on their definitions of comfort for Spring ’15. By Lyndsay McGregor, Samantha Sciarrotta & Tara Anne Dalbow

34 Salvage Beauty An array of stylish short boots bridge the gap between winter and summer collections. By Tara Anne Dalbow

Photography by Trevett McCandliss; Fashion Editor: Tara Anne Dalbow; stylist: Sara Dunn; hair and makeup: Briana Mirzo; cover model: Allison at Major Model Management.

On the cover: Dansko sculpted wood sole boots with suede uppers. Poncho by BCBG Max Azria, Stella Dallas vintage puffer vest, American Apparel turtleneck, Levi’s sweat-er dress, Adrienne Vittadini socks.

This page: Speckled leather cut-out Chelsea boots by Matt Bernson, coat by H Fredriksson, American Apparel zip-up hoodie, turtleneck by Demy Lee, Adrienne Vittadini socks.

6 Editor’s Note

8 This Just In

10 Scene & Heard

30 What’s Selling

32 Trend Spotting

44 Shoe Salon

46 E-beat

48 Last Word

O C TO B E R / N OV E M B E R 2 0 1 4

PA G E

34

Caroline Diaco Publisher

Greg Dutter Editorial Director

Nancy Campbell Trevett McCandliss Creative Directors

EDITORIAL Lyndsay McGregor Senior Editor Social Media Editor

Tara Anne Dalbow Fashion Editor

Samantha Sciarrotta Assistant Editor

Kathy Passero Editor at Large

Melodie Jeng Contributing Photographer

Judy Leand Contributing Editor

ADVERTISING/ PRODUCTION Jennifer Craig Associate Publisher

Capri Crescio Advertising Manager

Tim Jones Deputy Art Director Production Manager

Allison Kastner Operations Manager

Bruce Sprague Circulation Director

Joel Shupp Circulation Manager

Mike Hoff Digital Director

OFFICES Advertising/Editorial 36 Cooper Square, 4th fl. New York, NY 10003 Tel: (646) 278-1550 Fax: (646) 278-1553 editorialrequests@ 9Threads.com

Circulation 26202 Detroit Road, #300 Westlake, OH 44145 Tel: (440) 871-1300 [email protected]

Corporate 9Threads 26202 Detroit Road, #300 Westlake, OH 44145 Tel: (440) 871-1300

Xen Zapis Chairman

Lee Zapis President

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Debbie Grim Controller

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eccousa.com

ECCO CONGRATULATES TWO TEN ON 75 PROUD YEARS OF SHOEPEOPLE HELPING SHOEPEOPLE

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6 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2014

E D I T O R ’ S N O T E

The Big Picture

E D I T O R ’ S N O T E

WE COULD TAKE the easy way out each issue and photograph shoes in a studio near our New York offices. It would be convenient, comfortable and provide a controlled environment where we could further simplify the process by shooting against a white seamless backdrop. That would reduce man hours and cut costs—no models, hair and makeup person, stylist, props, transportation fees and fewer

mouths to feed at lunch. Such an approach would have been a logisti-cal breeze compared to the extensive planning and enormous effort involved in this month’s fashion story, “Salvage Beauty” (p. 34). Our effort to portray transitional spring booties involved 100-mile commutes, bloodthirsty mosquitos and 12-hour work days.

Taking the path of least resistance is just not how we roll. Fully show-casing a trend requires a much greater investment of time, money and talent. It also takes blood (those mosquitos, for instance), sweat and, on occasion, tears. We are willing to suffer for our art, and for this par-ticular shoot that meant schlepping our crew of 10 in two jam-packed SUVs more than two hours to the tiny hamlet of Barnegat, NJ, on the edge of the desolate Pine Barrens. Our specific location was Recycling the Past, a sprawling salvage yard that plays home to an eclectic mix of old doors, tubs, sinks, wrought iron gates, building columns, signs, glass bits, windows, a gondola, a submarine hatch, airplane parts, cast iron radiators, bowling pins and many, many other peculiar reclaimed odds and ends. Mixed in are pieces of folk art, including scrap metal pigs with wings, rooster lawn ornaments, chandeliers adorned with

wine bottles in place of light bulbs and a giant rusty great white shark cut out of sheet metal.

It’s a location scout’s dream. One minute you are standing in front of what looks like an ancient Greek ruin; a few turns through overgrown reeds, and you’re beneath an ornate trellis with limestone benches befitting an English garden. The location sure beats a white seam-less backdrop when it comes to elevating shoe fashion beyond a basic catalog aesthetic. Our job is not only to showcase the latest trends, but also to inform and provide direction. We aim to inspire readers when-ever possible. Locations, props, lighting, styling and models can spark ideas—even if the shoot’s theme doesn’t apply directly to your business. Salvaged windows, for example, could make an inviting window dis-play. And stylist Sara Dunn’s layered looks pull our transitional season booties story together beautifully. If the past two late-arriving springs have taught us anything, it’s that the weather doesn’t always mirror the calendar. On-trend looks like layers with booties are worth taking into account as you complete your spring buying plans.

Beyond such tangible benefits, I hope you simply enjoy the artistic beauty in our fashion pages. When the light is perfect, the model’s pose just so, the clothing and shoes spot-on and the location ideal, all the hard work involved in capturing the moment becomes worthwhile. Each photograph represents a new page in a story we’ve been unfolding for nearly 25 years. Depicting what’s next is always a thrill.

SHOOT TO THRILLAlways going the extra visual mile to inform as well as inspire.

Greg Dutter Editorial Director

Behind the scenes: Our creative team in action at Recycling the Past, an architectural salvage yard in Barnegat, NJ.

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T H I S J U S T I N

Rich leathers and shiny metallics render these ’90s throwbacks too cool for school. Photography by Melodie Jeng

GOT YER BACK!


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scene & heard

CRAVING A PEEK into some of history’s most gravity-defying, awe-inspiring shoes? Look no further than the Brooklyn Museum’s “Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe” exhibition, on display through Feb. 15, 2015. Curator Lisa Small says the exhibit is intended to highlight the cultural and historical significance of the high heel. Thus, she wasn’t limited to stilettos. “My idea was to select a range of sculptural, playful, dramatic and innovative designs from roughly within the last 10 years, with most being from the past year or so—a challenging task, given that there are so many designers and so many striking styles each season,” she states, though a handful of older shoes are included. “Fashion is a material culture,” she adds. “It reveals quite a bit about the personal, social and cultural concerns of the era it comes from.”

Laid out in six separate sections—Revival and

Reinterpretation, Rising in the East, Glamour and Fetish, Architecture, Metamorphosis and Space Walk—the 160-shoe exhibit takes attendees through the gamut of shoe eras and themes, from mid-17th century Italian silk, leather and wood chopines and Marilyn Monroe’s 1959 Ferragamo stilettos to an 8-inch leather platform bootie designed by United Nude for Lady Gaga and the Printz shoe from Christian Louboutin’s recent col-lection. The 3-D printed heel by Iris van Herpen is on display, as well as Roger Vivier’s 1960 silk, metal and glass stiletto mules, but the piece that stands out the most for Small is Elsa Schiaparelli’s Shoe Hat, a hat in the shape of a black pump, created in collaboration with Salvador Dalí.

Six short films by Ghada Amer and Reza Farkhondeh, Zach Gold, Steven Klein, Nick Knight, Marilyn Minter and Rashaad Newsome, have been commissioned specially for the exhibit. After this run, the exhibition will strut to the Albuquerque Museum in New Mexico, followed by California’s Palm Springs Art Museum and the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH.

MOST WOMEN TAKE the abil-ity to wear varying heel heights for granted. Their legs can adjust and they are able to walk. But that’s not been the case for those with lower limb amputations whose prosthetics are usually fixed to the given heel height of the shoe worn during align-ment in a medical clinic—until now. Thanks to an updated version of the Shape & Roll prosthetic foot, these women (and men) can now sport a variety of heel heights.

The brainchild of Dr. Andrew Hansen of the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Healthcare System, Dr. Margrit Meier of Norway’s Oslo and Askerhus University College of Applied Sciences and a group of researchers from Northwestern University, the new Shape & Roll prosthetic is a more natural-feeling foot that curves upward with each step. Meier says its unique sole follows the interior geometry of a high-heeled shoe, “thus reducing wear-and-tear on the shoe and increasing stability.” He adds, “Its rollover characteristics closely mimic the rollover of a natural foot and ankle, which should express itself in an overall increase in walking comfort.”

Early tests of the prosthetic on women in their 50s and 60s produced universally positive feedback, Meier reports. The next step is industrial production with a particular focus on serving the needs of veterans for employment reasons and cosmet-ics. The prosthetic is reportedly inexpensive to manufacture. “It’s very exciting to be able to create a product that responds to users’ needs,” Meier says.

New Heights

THEOUTNET.COM GAVE new and literal mean-ing to the term “shoe dog” during the recent London Fashion Week. The site enlisted the help of Sergio the Shoe Hunter, a miniature Dachshund equipped with a camera strapped to his collar—the perfect height for snapping pictures of shoes.

The bowtie-bedecked pooch gave fans an upclose look at some of the latest Spring ’15 trends. The pumps-spotting pup also made his way around the streets of London, darting to and from various runway shows and hitting the star-studded party circuit at night. Sergio’s findings, which took over The Outnet’s Instagram and Twitter accounts, ranged from heeled wellies to pointed-toe animal print pumps (naturally).

Sergio even got to rub heels with celebs like Alexa Chung and Poppy Delevingne. Rumor has it his instant celebrity shutterbug status hasn’t gone to his head—Sergio is reportedly still happy to work for biscuits and belly rubs.

Old Dog, New Tricks

Head Over Heels

Walter Steiger’s “Unicorn Tayss”

Chau Har Lee’s “Blade Heel”

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12

COMING OFF THE heels, or more accurately flats, of the recent spring fashion shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris, an astute observer would have noticed a distinct change in height—on and off the runways—of many of the women in attendance: Fashion’s elite seemed a few inches shorter. For years women teetered on high heels for fear of looking unpro-fessional or unfashionable. The law of physics, however, ring true in fash-ion: what goes up must come down.

Be it in boardrooms or at black tie affairs women are no longer don-ning sky-high heels in order to feel powerful or look pretty. In fact, forgo-ing heels for flats is now a sign of liberation from that painful stereotype. “Women are marching forward and you can’t march in high heels,” quips Jane Winkworth, designer for London Sole, which has seen a steady rise in flat shoe sales over the last year.

“We no longer want to be victims to fashion. We want to look good but we also want to be comfortable,” agrees Isa Tapia a member of the CFDA’s Fashion Incubator Class and designer of her namesake label. “This shift is the main reason I started my company,” she notes, adding every pair must be “walkable.” Tapia’s Spring ’15 collection includes a wide array of formal flats. There are animal-inspired prints and textures coupled with jewel and stud adornments to elevate sandals, while satin material in rich hues dis-guise pool slides and narrow toe boxes and scallop details transform bal-let flats.

Jennifer Mankins, owner and creative director of New York-based bou-tique Bird, believes that the growing popularity of flats is a direct response to the vertiginously skyward styles of the past decade. “We are seeing the reversal, people are looking for something fresh and new and finding it in the comfortable and practical, a.k.a. flats,” she says.

While it may be difficult to pinpoint the epicenter of the flats movement, the runway is a good place to start. Designers have been sending a del-uge of flats and low-heeled shoes down runways for the past four seasons. Christina Binkley, fashion columnist for The Wall Street Journal, points a finger directly at designer Phoebe Philo. “The footwear world changed the moment Philo put fur Birkenstocks on Céline’s runway,” she says. It has led to what Binkley dubs “orthopedic-chic.”

The recent spring shows saw flats prevalent on runways spanning from Victoria Beckham to Marc Jacobs. Beckham’s debut shoe collection fea-tured an array of pointed-toe leather oxfords adorned with roses and leop-ard prints alongside an offering of platform sandals. Meanwhile, oversized silhouettes at Marc

Jacobs funneled into pairs of crushed velvet slides reminiscent of classic Dr. Scholl’s. Even Karl Lagerfeld sent 90 models down his runway—feminist placards in hand—without a single high heel in sight during his presenta-tion for Chanel. And Lagerfeld got the ball rolling the previous season when he abandoned the heel for a clunky tennis shoe during Chanel’s haute cou-ture supermarket-themed show.

Quick to follow this cue have been the insiders that cover the fashion industry. Tucked under the front rows of New York’s hottest shows were fashion sneakers and laidback pool slides, belonging to the most influential editors, bloggers, stylists and buyers. “The fashion crowd were early adopt-ers, but it’s spread and now there is really no place that flats aren’t accept-able,” notes Binkley.

Fashionista Editor at Large Lauren Sherman gave up her heels for good last September. With 30 shows to attend and a twisted ankle, she slipped on a pair of flats and prepared to be a fashion pariah but, to her surprise, even at Dennis Basso, front-row socialites wore sandals, loafers and sneak-ers. “Flats have not only become acceptable, they’ve become fashionable,” says Sherman, who now opts for metallic Chloé flats and retro sneakers.

Angela Scott, creative director of her eponymous label, shares a similar sentiment. “Women are demanding shoes that can work for a full day and that are comfortable as well as chic,” she says. Her spring offerings include brogues, derbys, wedge oxfords and deconstructed desert boots. Scott says her two best-selling styles are oxfords—both with a mere one-inch heel. “More women are becoming entrepreneurs and successful business women. They are no longer just wives,” Scott says. “And they are finding that they can be powerful and chic in trousers and oxfords, not just dresses and pumps.”

Along such lines, a new guard of female designers who understand the burden of high heels are not only introducing more flats but also apparel looks that compliment the silhouette. Examples include Phoebe Philo’s wide leg trousers for Céline and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s ankle grazing midi skirts at The Row. In addition, the androgynous trend—the profusion of trousers and le smoking jackets—pairs with flats well, as does the luxury sportswear trend when paired with cork footbed sandals, pool slides and trainers. “Consumers have rewritten the uniform for daily dressing, mak-ing it far more acceptable to be casual and functional,” notes Kate Smith, trend analyst at Editd.

Specifically, Smith reports that 7,910 styles of flats sold out at wom-en’s wear retailers in a three-month period starting this July—mark-

ing a 440 percent increase compared to 2013. And according to the retail sales tracking firm The NPD Group, high heel

The New Flattitude From high-powered apparel CEOs and editors to runway

models and celebrities, women are making the case that flats are the new height of footwear fashion. By Tara Anne Dalbow

S P E C I A L R E P O R T

>45

Isa Tapia embellished sandal.

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SIMILARITIES FROM ONE footwear wholesaler to the next can be striking. Their modus operandi is to design, manufac-ture and market shoes. It’s pretty much rinse and repeat, sea-son after season. If you zero in on the comfort market, the range of silhouettes narrows even more dramatically. The cat-egory also lacks the stylistic distinctions that athletic logos and designer labels provide. Fit, comfort and quality are the key product attributes. But many comfort brands are equally capable in those areas—and with competitive pricing, it’s easy to see how consumers might have trouble distinguishing one brand from the next. It’s a short leap to think retailers might view the category the same way and believe wholesalers can be swapped out with no nega-tive consequences.

That’s why it’s imperative for comfort companies today to be much more than just purveyors of everyday loafers and cork footbed sandals. In an online shopping age where exclusivi-ty is nearly impossible, they must offer more than the basics. Even the most well intentioned and policed MAP pricing poli-cies can only go so far to protect against a price war if a brand or style is readily available. Retailers need meaningful points of differentiation

Enter, Aetrex Worldwide. Its three-pronged business model spans custom orthotics (Lynco), foot scanning technology (iStep) and footwear (Aetrex) divisions. Lynco presents a year-round add-on sales opportunity, regardless of what shoe brand the customer buys. And Aetrex’s custom foot scanning iStep experience helps generate sales storewide as customers learn which brands and specific constructions are best suited to their unique foot shapes. IStep also presents an exclusive in-store experience for retailers. Last but not least, the broad selec-tion of Aetrex shoes caters to the sweet spot of casual styles with proven comfort features. Just how many comfort compa-nies offer such a broad range of sales opportunities under one umbrella?

Aetrex’s uniqueness is evident at trade shows. Its booth is usually a hub of activity, where buyers can test the foot scan-ning devices while learning about the software’s numerous con-sumer-centric add-on features. Some go so far as to say that Aetrex is a technology company that also happens to make shoes. CEO Larry Schwartz doesn’t disagree. “The majority of

14

Tech BunchLarry Schwartz, CEO of Aetrex Worldwide, on how its custom orthotics,

foot scanning and footwear divisions offer meaningful points of differentiation in an increasingly homogenous comfort footwear landscape.

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our sales are footwear, but we don’t view ourselves as a traditional shoe company,” he explains. “We have a technology aspect that is unique in our industry and we are committed to continually finding new ways to utilize that strength and talent to help our customers.” Case in point: Aetrex’s recently launched mobile app generator, which is available for free to all iStep partners. The app can be custom built in each store’s image and designed to meet specific business needs. Consumers can shop the store online directly from the app, find the nearest physical loca-tion, receive coupons and promo-tions, and stay connected via social media. And thanks to Apple’s iBeacon technology, consumers can also receive personalized alerts when they are in the vicinity of that store. Other highlights include up to four rotating home pages and iStep con-sumers can retrieve past scans and learn about their feet.

Not many comfort footwear com-panies offer such technical capabili-ties to assist their retail partners. It’s difficult, expensive and time-con-suming. And the rewards are not necessarily immediate or even guar-anteed. Nevertheless, Schwartz sees the investment as well worth it. For starters, upgrading and adding fea-tures to its iStep software helps sell more Lynco insoles and Aetrex shoes. Beyond that, the technology allows brick-and-mortar retailers (in partic-ular Aetrex’s primary customer base of smaller independents) to compete against national chains and e-com-merce behemoths. “Offering ways to take advantage of the opportuni-ties technology presents for engag-ing consumers through omnichannel retailing instead of sitting back and getting passed by is well worth the effort,” Schwartz says, adding, “That’s part of how we see our role in the industry.”

It’s one of the reasons Aetrex’s lat-est trade advertising campaign asks retailers, “Are you the circle or the square?” Meaning, are you still doing business the old-fashioned way (think Brannock devices and advertising in the local Sunday circular), or are you embracing foot-scanning technologies like iStep and reaching out to consumers though its customizable app? Schwartz stresses that the campaign is not completely self-serving for Aetrex. He notes that iStep and its related software can bolster a retailer’s overall health. You can even argue the technologies provide a direct benefit to other brands sold in those locations. And a better-equipped retailer is more likely to remain in business.

While it’s tougher than ever for independents to survive, Schwartz believes embracing technology and homing in on a specific customer or product niche rather than trying to be all things to all people (like e-com-merce giants do), can provide a successful business formula. “It might

take a few years to build a technology platform, but the business is chang-ing fast and it’s not going to stop,” he says. “Retailers need to implement a strategy that makes these changes work to their advantage instead of tech-nology just being the enemy.”

The fact that Aetrex has experienced growth in 19 of the past 20 years (the only blip was the recession-induced 2009), gives credence to Schwartz’s business philosophy. The company’s approach has been consis-tent, innovative and relentless. As a third generation, privately owned fam-

ily entity, retailers have come to rely on Aetrex. There are no dramatic swings in sales from one year to the next, no desperate attempts to meet a quarterly number and, no lead-ership changes that might alter the direction of the company. Schwartz and his brothers—Evan, president, and Matt, executive vice president—are the day-to-day faces of Aetrex and have been with the company 23 years, 20 years and 10 years, respec-tively. None of them plan to quit their day jobs any time soon.

“My brothers and I are all relative-ly young and we are in no rush to leave the industry, so you’ll be see-ing us at these shoe shows for the foreseeable future,” he assures. In fact, Schwartz believes Aetrex is just getting started, particularly on the footwear side. In that sense, it’s like many other comfort wholesal-ers. But when packaged with its Lynco and iStep divisions Aetrex becomes much more. “Our technol-ogy aspects are how we came into the market and what makes us truly unique,” Schwartz explains. “And we are committed to building on all aspects of our business to contin-ually get better at what we do. It’s something that my brothers and I are relentless in pursuing.”

Are there times when you feel it might be a whole lot easier just to focus on making shoes?Actually, it can feel the opposite sometimes. While we love making and selling shoes, and it represents the majority of our sales, I think the proj-ects coming out of our technology side are really exciting and inspiring.

Like the just-launched mobile app. How’s the reception been to that latest technological endeavor? It helps that iStep has become such a proven winner. Our retailers are more receptive to updates to its software programs. In this particular case, most of our customers know that they need to get there with regards to mobile e-commerce, but they don’t understand it fully. We are upfront with everyone: This app isn’t something that is going to revolutionize your business overnight. But you have to dip your toe in the water with mobile e-commerce. We are tying to educate our customers that when, for exam-

O F F T H E C U F F

What are you reading? How Good Do You Want to Be? by Nick Saban. His focus on the process approach, which is mainly about getting everyone to hone in on their day-to-day responsibilities, is something we really believe in here.

A football strategy applies well to running a business? You can learn a lot of good business tools from football. We’ve also tied in themes from Ray Lewis, Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick.

What is your least favorite word? It’s a tie between Eagles and Cowboys.

What is inspiring you most right now? The speed at which technology is chang-ing and the fact that there’s so much development that’s decentralized makes for a really exciting time at Aetrex. We keep adding software pro-grammers in order to intro-duce new innovations.

What sound do you love? I never get tired of hearing my kids laugh.

Who would be your most coveted dinner guest? Bruce Springsteen. If it were anybody throughout history, then it’d be Abraham Lincoln.

What is your motto? Live in the present.

If God put you in charge, what would be your first decree? I would get rid of all the bad attitudes.

In high school what were you most likely to be? I didn’t win any superlatives, but I would have been in competition for friendliest.

What did you want to be when you grew up? I thought I would become either a his-tory teacher or go into busi-ness. The way my mind works, I’m better suited for business. History is more of a hobby, especially American history.

O&A

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FOP_Oct2014.indd 13 10/15/14 2:53 PM

ple, they upgrade or build a new website, they make it mobile e-commerce compatible. We also try to educate them about the marketing opportu-nities our software presents that can be so much more effective for their business than traditional methods. For example, our latest software pack-age features cloud marketing capabilities, e-mail capture and education on foot health. It doesn’t mean retailers will use all the features, but they’re there for the taking. Overall, we are trying to help our retail partners see further down the line. There are many factors [as to why] smaller retail-ers have gone out of business over the past few years, but I believe a big reason is being passed by technology-wise. It’s important—even if retailers are late in the game—to get active in this area.

What other factors have contributed to Aetrex’s success over the years?I think we’ve been in the right spot with a lot of good product, especial-ly when we focus on the comfort and health aspects. We continue to get better at making shoes each season and have improved on appealing to a younger consumer without sacrificing health and comfort benefits. The footwear we have made of late is particularly strong. There’s a wow factor that was missing in our earlier days. It’s been generating strong turns at retail. If you can do that, then you can do a lot of business.

Anything else?We have a lot of solid relationships with our retail partners, and I believe we’ve earned that friendship and support. I believe that, more than ever, retailers have to work with vendors they can trust and that are retailer-

friendly. It’s more important than ever for them to find brands that will help them grow and really partner with them long-term. As a private com-pany, we don’t feel pressure to meet a certain number every quarter, and we are in this for the long term. Our goal is to build a great brand, and we are committed to working with retailers—not against them.

Everybody echoes that sentiment. What’s the secret to really making it happen?It lies in the actions. Look at how a wholesaler opens stores, for example. We all need outlets to clear inventory, but it’s how you do it—where, how much and who you might partner with. Similarly, are you coming out with programs that are designed to truly benefit the retailer? There are some great wholesalers that are really retailer-friendly. New Balance, for exam-ple. It’s a a world-class brand that cares about the independent retailer, like we do. The proof is ultimately in a company’s actions and the way it conducts business.

What are some of those actions?Our Internet sales and MAP policy, overall, are very positive for retail-ers. Again, everyone needs a way to sell online, but it’s the way that you go about it that matters. For example, we don’t sell our primary products to e-commerce-only dealers. That’s another strong indicator. Plus, we work so hard on developing in-store technologies. We are constantly coming out with innovations that enhance the in-store experience. That’s something

“that we’ve done more than any other company.

O&A

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Has Aetrex reached a level of notoriety where consumers go into stores asking for the brand by name? Every year we chip away at that. Our research shows that it’s building. But we still have a long way to go. We’re doing everything we can to get there. We are still at the early stages of building this brand. That said, we definite-ly have products that have a loyal following—the most extreme case being our Lynco brand, where we’ve sold millions of orthotics over the years and there’s a sort of cult following now. Some of those people associate that with Aetrex, and that’s helped us build our shoe brand. We also know we are making gains based on how often we are searched for on search engines. We constantly study those stats, be it search engines, our website or display marketing.

Just how hard is it to achieve such brand recognition? It’s incredibly hard even with the opportunities technology presents for companies to grow today. As a private company in today’s environment, there are a lot of challenges. It’s not easy out there. We definitely feel a wind in our face, and I think most of our competitors would agree.

What, exactly, is causing the wind in your face—increased competition, consolidation, a weak economy…?The primary wind in our face has been the fact that a lot of our retail cus-tomers have gone out of business. Our primary customer is the smaller independent. I’ve heard reports from the NSRA (National Shoe Retailers Association) that more than 40 percent have gone out of business since the recession started. That presents a really big challenge. We continue to find new customers, and we have grown within our existing customer base. I also think the economy continues to present significant challenges. Consumers are still cautious about spending.

A figure of 40 percent is downright scary. It is, but there are a lot of good retailers left, which means there are still plenty of opportunities. We just have to focus and execute, and our custom-ers have to do the same. A lot of those sales, for example, went elsewhere and those represent new opportunities for us. We have evolved into new customers and markets as well. We actually have a lot of momentum in the specialty running market, for example, especially on our iStep and Lynco sides. And, really, our strongest growing market the last five years has been in shoe stores. Our product offering has gotten much better, so there’s more demand for us. That’s also partly due to the fact that we have fewer com-petitors on the wholesale side. Without mentioning names, some of our competitors have been really innovative and some of them not so much. That has opened some doors. And consumers, overall, are still buying plen-ty of shoes and orthotics. So I believe there’s still tons of business out there to be had.

The spate of same-day delivery services being introduced is the latest assault on brick-and-mortar retailers. Immediate gratification

“You can’t just carry the big brands and hope for the best, not with the way rents are in

high-traffic areas.”

>47

specifically engineered for skilled tradesman and their individual needs on job sites.

own your skills. own your job. own the elements

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Wood features medial impact padding for kicking materials into place & puncture resistant plate for rogue nails

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steel boasts a high heat resistant outsole and flame resistant stitching and laces.

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IMES CHANGE. FORTY years ago, most twenty-somethings landed their first job and stayed put until retirement. Even 20 years ago, that was still the norm. Their work footwear needs rarely changed. Technical innovations improved durability, comfort and performance, but the cosmetics stayed constant.

But the era of company pensions and workplace stability is gone. Most people in the workforce now change jobs more than 10 times over the course of their career, recent Bureau of Labor data suggests. And Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) are even more apt to job hop. One recent study predicts they’ll hold 15 to 20 jobs on average before they retire.

Occupational footwear brands are adapting to the age of career instabil-ity by increasing product versatility to meet the needs of a rapidly growing Millennial workforce. (The demographic currently makes up 36 percent of the labor force and that number is expected to increase by at least 10 percent by 2020.)

Part of the challenge lies in designing footwear that works in a mobile office world. Thanks to smartphones and other technology, being “at work” doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in the same place at the same time every day. And this shift is increasing demand for better performance fea-tures and more style versatility in work footwear.

Engineers, foremen, construction workers, nurses, school teachers, office managers and restaurant workers need to move seamlessly from the office to job sites without changing their shoes, notes Tim Engel, vice president of sales at Blundstone. To accommodate them, Blundstone has introduced two executive models, a lace-up dress shoe and a pull-on dress boot with a steel toe and safety standard compliance elements. “They still have that classic, pull-on Blundstone look, but it combines leisure and steel,” Engel explains. “Unless someone stepped on your toe, you wouldn’t know it was a safety shoe.”

Today even the typical desk job requires a fair amount of running around, notes David Kahan, president and CEO of Birkenstock U.S.A. “It doesn’t matter whether a person is in a traditional service job, a tech job

Millennials at WorkAs the workplace continues to change dramatically, Millennials need versatility when it comes to occupational footwear. By Samantha Sciarrotta

or a creative job,” he says. “Even in office-type jobs, employees do a lot of walking. The average New Yorker walks 2.4 miles a day. So, even if you just commute to an office job, comfort is key.”

The challenge for designers is to craft versatile work styles that don’t sac-rifice function. And while Millennials have an affinity for heritage brands, they “don’t necessarily want to look like Dad,” sporting a big, bulky safety boot, says Brandon Barker, brand manager for Justin Original Workboots. This generation grew up in sneakers—shoes that were lightweight, loaded with bells and whistles and supremely versatile. They expect the same from the shoes they wear to work. And leading occupational footwear brands are rising to the challenge.

ALL IN A DAY’S WORKWith construction and other industrial jobs expanding in the U.S., work footwear companies are enjoying a surge in sales to younger customers. Rocky Work, a division of Rocky Brands, is seeing a growing demand among Millennials for its construction and light industrial product, says Mike Roundhouse, product designer. Likewise, Wolverine is “taking off ” as a favorite of Millennials working in construction, auto repair, utilities and warehouses, according to Linda Brunzell, vice president of global market-ing. “Looking at the primary work category, manufacturing was our core business 20 years ago,” she notes. “Now, with the economy coming back, it’s construction.” Hi-Tec U.S.A.’s Magnum work boot division is also seeing an

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uptick in sales of products aimed at uniformed workers like police and security officers, firemen and EMS workers, says Ian Little, marketing and e-commerce manager. Much of that demand is being driven by Millennials, Little notes.

The eco-friendly sector provides another bur-geoning job market for Millennials. Not only is the field growing, but the younger generation has a passion for it. A 2014 Pew Research Center study found that 80 percent of Millennials sur-veyed prefer to work for companies that curb their ecological footprint. And work footwear brands are rolling out edgier styles to appeal to workers in green-related industries like alterna-tive and renewable energy, organic farming and sustainable community development. Case in point: In addition to Justin’s pull-on, two-toned, flame-resistant Frac’er boot, the company offers a more fashion-forward Stampede line and a high-end European hiking-inspired Worktek Sabre collection. “Younger consumers want a little more flair than older consumers, whether in a 6-inch lace-up or a western-influenced welling-ton,” notes Barker. To complete the package, the styles include safety toes, metatarsal guards and Justin’s new Kinetic Management Technology, a bio-mechanically engineered design that improves support, stability and comfort. “We sell a lot of boots to young adults because they can wear them on the job and keep them on when they go out,” says Barker. Comfort is their top priority, he says, but durability is a close second, “because it is usually the younger adults who do the most rugged work.”

But work footwear isn’t confined to steel-toe work boots. Millions of younger people now work in healthcare, education, culinary arts and the airline industry. They, too, spend hours on their feet and need supportive comfort that the tradi-tional ballet flat or oxford can’t provide. Many of these service industries are growing, particularly healthcare. According to a 2013 study by the National Society of High School Scholars, eight of the top 25 career paths preferred by students

age 15 to 27 were healthcare-related. That’s proving a boon for brands like

Birkenstock, which is well known for the comfort aspects of its casual styles. It’s a relatively easy leap for consumers to expect similar benefits from its Birkenstock Professional divsion. “Our DNA is comfort, so any consumer who is on their feet all day can benefit,” says Kahan.

But comfort alone won’t cut it. Millennial customers have high product expectations, notes Ebeth Pitman, Dansko’s vice president of marketing. “It’s no longer enough to offer a comfortable shoe, a stylish shoe, a versatile shoe or something with great durability features,” she says. “Consumers now expect brands to consis-tently deliver on all of those aspects.” To that end, Dansko has recently introduced the Santa Fe collection of slip-resistant, colorful sneakers and the XP performance clog, which features a slip-resistant outsole and cushioned insole. Other stylish yet job appropriate styles include the Mirabel sculpted heel and the stacked Havana wedge. “By delivering on all-day comfort and taking care of foot, leg and back health, we support professionals so they can focus on the task at hand and not on their feet,” says Pitman. “And they fit in with the rest of their lives, whether they’re out to dinner with friends or running errands on the weekend.” Pitman adds, “Beyond special occasion wear, the days when people reserved shoes for specific parts of their day are long gone. Versatility is mandatory.”

SNEAKER LOGICExploiting Millennials’ fondness for a light-weight, sneaker-like aesthetic is the design approach for Rocky Work. “They need a tough, abrasive shoe that resembles the tennis shoe that they’re used to,” Roundhouse says. An example of such hybrid design is the brand’s Elements collection, introduced this year. It fea-tures footwear for four different types of work sites: Wood, Block, Dirt and Steel. In addition to work boot staples like waterproof linings and

triple-stitch reinforcements, each collection is specifically designed for those work conditions. For example, the Dirt series features a 5-mm lug outsole to release dirt and debris with every step and a TPU kickoff for easy removal, while the Wood collection offers a medial cushion for kicking boards into place and a puncture-resistant plate in case the wearer steps on a nail. “We try not to add anything superfluous,” Roundhouse says, noting athletic style touches include a mesh tongue. “We’re not throwing things on just to make the boots look cooler. Everything has a purpose,” he adds.

Younger shoppers, Roundhouse says, are will-ing to pay a premium for such performance and style details that resonate with them. “They’re not afraid to spend money to get quality,” he says.

Such user-friendly versatility features are what many cost-conscious Millennials are searching for, agrees Wolverine’s Brunzell. She points out that many are saddled with student loan debt and still earning entry-level salaries. For them, design versatility offers a strong value proposi-tion: The more use they can get out of a boot or shoe, the better. “If they’re going to invest in footwear, it’s important to them that they can be proud to wear it on the work site and at the bar,” she says.

Wolverine’s Marshalled skate–inspired, steel-toe style for Spring ’15 is a good example of work versatility. It features a TPU heel stabilizer, NXT odor control lining and slip-resistant lug out-sole. While some Millennials still look to older workmates for advice on what to wear on the job, most “want something that reflects them and what they grew up with—color and athletic style paired with technology,” explains Brunzell. “They want to know that what they have is going to work, but style is important.” Other iterations include a steel-toe chukka.

That combination of protection and style is evident in Muck Boot’s Spring ’15 collection. It features gingham ankle and full-size Breezy boots, as well as the Frontier, a western-style

Left to right: Magnum’s Precision III boot for uniformed personnel; the Shayla from Dansko’s athletic-insipred Santa Fe collection; and Justin Original Workboots’ Euro hiker boot from its Worktek Sabre collection.


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boot with a waterproof, microfiber leather upper, XpressCool fabric lining and a rubber vamp, providing comfort in temperatures from 40° to 95°. “You can go from the jobsite to the restaurant to the bar and then wear it in the back-yard,” says Sean O’Brien, Muck’s director of footwear, adding that the wear-every-where design gives consumers more bang for their buck. “They want features that allow them to work harder and longer without having to think about their feet,” he says. “But they’re not look-ing for something that was their dad’s or their grandfather’s work boot. It has to have a younger look and feel. It’s not necessarily fashion, but it shouldn’t look like a tank.”

“The way the product looks is more important to Millennials than older con-sumers,” agrees Magnum’s Little. “We’ve certainly styled our range with looks in mind. It looks like something you’d want to wear, rather than something you have to wear.” The Precision Ultralite II boot, for example, is among Magnum’s most popular styles with Millennials.

With a full-leather upper in hues like coffee brown and a less bulky build, the boot transitions easily from the job site, but retains safety features like a slip- and oil-resistant rubber outsole and ladder grips.

“Millennials are more trend-conscious than their predecessors,” agrees Kahan of Birkenstock. “And they favor a more casual wardrobe at work.” That makes the Profi-Birki, a closed-back clog, one of the brand’s most popular styles for young professionals. The look is equally wearable at work and on a weekend out-ing, he says.

With Millennials entering the work-force in droves as Baby Boomers leave it, the growth potential is tremendous for those who tap into the market effec-tively. And if brands—and retailers—can capture young customers’ loyalty with footwear they can wear to work, after hours and on weekends, they lay the groundwork for long-term loyalty. As O’Brien sums up, “The Millennial seg-ment is the potential for growth in work boots going forward.” •

Clockwise from top: Wolverine’s skate-inspired Marshalled sneaker; the Frontier wellington by Muck Boot; and the Wood Soft boot from Rocky Work’s Elements collection.

DESIGN ISN’T THE only change work footwear companies are making to win the Millennial market. Communication strategies, too, are being revamped. Once-ubiquitous hang-tags, for example, are becoming as passé as advertising in the Sunday circular. Justin Original Workboots has replaced multiple hangtags with a single tag that condenses the boot’s safety and product information and gives a web address for a detailed video explanation. Increasingly, work footwear companies are supplementing newspaper and magazine ads with online content to reach the social media generation. Their efforts do more than sell prod-uct; they attempt to build an emotional connection with their brand. Wolverine, for instance, targets Millennials through its #PutABootOnIt campaign, which encourages consumers to take pictures of themselves wearing their boots at work or paired with on-trend outfits as well as in unexpected places—on a pet’s paws, for instance. It’s an easy way for consumers and brands to interact, and an affordable way for brands to learn about their target audience.

Muck Boot is constantly in pursuit of brand ambassadors—credible third parties like bloggers, celebrities, laborers and athletes willing to talk about its boots through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media channels. “They’re people who Millennials look to for advice,” explains Sean O’Brien, Muck’s director of footwear. “We want them to see people that they connect with wearing the product and hav-ing a great experience.”

Because Millennials do more research online before they buy than older shoppers do, Magnum promotes its products through videos, 360-degree photographs and lifestyle imag-ery on the company’s website, says Ian Little, marketing and ecommerce manager. “We spell out exactly what the product does,” he says. “That’s being driven by the younger consumer.”

Younger shoppers also expect to see a wide selection with frequent new product launches, says Engel. If the sneaker companies have taught Milliennials anything, it’s that there’s always another limited-edition must-have about to be released with great fanfare. They expect the frequent updates from work shoes as well. To meet their demands, you’ve got to change the merchandise mix frequently, says Tim Engel, vice president of sales for Blundstone. “Brand selection in safety can get tired,” he says. “Retailers need to update their mix just as they would their leisure selections. The older customer might buy the same boot over and over again, but Millennials like to try new things.”

The constant quest for the latest and greatest styles opens the door to potential sales for savvy retailers. Millennials are more likely to experiment with new brands and styles, notes Mike Roundhouse, designer for Rocky Work. “If you give younger customers a reason to pick up a boot, they’ll do it,” he assures. —S.S.

The Social Network

Online is the best way to reach Millennials.


FOP_Oct2014.indd 17 10/15/14 3:16 PM


In the Zoneew brands, if any, claim to

make an uncomfortable shoe,

regardless of whether there is

anything even remotely com-

fortable about the construction. The fact

is, comfort is a product attribute that

really sells, but never more so than when

it’s truly verified. Consumers are instant-

ly hooked and will often extoll the ben-

efits to whoever will listen. That’s why

news about a great comfort shoe and/

or brand can quickly go viral because,

despite a plethora of so-called com-

fort brands on the market, it’s still not

an easy find. Everyone’s foot shape is

unique, and their needs and style prefer-

ences are equally diverse. What’s more,

with no uniform sizing standard offered

by brands or exact standards of what

qualifies as a “comfort” shoe, there’s

plenty of room for interpretation (some

valid and others not). And, let’s face it,

trial and error on the part of consumers

is still an issue. The same can be said

for retailers.

The following array of brands offer

their interpretation of comfort footwear,

which spans style, innovation, perfor-

mance and distribution strategy. One

definition certainly does not fit all, and

determining which overall concept best

fits your target customer is key.

First launched by menswear veteran Robert Stock in 2001, the Robert Graham brand has spent the last 13 years carving out its niche, first in eclectic, colorful, multi-patterned men’s clothing and, later, womenswear. But in Fall ’14, the brand stepped into footwear.

Spanning slip-on sneakers and smoking slippers to wingtips and double monk-strap loafers, the collection, which Larry Paparo, president of LJP International, who holds Robert Graham’s footwear license, says aligns with the “wearable art” theme of its clothing while still offering the customer something new. “We didn’t want to make the shoes look like the shirts, but we did want to have the brand’s DNA hidden around each pair,” he explains. “We made sure that every shoe was special.” Details like the brand’s signature paisley in pods on a driving moc sole or a colorful splatter on the underside of a brogue’s tongue are featured throughout the inaugural collection.

Coming from an apparel mentality, Paparo says Stock and the rest of the Robert Graham design team are well aware of the importance of comfort, which is why they’re emphasizing it in the footwear, too. Winning a customer over with a good-looking shoe, Paparo says, is only half of the battle. “When the sales associate puts our shoe on the customer’s foot, if it fits and it’s comfortable, that’s going to make the purchase happen,” he says, adding, “When

you wear anything from Robert Graham, it’s comfortable.” The footwear is dotted with extras like light, molded bottoms, Extralite soles and molded memory foam footbeds in every pair, as well as seamless, one-piece leather linings for extra breathability and comfort. “Every shoe that we build has its own comfort story,” Paparo offers. “They’re really soft, light and flexible. There’s no break-in period needed. They form to the foot automatically and memorize what the distribution and weight needs to be.”

For Spring ’15, that same comfort story is enhanced by a little more color. While fall’s collection was abundant with boots, dress styles and athletic silhouettes made of rich leathers and mixed media palettes like wool, spring features open sandals, a chukka boot with woven espadrille jute and an expanded athletic-inspired line in colors like purple, orange, kiwi, white and blue, as well as updates to fall’s dress shoes and driving mocs. “Men are embracing color and fashion today,” Paparo says. It’s just the beginning for Robert Graham footwear, he adds, hinting at women’s and kids’ collections in the future—so long as they offer a point of differentiation in the marketplace. “If we’re able to do something smarter, different, unique, that’s great,” he states. “I don’t think it’s enough for a brand to just put a colorful shoelace on and say, ‘Hey, we’re in fashion.’ Today’s consumer is smarter than that.” —Samantha Sciarrotta

DEFINING COMFORT: SPRING ’15

FRobert Graham: New in Town

fw_10_14_ComfortFeature_02.indd 26 10/15/14 4:06 PM

2014 october/november • footwearplusmagazine.com 27

Despite a reputation for being the leading menswear brand in the United States, Danish footwear behemoth Ecco traces its origins back more than 50 years to a line of women’s pumps. For Spring ’15, the brand is embracing their roots with a women’s collection featuring innovative new materials, unparalleled fit technology and updated designs. “We want to be as dominant in the women’s market as we are in the men’s,” says Felix Zahn, product director. “We see a gap in the dress comfort market at our price point and we are prepared to fill it.”

Every shoe in the women’s spring collection is outfitted with the Ecco Freedom Fit system and is produced using direct inject technology in one of Ecco’s owned and operated factories. “We are a totally vertically integrated company. All of our shoes are designed by Ecco designers, made using Ecco leathers and produced in an Ecco factory,” Zahn explains. The direct inject technology yields a durable, flexible and lightweight sole that’s molded to fit the foot during production. “Our shoes are comfortable 24 hours a day,” he adds, “Women no longer need to walk to work in a sneaker and then change once they get to the office.”

Even with all of the comfort features, style is never compromised, promises Zahn. Eschewing the chase

of fleeting trends, Ecco styles are clean and timeless. “We stick to our Scandinavian approach to design,” he says, and that means simplicity. Classic styles are given a natural feel with leather laces and snakeskin-inspired textures. Also new this season is the introduction of camel leather, which is thinner yet stronger than cow leather and has a more natural look and feel, according to Zahn. “We put a lot of focus on the materials,” he notes. Both the casual lifestyle and dress comfort collections offer a range of silhouettes varying from sneakers and sandals to ballerinas and wedges.

A particular highlight for spring (available in a men’s and women’s version) is the O2 sneaker, a classic, retro style with contemporary micro-perforated yak leather details. It features Gore-Tex’s latest Surround technology that provides 360-degree breathable waterproof protection. “Breathable outsoles are not a new thing, but we are the first ever to introduce a direct inject breathable shoe,” explains Zahn. Also unique to the O2 is the placement of the ventilation holes: rather than having them exclusively on the sole, the vents are found throughout the midsole. “It’s like having an AC in your shoes,” Zahn says. “You can really feel the difference.” —Tara Anne Dalbow

“Comfort is like love!” exclaims Juan de la Peña, CEO of El Naturalista U.S.A. “You could write books or songs about it.” Not quite, but it is something today’s consumers are increasingly obsessive about, most notably when it comes to their footwear—and this 11-year-old Spanish brand oozes comfort from every pore. “El Naturalista is basically an expert on making women wear high heels again,” de la Peña jokes. “Consumers are shocked to find out that our funky-looking shoes are as comfortable as the boring black and brown classic comfort shoes they’re used to.”

Known for its vibrant colors, distinct outsoles and strong cause-related brand platform, the family-owned brand makes its range of men’s and women’s shoes mostly by hand in its own factories in the La Rioja region in the northeast of Spain and in Tangier in northern Morocco and exports its products to more than 45 countries. In fact, the United States was El Naturalista’s first overseas market: the brand docked stateside in 2004, but when the economy hit the skids in 2008, the company focused its efforts elsewhere. “Last year we decided everything was ready for growth again, and we set up a subsidiary (in partnership with the Ralph Libonati Company) in the U.S. Now we’re back for real,” de la Peña says.

The time away helped the brand realize it needed to address the American consumer directly as opposed to just making shoes with a worldview and expecting them to sell well here. “Color was always one of our strengths but for the American market, our color combinations were too crazy,” de la Peña notes. For Spring ’15 that means lots of neutrals peppered with pops of cobalt blue, lime green and raspberry for women, and earth tones accented by a shot of primary color here and there for men. New

styles for women include a grouping of ballerina flats called Velocita, some with straps, some without; Code, sportswear-inspired sandals and Mary Janes on a low wedge; and Haiku, sling-back sandals and booties on a stocky heel. Meanwhile, men get a dressy sneaker-inspired collection called Wave that comes in suede, leather and bamboo options. Contradicion, a collection of flexible footbed sandals on a rubber outsole, is available for both genders.

“The traditional comfort customer is becoming more fashionable and she’s buying comfort shoes that look better than they used to,” de la Peña points out. “The danger of fashion is that if you change your product too often and too quickly, consumers cannot identify you.” For a brand still fresh off a self-induced hiatus, that could be an identity issue. So while the latest collection features more trend-right styles, each is unmistakably El Naturalista—from its anatomic insole to an out-there detail on its rubber outsole. The goal, says de la Peña, is to become more commercial for the American market while retaining brand integrity.

That’s why, for example, all leathers come from animals that have been raised for food. In addition, the company remains committed to an eco-friendly business model, which includes the use of only recycled and recyclable materials in all its designs. What’s more, 2.14 percent of profits will continue to go to various social awareness programs. “Our authenticity is our greatest asset. The market, retailer and consumer trust us and understand that El Naturalista is for real when we say we’re an eco-friendly and a social-friendly brand,” de la Peña says. “While we’re aiming to become a mainstream brand, we know we can do so without losing the flavor and values that make us a niche brand.” —Lyndsay McGregor

El Naturalista: Spanish Import

Ecco: Ladies First



Invisible: That’s how Mike Grenley, COO at Abeo, sums up his idea of comfort—and it’s exactly what this Walking Company-owned line has been striving for since the specialty chain introduced the label in 2010. “Think about comfort shoes of the past; they were usually big and bulbous. Abeo shoes, on the other hand, look like normal shoes but with comfort technology built in,” he explains. “We’re bridging that gap between comfort and fashion.” And The Walking Company’s customers evidently agree: The brand generated $3 million in revenue in 2010 alone, and Grenley predicts revenues “just shy of $80 million” in 2014. It’s no surprise, then, that the Santa Barbara, CA-based comfort chain is expanding into wholesale for Spring ’15. “It’s time to take these technologies out into the marketplace,” he confirms.

Specifically, Abeo’s B.I.O. (Built In Orthotics), Aero (Air Energy Return Outsole), Smart (Smart Medial Arthritis Relief Technology) and LiTe (Lightweight Technology). “Initially we wanted to combine the health benefits of orthotics with comfortable shoe designs that look no different from shoes without orthotic technology,” says Grenley, referring to the brand’s Balboa flip-flop, its first foray into biomechanical footwear, as an example. “It blew out of the stores the day

we got it in. So from there we expanded and just continued to create.” B.I.O. shoes and sandals do exactly what they say on the tin: they feature built-in orthotics designed to fit specific arch types. Aero, meanwhile, is a patent-pending technology in walking shoes and running shoes that enables maximum impact absorption. Smart shoes, developed and tested at Stanford University, help prevent and diminish the onset of osteoarthritis of the knee by shifting gait, and LiTe is a casual lifestyle collection weighing in at less than 6 oz.

When Abeo launched at the August editions of Outdoor Retailer and FN Platform, the company let buyers know it had a very precise plan for its wholesale business: “We are only selling to independent comfort shoe retailers,” stresses Grenley. “We’re not selling to the Internet or to any department stores or chains [apart from our own]. This is specialized footwear for specialty stores.” The brand is aimed at men and women ages 30 and up—“Anybody who’s had any knee pain,” Grenley says, adding he expects to take Abeo international within three years. “Consumers are becoming more and more aware of comfort needs at all ages so I think the comfort category is going to continue to grow, whether from perception as well as population needs from an aging standpoint,” he says. —L.M.

When insole maker Spenco dipped a toe into the saturated comfort footwear pool in 2010, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing Jeff Antonioli wasn’t worried. The Waco, TX-based company had been providing arch support, alignment and cushioning to consumers through its advanced insoles since 1967, so footwear was a natural progression. As its band of loyal followers likely said: What took you so long? “Breaking in to the market wasn’t the challenge,” Antonioli confirms, noting that pre-book orders are up 80 percent from two years ago and the company has delivered more than two million units since it first launched shoes. “Going forward is the challenge because footwear changes more often than insoles.”

Originally targeted towards men and women recuperating from foot problems as well as athletes looking for recovery footwear, Spenco is extending its customer base to reach anyone seeking foot, back and joint health. “We try to appeal to everybody, even starting as young as late teens,” Antonioli says, noting that the company plans to stay in touch with these younger customers with trend-relevant and sporty options. But first thing’s first: With so many options already on the market, why have consumers flocked to Spenco’s selection of slippers, slides and sandals? Antonioli believes the success starts from within: Most manufacturers build the shoe first and then insert a flat insole. Spenco starts with its patented Total Support insole (which positions pods with varying degrees of hardness beneath key areas of the foot) and builds the shoe around that. “We define comfort with a blend of cushioning, support

and energy return with a contour that matches the shape of your foot while still letting your foot move naturally,” he explains.

Now that Spenco has gained a foothold in the market with flats, it’s venturing into higher ground for women for Spring ’15. “Right now our sandal foot bed is a zero-drop,” he explains. “There is no heel lift at all. Because of that our designs have stayed casual. Next season we’ll introduce two new wedge silhouettes, a 5-mm and a 15-mm heel lift. That gives us an opportunity to get into different patterns and materials, and have a bit of a dressier look as well.”

It’s also Spenco’s way of standing out from what Antonioli sees as a market dominated by “clunky” shoes. “There’s really no reason that comfort has to be plain or ugly. The lines of our footbed are very attractive and we design everything around that,” he says, adding, “Now that we’ve nailed the basic styles and figured out how we’re going to play, we want to stay trend-relevant, introduce varying heel heights and use the latest materials, textures and color.”

The challenge for Spenco going forward is to stay true to its orthopedic roots while appealing to a younger and more fashion-forward generation. Antonioli welcomes the challenge and believes the brand is well on its way to meeting it. “We’re setting up our footwear business similar to insoles where customers can count on us to fill a need,” he offers, noting that many podiatrists are prescribing Spenco shoes as a house shoe. “We see that continuing.” Antonioli adds that a growing percentage of consumers no longer feel they can sacrifice form for function entirely. Their shoes must be comfortable. “Comfort is not a fad like the rocker or minimalist craze we saw over the last few years,” he offers. “It’s here to stay.” —L.M.

Abeo: Independents’ Day

Spenco: Aiming High

DEFINING COMFORT: SPRING ’15


2014 october/november • footwearplusmagazine.com 29

When Alexander Elnekaveh’s 14-year-old nephew underwent extensive surgery that left him unable to walk without debilitating pain it seemed that all hope of living a normal, active lifestyle was lost. Equipped with a background in mechanical engineering Elnekaveh set out to create something that would get his nephew up and moving again—pain free. In 2004 the Gravity Defyer shoe was born, equipped with the brand’s patented VersoShock sole technology which consists of a coiled spring in the heel. Ten years later and counting the brand has helped thousands of people get moving again. “We are the shoe that gets you back on the road,” says Jon Brookings, vice president of sales and marketing.

The VersoShock Trampoline sole provides support, comfort and shock absorption with

every step. Compared to other shoes, the trampoline sole promises 40 percent more shock absorption and 19 percent more energy return. But it isn’t just comfort that has Gravity Defyer defying expectations, rather it’s the fashion-forward silhouettes that the technology is now housed within. “You don’t see the technology in our footwear—you feel it,” Brookings maintains. The modular technology fits within all styles that span sandals to dress to casual to running shoes. “People pick up our shoes because they look good,” he says. “The challenge we’re facing now is making people aware that we are not just a fashion shoe, we are a fashion wellness shoe.”

For Spring 2015, new and old silhouettes receive such style details as metallic accents, ’70s-era colorization and innovative materials. Pops of colors, bold new patterns and

stingray-textured fabrics add exotic interest to classic shapes. “We are really expanding the fashion aspect of our brand,” Brookings says. New sandal silos and welded products will lead the spring line up as well as a new motion controlled technology that can be found in its athletic styles.

In addition to fashion upgrades, brand spokesperson Sara Olea says look for Gravity Defyer to expand partnerships with the wholesale community and grow its partnerships with the Arthritis Foundation and the American Diabetes Association. Brookings credits the brand’s continued growth to it being born out of a labor of love that is dedicated to making a difference in people’s lives. “Our shoes do something for the whole body,” he says. “The soul of our company is truly our sole.” —T.D

Gravity Defyer: “Spring” Time

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what ’s selling sit & fitswhat ’s sellingwhat ’s selling

OME OF THE Hard-to-Find Sizes” is Panza Shoes’ motto, and owner Richard Panza, who has worked in the store in some capacity since he was 14 years old, isn’t kidding. With a men’s selection spanning sizes 5.5 to 17 and women’s sizes 4 to 14 from the narrowest of narrows to the widest of wides, the sit-and-fit stalwart has been just that for loyal customers since 1944 when Panza’s father, Charles, first opened the doors. With 62 years of shoe business experience under his belt,

Panza has seen many fashion trends come and go, as well as an ever-changing business landscape. The biggest change, though, has been the advent of the Internet, although Panza says he’s seen a similar retail model before. “It’s just the catalogue business all over again,” he says, noting that the instant access of online retail makes it a more formidable competitor.

Nevertheless, customers are still drawn to the traditional in-store experience Panza Shoes offers with a selection of comfort brand staples like Johnston & Murphy, SAS, Munro, New Balance, Dansko and Ecco. “We have sizes you can’t buy anywhere else,” Panza offers, adding many people don’t know what to wear and are even wearing the wrong size. “It’s hard to get personal service today, and I think a lot of people still look for that one-on-one fitting experience.”

Now 76, Panza still spends every day in the store. He’s considering passing the business down to a family member some day, but the plan for now is to keep doing the job he loves. “I’ve been doing this all my life,” he says. “There aren’t too many guys left in the business that are 76 years old!” Panza’s secret to retail longevity is a combination of “fit, service and sizes” that is also steeped in common sense: “Just pay attention to what you’re doing, do a good job, and you’ll be successful,” he says. —Samantha Sciarrotta

Who is your typical customer? Men and women between the ages of 35 and 100 who appreciate an above-and-beyond customer service experience.

What is your breakdown between male and female customers? I’d say 80 percent of our customers are women. If you sell more men’s shoes, you’re not doing your job properly. Women buy more shoes.

What are some of your top-selling brands? SAS is a good brand for us because they don’t sell online. Dansko, Ecco, Trotters, Brooks, OluKai and Florsheim are all good as well.

What has been the best new brand added to your mix recently? Probably OluKai. The shoes are really soft and cushioned and easy on your feet.

What are your top selling accessories? We used to sell handbags, but not anymore. Now, socks and polish are our best accessories.

How would you describe the overall mood of your customers? People are cautious these days. They don’t have the disposable income that they’ve had in the past. Spending changes following natural disasters, and we’re still feeling the effects of Hurricane Sandy. That kind of devastation rubs off onto businesses and the customer, and it hurts.

What do you attribute your store’s longevity to most? It’s hard to say. It’s not an easy business. The shopper is constantly changing, but we sell fit and service and a lot of people have foot problems. We take measurements and put the proper shoes on. It takes a lot of time, and you have to be devoted to it. Like anything, you have to really work at it. I’m here seven days a week. I eat, sleep and drink it. You also have to watch your P’s and Q’s when it comes to spending.

What is the biggest challenge facing your business right now? Probably the Internet. I think it’s changed our whole economy. It’s a new way of shop-ping and it’s the biggest competitor right now. It’s not the guy down the street anymore. There are a few brands that don’t sell shoes online, but there are a lot of brands that do. Just like anything, it’s another challenge.

If you could change one thing about your business this year, what would it be? I don’t think I would change anything. You can move to a better location or build a new store, but all those things add to your expenses.

Where do you envision Panza Shoes five years from now? You never know. Five years from now, it could be the same. If we stick to our guns, if we’re able to do what we do without spoiling our credit, we’ll be around five years from now. I do it because I love the business. •

Framingham, MA

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Two Ten is pleased to present

Tim O’Donovanwith the Bob Campbell Lifetime Achievement Award on Tuesday, December 2, 2014.

www.twoten.org800-346-3210

This prestigious award recognizes an extraordinary individual whose steadfast commitment, leadership, advocacy and philanthropy have affected positive transformation for Two Ten Footwear Foundation and the footwear community.

Two Ten is pleased to present

Tim O’Donovanwith the Bob Campbell Lifetime Achievement Award

on Tuesday, December 2, 2014.

This prestigious award recognizes an extraordinary individual whose steadfast commitment, leadership, advocacy and philanthropy have affected positive transformation for Two Ten Footwear Foundation and the footwear community.

For tickets and event information, please contact Tanya Allain at 781-736-1528 or [email protected].

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T R E N D S P O T T I N GT R E N D S P O T T I N G

Hangin’ OutRich leathers up the style ante on these casual kicks.

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DECEMBER 3–5, 2014WEDNESDAY–FRIDAY

New York Hilton Midtown& Member Showrooms

SAVE THE DATE:February 3–5, 2015 (Tuesday–Thursday)Show information and special hotel ratesFFANY.ORG

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Naot wood heel ankle boots, Rebecca Minkoff coat worn over vintage green jacket from Stella Dallas and American Apparel turtleneck, shorts by Jonathan Simkhai, Adrienne Vittadini socks.

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Linen boot by Bearpaw.

Metallic boot by Spring Step.

Cat Footwear open-toe boot with buckles.

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Parka by Henrik Vibskov,Karen Walker dress,

turtleneck by American Apparel, earrings by Dirty

Librarian Chains.

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Fortress of Inca western boots, Pendelton poncho by Lindsey Thornburg, American Apparel puffer vest, Demy Lee turtleneck, dress by Rebecca Minkoff, Adrienne Vittadini socks.

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Nina Payne cut-out boot.

Embossed leather boot by Alegria.

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Vintage cardigan from Stella Dallas, leather trim zip jacket

by Jonathan Simkhai, H Fredriksson dress, American

Apparel turtleneck, Coach feather necklace.

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Cut-out boots by The Office of Angela Scott,

vintage suede cape from Stella Dallas, turtleneck

sweater by Demy Lee, plaid shirt (worn as skirt)

by American Apparel, Adrienne Vittadini socks.

Suede ankle boot by Cole Haan.

Perforated boot by El Naturalista.

Cobb Hill slip-on perforated boot.

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Hair and makeup by Briana Mirzo; fashion editor, Tara

Anne Dalbow; model: Allison M./Major Model Management. Shot on location at Recycling

the Past, Barnegat, N.J.

Taos western boots, vintage army jacket from Stella

Dallas, Henrik Vibskov print sweater, turtleneck by

American Apparel, necklace by Hardware by Sara,

Adrienne Vittadini socks.

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Pikolinos Chelsea boot.

Wood-soled boot by Swedish Hasbeens.

Perforated boot by White Mountain.

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NOT MANY PEOPLE walk straight into a full-time job upon graduation, least of all in the fashion industry, but Savannah Yarborough did just that. After interning with Billy Reid during her menswear design studies at London’s Central Saint Martins, he hired her as his head men’s designer across all categories in 2010. “That’s where I got my start in footwear,” she says. Three years later she took her talent to

Nashville-based, Italian-made brand Peter Nappi. The high-end line, whose range of shoes and

boots for men and women retail from $325 to $750, launched in 2009 and was inspired in part by (and named after) owner Phillip Nappi’s grandfather, who was a shoemaker in Italy in the late 1800s. “So the inspiration points are always Italian based,” explains Yarborough. She splits her time between the brand’s Nashville studio and its Italian factories, where she works alongside skilled artisans to bring her design ideas to fruition. “It’s always an Italian artist or film that triggers my research for the upcoming collection in terms of color and style,” she says. “And then materials follow. My favorite part of the process is figuring out what leathers I want to use and that leads into the product.”

For Spring ’15, leathers are hand-treated with alcohol following production, resulting in a matte finish and a muted color story. (Think matte jade green and soft, warm tans and browns.) This distressed look lends itself well to the line’s boot-heavy offering. “Our entire collection is soft and broken in,” Yarborough says, pointing out that the brand eschews trends in favor of classic styles. “We base our aesthetic on the fact that our target customer is extremely well traveled and we want to be able to provide something that’s going to accompany their wardrobe in a classic way,” she

says. No surprise, then, that some of Peter Nappi’s famous fans include members of Kings of Leon and The Black Keys, two bands rarely pictured in anything but the archetypal rocker uniform of jeans and boots. “We don’t really do anything too flashy or polished,” Yarborough says. “It’s more about creating styles that people can incorporate into their lives—like handmade shoes that are going to last for a very long time.” —Lyndsay McGregor

What is your first shoe memory? Shoes became a staple for me when I was 8 or 9. They were the only things I wanted to buy. I have had way too many shoes, always.

Who is your style icon? Mick Jagger.

Which celebrities or famous people would you love to see in one of your designs? Mick Jagger, obviously, or Patti Smith.

Where do you like to shop? My two favorite stores in the world are Liberty of London and L’Eclaireur in Paris. Those stores are really less about where to go to buy something and more incredible spaces and environments.

Which shoes in your closet are getting the most wear? My Piera women’s double monk-strap oxford in bright red from our Fall ’14 collection.

What shoe must every woman have in her closet? Every person needs a boot that they never replace. A go-to that can be worn with everything.

Which designer do you admire the most? Clare Waight Keller at Chloé.

What is your favorite part of your job? Working with leather and spending time with our partners. in Italy. Knowing who’s making your stuff is of the utmost importance.

ITALIAN COOKING

BreathingRoom

DESIGNER CHAT Savannah Yarborough

Cut-out details put a little “spring” in one’s step.

Plomo

Clarks

Coclico

Fortressof Inca

EDITOR’S PICKS

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sales have declined 13 percent in unit sales since 2013. “We’ve seen an increase in cus-tomer demand for flats and casual shoes across various styles,” confirms Erica Russo, Bloomingdale’s EVP of fashion direction. “For the past few seasons, style stars and designers have made it feel fresh and stylish to wear flats for everyday fashion.” To meet the growing demand, luxury online retailer Net-a-Porter increased its flats offering by 137 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Editd.

Charly Godwin, buyer for San Francisco-based boutique Bulo Shoes, will be expand-ing its offering of flats for next spring as well, particularly footbed sandals and ankle booties in neutral colors and minimal shapes. “This spring every one of our top sell-ers for women were flat sandals or shoes,” he reports. “During the four seasons before that, the majority of our fastest-moving items were mid-height heels.” Godwin points to online media and its coverage of street style fashion for helping fuel the flats trend. “Now anyone can see celebrities wearing their everyday shoes, and not just the heels they wear for award ceremonies,” he says. “The average woman now feels more chic in flats because she’s seen images of Cara Delevingne or Kirsten Dunst in them.”

Erika Vala, co-owner of Shoe Market in Brooklyn, NY, says high heels currently only make up 10 percent of the boutique’s inventory. “Most of our customers are looking for shoes that they can wear all day and all night—hence a flatter sole,” she says. For Spring ’15, Shoe Market will offer a variety of ’90s-inspired flats, ranging from pointed toe heel-less pumps to oxfords. Referencing the general societal movement toward healthier more comfortable lifestyles, Vala says her comfort and outdoors shoes are seeing the most movement. “We have a lot of customers coming in to trade out their heels on the spot,” she adds.

Not surprisingly, women are increasingly pairing flats with cocktail dresses and evening gowns. “There’s something so sexy about an evening dress with a pair of gold flats,” offers Tapia. “I like opposites and contradictions.” To wit, Valentino sent 80 models in oscillating chiffon hemlines down its recent runway show in flat lace-up gladiators, while Simone Rocha paired brocade frocks trimmed in mara-bou with pointed toe, fluffy flats during her show. “Flats are now acceptable under ball gowns and at cocktail parties as long as the style is appropriately formal,” says Sherman. Russo points to embellished slides and jeweled ballet slippers as appropri-ate options. Christian Louboutin, a man who once stated, “it’s not my job to create something comfortable,” introduced a brogue last spring to his portfolio of red-soled dress stilettos.

Even brides are choosing to make their vows with two feet firmly planted on the aisle. “It’s one of the most important days in the lives of women,” notes David Kahan, CEO of Birkenstock U.S.A., regarding the brand’s popularity as a wedding day acces-sory. “Is there ever a more appropriate time to look and feel your best?”

Both Toms and Tieks by Gavrieli have introduced wedding collections that feature comfortable flats in a range of hues. “It’s a versatile shoe, great for a long day on your feet,” notes Rose Jones, senior designer for Toms. Tieks has had so much success with its wedding collection that it has an in-house wedding coordinator who helps women find the perfect shoe for their special day. “We’ve had brides whose wedding themes, colors and sometimes even dresses revolve around the Tieks,” says Alex Sullivan, mar-keting coordinator at Tieks by Gavrieli. “Brides want to enjoy their big day, and being comfortable is key.”

Flats are commanding the boardroom with the same authority. Once the corner-stone of power dressing, pumps have been demoted in favor of the power flat. They include pointed toe heel-less pumps and menswear inspired oxfords with thin soles and loafer-like tongues that offer a professional, polished look with the added comfort benefits. “The workplace is now flooded at a professional level—bankers, lawyers, bar-risters, doctors—with flats,” says Winkwork.

“Flats and sandals have become everyday work footwear, not just for casual Fridays,” adds Kahan. “Women who were already wearing flats walking to and from work are now wearing them in the office.” Sherman agrees, but advises a loafer or pointy-toed pair that projects more authority. Women can wear a pair of Lanvin laceless oxfords or The Row crocodile brogues to the office without giving a second thought to how they look or how their feet feel.

Many experts agree the flats trend looks to have legs. Winkworth believes that once women try on a pair for fashion, they’ll never go back to heels thanks to the over-whelming comfort benefits. Binkley agrees: “Heels will come and go, and the orthope-dic look is certainly a trend, but I think flats in general are here to stay.” •

Footwear Plus is Turning 25!

Celebrate with us as we look back on a

quarter century of:

• Standout Styles

• Industry Stars

• Notable Trends

...the milestones and memories we’ve all shared.

Anniversary Issue: April/May 2015

Special advertising opportunities available.

contact: Caroline Diaco, Publisher

(917) 450-7584 [email protected]

continued from page 12

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LOOK OUT, AMAZON. Omni-channel retailers are turning their physical locations into online ful-fillment centers and offer-ing same-day delivery at a low price in an effort to meet the needs of consum-ers who want everything immediately. How are they doing it? By using Silicon Valley startup Deliv, which crowdsources its drivers, to pick up online orders

from its brick-and-mortar stores and deliver them that same day. “We are in a culture where speed is very important,” states Jim

Sluzewski, senior vice president of corporate communication and external affairs at Macy’s, which, along with Bloomingdale’s and Foot Locker, is piloting a same-day delivery program this fall, bringing consumers the convenience of online shopping alongside the immediate gratification of buying something in store. While same-day delivery is something Amazon has offered since 2009, it’s only available in big cities near its warehouses and only on certain items ordered in the morning. The big-box tactic to fulfill online orders from local stores, however, is one that could very well have an impact: “Amazon has 60 distribution centers across the country. Macy’s has 1,200 stores. If Macy’s uses stores locally as distribution points, Macy’s alone can trump Amazon,” main-tains Deliv CEO Daphne Carmeli.

Macy’s will offer same-day delivery to customers in eight markets beginning this fall, including Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco—but not New York—while Bloomingdale’s will be limited to four markets. Foot Locker, meanwhile, rolled it out at five stores in California in September and, if all goes well, plans to expand the program across the U.S.

So, how does it work? Deliv has partnered with four mall ownership groups (Simon Property Group, General Growth Properties, Macherich and Westfield) where these retailers have outlets. When a customer within a 15-mile radius of one places an order online, he or she is offered a low cost, same-day deliv-ery option on the checkout screen. (The fee for Foot Locker, for instance, is only $5.) Once selected, that triggers a process in the store where the merchandise is pulled from the inventory, handed off to a mall employee who takes it to a centralized spot where a Deliv driver picks it up and ships it to the customer. The fact that multiple items are collected at each location allows retailers to charge less for the service. “If you don’t get the volume, you’re just another delivery service for $35,” Carmeli says, noting that Deliv is now the fastest delivery mode that is also the cheapest. “It’s the no-brainer option,” she says, adding, “Same-day delivery will become the new standard.” —Lyndsay McGregor

Paul Baclawski

E-beat

“I WAS SUPPOSED to be a marine biologist,” laughs Paul Baclawski, chief brand officer at 12-year-old sneaker e-tailer PickYourShoes. “But I fell in love with shoes along the way.”

Baclawski’s shoe love affair has been with sneakers, specifically, starting with weekends during high school where he worked the floor at his local Athlete’s Foot. And while he says footwear was never part of his plan, he somehow ended up spending nearly 17 years as a sales manager at Reebok and he’s been with PickYourShoes, where he jug-gles buying and marketing, for five. “Combining those two roles makes a lot of sense because when you get in new brands you need to market them,” he says.

Always on the lookout for new names, Baclawski suggests the unique selection at PickYourShoes is what separates it from the likes of Foot Locker and Finish Line. “I’m really big into discovering brands, ones that have trend-forward prod-uct,” he says. The site also nabs exclusive deals with New Balance, Asics and Reebok and collaborates on special makeups with Saucony, Supra, Pointer and Fila. Baclawski

says that PickYourShoes likes to go deep. “Most of the brands we deal with, we don’t buy the one nice red shoe; we’ll buy the whole collec-tion,” he says, adding that it’s about building strong partnerships with its brands. “If we’re going to invest our resources in selling a brand, the brands will support us, whether that’s GWP (gift with purchase) or unique product,” he notes. “We’re always looking for that point of dif-ferentiation that sets us aside from other websites.” —L.M.

Who is the typical PickYourShoes customer? We like to think that our demographic is the trendsetting 16- to 24-year-old kid, but when we get into the analytics we realize we skew a bit older.

What are some of your key trends for Spring ’15? The brands ebb and flow but we’re starting to see some heat on the Adidas side with its classic running shoes. Retro run-ning isn’t going away.

What about key colors? Hunter green, metallics and merlot.

What data do you collect to help influence your buy for the com-ing season? We look at past sales history when possible, but how hot a brand will be is a hard thing to track. Social media helps with what’s trending, but that does not always translate into sales. And online sales are tough because there is a huge demand for discount, even if the product is brand new.

What’s the next big thing in sneakers? A lot of old brands are coming back, like Etonic, which the majority of kids out there haven’t even heard of.

Are there any trends that you con-sider played? Neon camo, and I’m already over retro runners.

BUYER CHATShipping Wars

PickYourShoesOmni-channel retailers hop on the same-day delivery bandwagon.

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O&Awas one of their few remaining points of dif-ferentiation, no?There are some really tough e-commerce deal-ers in the footwear space, and they’re continual-ly trying to get better. I don’t know if there are going to be drones delivering shoes any time soon, but even traditional means of same-day delivery is pretty impressive if they are able to do it well. That’s why retailers need to specialize. For example, focus on merchandise that is not easily available online or offer services that can’t be replicated remotely. Retailers have to find ways to differentiate their business and provide experiences people can’t get online.

Has retail gotten so dull, inconvenient and exasperating that consumers would really pre-fer to shop remotely?There are always going to be plenty of customers who love to go shopping. That’s never going to end. But you have to provide something that cre-ates an emotional connection that brings them into your store. If you walk through a mall today, you’ll see that few stores utilize technology in an enticing way. Retailers need to raise their game

to compete with e-commerce.

A good example has been the rebirth of the running specialty channel through a combina-tion of service, community outreach, introduc-ing new brands, in-store events, etc. It’s a great example. We have customers in that space who are such strong retailers and so inno-vative. You are starting to see it in the comfort space, but not as much. The key is finding a spe-cialty and really owning it. You can’t just carry the big brands and hope for the best, not with the way rents are in high-traffic areas. That busi-ness model is not what it used to be.

Speaking of retail formats, how are your con-cept stores doing?They are all doing well. We now have three stores in the U.S., two that we own in New Jersey and one near San Francisco, which is owned by Takken’s Shoes. We also have five stores in Israel, where our technology division is based. We’ll probably open maybe five to 10 more stores over the next few years, but it’s not our plan to become a retailer. It helps us in terms of being a product outlet, discovering which styles appeal

to consumers and learning some of the issues that our retailers face—like the challenge of staff-ing. It’s hard to find and keep good people.

Despite the myriad challenges this indus-try presents on a daily basis, would you label yourself an optimist?I’ve always been an optimist, for sure. There’s plenty of opportunity out there, particularly in our company’s case as well as for retailers. I also believe you have to maintain a good attitude in general. Of course, you have to be a realist and not keep your head in the sand.

At the very least, people don’t look like they’re going barefoot any time soon.Yes, there is always going to be a market for shoes (laughs).

Even if drones start delivering shoes right to people’s doorsteps? The amount of shoes being bought online will continue to grow in the foreseeable future, but there are plenty of reasons for shoe stores to remain in existence. I don’t think we’re anywhere near the independent book retailer space. •

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ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER than words. That’s D’Wayne Edwards’ motto and the basis behind Pensole Footwear Design Academy, the shoe design school he founded in Portland, OR, in 2011. “There are too many students graduating from design schools who won’t get a job,” reports the former Jordan Brand design director. “Companies want qualified candidates, and schools aren’t gearing the curriculum toward specific career tracks and teaching students the proper design process that’s used in corporate America.”

That’s where Edwards’ design school comes in. Pensole’s “learn by doing” approach to education teaches students the entire footwear design process, from inspiration and concept development to problem solving, materials and branding. It’s a model that has a proven track record of success. “Over 90 of our alumni are now working professionally in the three years since Pensole started,” he states, noting that his graduates have gone on to work at Nike, Adidas and Under Armour, among other leading companies. “If the largest footwear companies in the industry are coming to us as a place where they can pull talent from, then I’ve done my job,” he adds.

But Edwards is only just getting started on his goal to teach the art of footwear design. In September, he announced plans to raise as much as $7.5 million through Soleholder, a global “community ownership” campaign to expand Pensole Footwear Design Academy. Inspired by the Green Bay Packers, the NFL’s only publicly owned team whose shareholders program has offered stock to fans five times since 1923, Edwards is issuing up to 50,000 shares of Pensole to the public for $150 each. Up until now, he has resisted raising money from outside investors until he established the viability of the business, choosing to finance it with $600,000 out of his own pocket. “If I had told people what I wanted to do, they probably wouldn’t have thought I’d accomplish it,” he says of his decision to be self funded at the start. Now that Pensole has a track record of placing students in high-powered design jobs, Edwards is ready to welcome the public as partners. “We’ve been able to grow with very little money and make a pretty significant impact on the industry,” he notes.

The money raised will be donated to the No. 2 Foundation, Pensole’s nonprofit arm, and will be used for a variety of expansion efforts, including a scholar-ship endowment that would provide free education to all candidates; a sample room that would enable students to build prototypes from scratch; and an expanded diversity program. They are all avenues that Edwards would have dreamed of as a kid grow-ing up in the working-class city of Inglewood, CA. Back then, he won a Reebok design competition, beating out professionals and college students, and fueling his dream of becoming a shoe designer. But when the time came to apply for colleges there was a wealth of apparel design schools located on the West Coast, but none taught shoe design. (Even if there was, as one of six kids in a single parent home, Edwards says a college education just wasn’t in the family budget.) So he attended night school and temped by day at LA Gear as a file clerk and made himself known as “the kid who put shoe sketches in the company’s suggestion box.” Six months and 180 drawings later, company founder Robert Greenberg rewarded Edwards’ determination by hiring him as a footwear designer at the age of 19. And the rest, as they say, is history. In the 25 years since, Edwards has worked at Skechers (which Greenberg founded after LA Gear), Nike and Jordan.

Edwards, however, never forgot the frustration he endured early on in his career because there were no schools that would enable him to pursue his dreams. He didn’t want other aspiring designers to run into similar roadblocks. So during a sabbatical in 2010, he flew 40 young adults (on his dime) to the University of Oregon for a two-week shoe design program. “It worked really well, to the point where some of the top design schools asked me to start working with them,” he recalls. A year later, he retired from Jordan and opened Pensole.

Today, the school hosts intense classes that run one to four weeks, six to seven times a year, offering students—regardless of socioeconomic status—an opportunity to learn from the industry’s best, without financial barriers. The academy also offers classes through Parsons in New York, MIT in Boston and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. “We want to keep it pretty small and focused because our goal is to produce better designers, not more designers,” he says, noting that each session accepts only 20 students. To apply, prospects must submit a simple black-and-white sketch. “That tells me all I need to know,” he says. “You can see the raw pas-sion in the level of detail and quality of the sketches. There’s no computer rendering or color to hide a bad design behind.”

Edwards sees Pensole as a win-win for all parties. “The more that we can provide for the industry, the more the industry will hopefully invest back into the future of Pensole and its students,” he says.“Ultimately, that will make the industry better as a whole.”

Paving the way for the next generation of footwear designers.

By Lyndsay McGregor

D’Wayne Edwards (top), founder of the Pensole Footwear Design Academy, uses a “learn by doing”

approach to teaching the art of shoe design.

GUIDINGLIGHT

L A S T W O R D Getting Schooled

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Fall 2014Available Now

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Footwear Plus | October/November 2014