More Than An American Dream

8/8/2019 More Than An American Dream

1/5INDUSTRY NEWS AND ANALYSIS FOR RETAILERSFrom the Editorial Team ofSporting Goods Intelligenc

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 44

NOVEMBER 8, 2010
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2/5PAGE 2 NOVEMBER 8, 2010

John HoranPublisher

[email protected]

Judy LeandEditor

[email protected]

Bob McGeeManaging Editor

[email protected]

Robert Z. FeinerAdvertising Director

[email protected]

Zachary J. WatsonWestern Account Manager

[email protected]

Jon BogertAssociate Publisher

[email protected]

Rob [email protected]

610-459-4040

SGI Weekly Intelligence is pub-lished by Sporting Goods Intel-ligence, Inc. 442 FeatherbedLane, Glen Mills, PA 19342.

2010 Sporting Goods Intelli-gence, Inc. all rights reserved.

Its sometimes hard

to tell the difference be-

tween advance planning

and desperation, particularly

in a difcult economic climate.

Remember when yuletide decorations would only

appear in stores after Thanksgiving? Now its com-

mon for the Ghost of Christmas Future to haunt the

aisles alongside Halloween witches, zombies and

Jack-O-Lanterns (not to mention the vast stockpiles

of rened sugar products for both occasions). The

whole idea is to sell early and often. At any rate,

as the Holiday season approaches, so, too, do new

products and marketing efforts.

For example, Nike is now kicking off a multi-

media campaign called Rise that features basket-

ball superstar LeBron James. In the video, James

addresses his off-season controversy and focuses

on the future. To see the spot, and to get a look at

the new LeBron 8 signature shoe, visit the e-ventdepartment.

At Vere Sandals, a start-up company based in

Geneva, NY, and headed by surf and action sports

footwear designer John Eades, the mission is to

produce high-quality, eco-friendly sandals made in

the USA. Vere is now launching its debut collection

for Spring 11. Youll nd the full story in the new

product department.

As always, you can count on us to bring you

the latest news and events from around the indus-

try no matter what the season, so go ahead and

start clicking!

Judy Leand

Editor

Click Here toRequest a Subscription

IN THE SPIRIT
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VERE SANDALS MORE THAN

AN AMERICAN DREAM

Having spent much of his career heading up footwear

design for major surf and action sports brands, John Eades

is now looking to his next wave: turning out high-quality, do-

mestically manufactured, eco-friendly sandals. Toward this

end, Eades, with partners Michael

Ferreri and Jeff Eades, founded Vere

Sandals earlier this year. The com-

pany is now ready to launch its rst

collection in time for Spring 2011.

Eades began working in the foot-

wear industry as part of the design

team at New Balance, and he contin-

ued to learn the trade at Airwalk and

Tommy Hilger. He then progressed

into the roles of product line man-

ager, design manager and footwear

product director for Reef sandals.

During those years, whenever Eades

would visit a retailer, he made a point

of asking, What are you not getting

from the brands you carry? More

often than not, the response was, an

American-made sandal.

Eades, who serves as Veres

president, started his new venture in July. This project was

something I had been thinking about for a while, he ex-

John Eades, founder and president of

Vere Sandal Company.


4/5NOVEMBER 8, 2010 PAGE 25

plained. After visiting overseas factories for the last 15-years

of my design career and witnessing the waste involved in

manufacturing and shipping, weve spent a signicant amount

of focus contemplating how to simplify sandal making, reducewaste and bring the process closer to home.

The Vere brand name is inspired by the verb veer, mean-

ing a sudden change in direction. Its brand mark is a great-

er than symbol, projecting a greater cause and a commit-

ment to build better, more responsible product. In fact, the

companys tag line is: Made here. Made better.

Veres introductory sandal line boasts four styles for

women and three for men (a total of seven styles and 16

SKUs), and includes both leather and EVA options. All models

utilize a mix of recycled and recyclable materials, and have

been designed to eliminate nearly all waste in the production

process. Leather styles are tanned without the use of harm-

ful heavy metals, and woven straps are made from recycled

nylon. A thick, colorful EVA midsole layer adds comfort and a

fun design detail, and an injected, asymmetric arch support

disc lends to an ergonomic t while signicantly reducing the

The womens Angie (Pink/Brown) and the mens Louie (Brown/Orange) feature

recycled nylon webbing uppers, low-prole footbeds, and embroidered logos.

All of Veres sandals are made domestically at its Geneva, NY, facility.



amount of EVA used in the manufacturing process. In addi-

tion, all Vere sandals will be sold using minimal packaging

made from recycled materials. Retail prices will range from

$25 to $50.

Veres headquarters and manufacturing facilities are

based in Geneva, NY, where John and Jeff Eades, as well as

Ferreri, have rich family histories that date back several gen-

erations. Geneva even offered Vere tax and grant incentives

to set up shop through an industrial development program

originally introduced by Eades late grandfather, the towns

former Mayor. (To add to the family narrative, each sandal

style is named for an Eades or Ferreri family member, includ-

ing the Louie, named for Ferreris grandfather, and the An-

gie, named for Eades grandmother.) In August, Vere Sandals

opened its doors in the historic American Can Company facili-

ty. By the end of November, Eades expects that Vere will have

10 employees.

According to Eades, Vere Sandals will be distributed in

core surf and outdoor stores, and the target consumers are

men and women ages 18 to 40. In the rst year, our big-

gest goal is at-once business. The ability to ll orders on time

and quickly is one of our biggest competitive advantages, he

said. In the next ve years, we want to grow Veres share in

the sandal market and we see plenty of opportunity.

In terms of PR and marketing, Eades intends to rely on

consumer word-of-mouth and on smaller shops that can ef-

fectively tell Veres story on the sales oor. The brand will

take advantage of social media such as Twitter and Facebook,

and will seed product to Vere Testers that sign up via the

companys madeheremadebetter blog.

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More Than An American Dream