Shoe Salon

Hear Her Roar!

Jannie Denney, founder and designer of Tigerbear, unleashes about her sustainable-themed start-up and why every woman needs shoes that make her feel like a bad a**. By Greg Dutter

JANNIE DENNEY IS a designer, a mother, an environmentalist and a motivational speaker—and not always in that order. She has spent decades designing shoes primarily for the juniors’ market. Stops have included Blowfish Malibu, Rock & Candy, Rocket Dog, Chinese Laundry and design director of Airwalk, then a division of BBC Int’l. In between there was the launch of her own sustainable-design driven label, Tigerbear Republik (2012-2015), which she relaunched, last summer, as Tigerbear.

Aesthetically speaking, Denney says Tigerbear is a “big, old ball of crazy” that spans bright colors, fun prints and unexpected twists. “It’s meant to make you smile,” she says. “It’s a labor of love that brings joy—like when you cook with love, you can taste it.”

The Tigerbear menu is retro yet current, starting with sustainable materials like recycled plastic uppers and outsoles featuring recycled rubber. “Ecofriendly shoes don’t have to be drab and boring,” Denney says. “They can be fun and exuberant.” Tigerbear’s design ethos, she adds, is “eco-conscious, not ego-conscious.” Examples include Tigerbear flag foxing, rainbow gore on its slip-ons and tigers and bears hardware. “We want to keep customers guessing what we’ll have each season,” she says, noting that sustainable materials are key. “Our goal is to keep pushing the envelope and be the change we wish to see in this world where, one day, all footwear produced is mindful of our beautiful planet.”

Denney believes the age of “slow fashion” has arrived. “Customers are informed and want to buy from brands they feel good about,” she says. “Our goal is to make beautiful products that I’m proud of and also resonates with consumers.”

On that note, Tigerbear’s Fall ’22 collection continues on a theme of cozy sneakers. Think squishy, soft, plush and puffy fabrics. “We’ve all been at home in our sweats for the past couple of years, but who’s ready to give up being cozy?” Denney offers. “Our sneakers feature fabrics that you find in your favorite, silky PJs. And we’ve added prints for a little glam. We’re all about platforms, satins and prints in bright, bold colors, which are unexpected for fall.”

Tigerbear embraces the unconventional, but Denney is confidant in her decades of experience. She knows what her target audience wants. “I know the customer, because I am the customer,” she says. “I’m a trendy, fashion lover who wants good product at a good price. And I love shoes!” Who is the Tigerbear gal? She’s not looking to blend in with the crowd, that’s for sure. She wants quality but also fun. The rules seem to be out the window these days. If you want to wear slippers in the summer or fuzzy sandals in the fall, you can—and you should! It gives me the freedom to make what feels right at the time, rather than fall back on old rules. It’s very exciting as customers have the power.

In what ways might your Thai-Mexican-American background influence your

designs? Let’s add growing up in Saudi Arabia to that crazy mix! Surrounded by exotic colors, prints and art from my mixed cultures greatly influenced my design. In addition, as an American growing up in the Middle East, I strove to feel like a “real American,” so I have this obsession for American pop culture and street fashion. When sneakers exploded onto the scene in the ’80s, I fell in love with them. That obsession, I believe, has given me a unique perspective in this industry. Art, fashion and sneakers make me feel alive, and I strive to give that feeling to my customers. Where do you look for design inspiration? As cliché as it may seem, I’m inspired by everything and anything. It can be at a playground with my daughter, or going to the beach or having a gorgeous coffee at a café. Inspiration is found within your mindset. If you allow your mind the freedom to let go, it’ll soak in the creative energy of everything around it.

Busy, bright and bold: the Tigerbear recipe. What is the best design advice you’ve ever received? Keep working on a design until you love it, because if you love it, someone else will too. Also, strive to be an original, because no one likes a copycat.

Any designers you admire? Tom Ford for his elegance, sex appeal and bringing a new generation to Gucci in the ’90s. He was the first designer on my radar in design school. I also love Vivienne Westwood. Her ageless, unconventional design and punkish bravado is something to exemplify. And my son, Johnnie Denney, designer of Thai Cowboy. Despite launching at the beginning of Covid, he hasn’t given up on his vision to reset street fashion. At 21, he’s designing into that dream. Isn’t that a beautiful thing?

What shoe must every woman have in her closet?

The shoe that makes her look in the mirror and feel like the bad ass she is. Is that a five-inch stiletto or a tiger-printed sneaker? That’s not for me to say, but if you don’t have a pair of shoes in your closet that make you feel ready to conquer the world, it’s time to go shopping!

What is your first shoe memory? Around 6 years old and it’s my white/red swoosh Nike Bruins. I thought I could be the fastest runner in the world with them on! It was my first experience feeling how shoes could transform thoughts of yourself.

What do you love most about designing? Designing shoes that my friends and family can wear. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing my child running around in sneakers that I designed with her in mind.

Naot Expands Vegan Collection

DUE TO POPULAR demand, Naot has expanded its vegan leather collection for Fall ’22 in terms of new sandal colors as well as introducing the Tamra women’s knit lace-up sneaker. The collection, which has tripled in size, features leathers made of agricultural waste, such as hemp, pineapple leaves, coconut, banana and water hyacinth.

“We couldn’t keep the vegan styles we introduced last fall in stock,” reports Ayelet Lax Levy, president, Naot USA. “The results have been beyond our expectations.” She adds, “It’s brought a new consumer to Naot who is looking for something vegan and more environmentally friendly. The designs also appeal to our core Naotics.”

In addition to vegan leathers, Levy notes the collection, like the entire Naot line, is produced using environmentally safe methods. “Our factories (in Israel) are located on a farm, next to a bird sanctuary,” she says. “You actually walk through a cow shed to get into one of them.” Levy adds that producing there has the company constantly looking at best practices. “Reducing waste, glues, etc… we also still produce shoes by hand, which is much less impactful on the environment.”

Going forward, Levy says its Naot’s “duty” to expand its vegan category. “We have a few fun things for Spring ’23 already in the works,” she says. “It speaks to both current and new customers, which will get more people to experience the magic of Naot’s original soft cork footbed. We didn’t forget that wow factor when creating these new vegan versions.” In the meantime, the latest collection hit the catwalk recently at Tel Aviv Fashion Week to rave reviews, reports Levy. It followed the line’s debut last fall at the sustainably themed Kornit Fashion Week in Los Angeles. “We chose to debut at Kornit

Naot vegan kicks at Tel Aviv because it includes models Fashion Week. of all ages, body shapes and races to reinforce that everyone is beautiful,” Levy says, adding that Naot partnered with up-and-coming clothing designers for its runway show. “We featured designers from Asia, Africa, the U.S. and Europe. Breaking the norms of how we look at beauty and fashion is part of the conversation of sustainability and environmentalism.”

continued from page 9

works, they weren’t being analyzed in a way that would provide data metrics that we could share as proof points. This information is so relevant to Twisted X’s customers, so I’ve put processes into place for more data to be shared externally.

What are your goals for the rest of the year? To expand upon our sustainability initiatives and spread national awareness of its importance. One of the metrics is tracking our carbon emissions. To date, we’ve tracked emissions for Scope 1 and Scope 2, which includes our headquarters, factories worldwide, third-party distribution and shipping. This year, we’re looking to get into Scope 3, which would include further analysis of our materials and components to track emissions coming from our supply chain. Twisted X (projected to attain carbon neutral status this year) is also looking into becoming B Corp certified. I’ve also been busy planning our Love the Land national cleanup campaign held this past Earth Day. We wanted to draw attention to the waste that is littering our planet and encourage each person to do their part. We sent corporate partners and retailers cleaning supplies to help them with their individual clean-up efforts.

What are your goals further out? Beginning this year, Twisted X has committed to the inclusion of at least one sustainable feature in every product that comes out of our factories. This includes Twisted X, Black Star and our license, Wrangler Footwear. Materials like ecoTWX and leatherTWX, made of recycled plastics, as well rice husks, sugarcane molasses and bamboo will be used. We’ll also expand our Zero-X collection, featuring a revolutionary stitching method that eliminates the need for glue.

What are the challenges to achieving these goals? One is cost. Since sustainability is a newer field, costs are usually higher compared to traditional materials. But as more companies use sustainable materials, the cost will go down. That said, Twisted X doesn’t make decisions solely based on costs. We’re ok that it might be less costeffective if, in the long run, it furthers our initiative to do good. Our CEO (Prasad Reddy) believes in taking care of the planet because it’s the right thing to do. If the sustainable alternative to, say a footbed, has a higher cost, he won’t pass it on to retailers or consumers. It’s not often that a CEO will choose the planet over profit.

Any concerns about greenwashing? Transparency is key. Twisted X isn’t concerned with being flashy. We’re focused on the data and the benefits of sustainability. To that end, we publish two sustainability reports annually featuring an in-depth analysis of all our initiatives. That transparency goes a long way in building trust with our customers and shows that our efforts are genuine. We’ve done the research and we’re happy to share it.

Any added pressure as Twisted X’s first-ever Sustainability Strategist? It’s a great honor to be the first. But I don’t feel a lot of pressure because I know the company is behind me and we’re all so in tune with sustainability. Oftentimes, there can be butting of heads across teams because of the added cost and time associated with sustainability. Here, I have the full support, from the C-suite on down. Instead of push back, I get encouragement and collaboration.

Is this a dream job? Yes! There’s such an entrepreneurial spirit here. I can pave a path and also collaborate. There isn’t a playbook, which is exciting. It allows me to be curious and push boundaries by always asking, “Why not?”