Footwear Plus | February 2018

CONNIE RISHWAIN ON GUIDING VIONIC

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T H E M I S M AT C H E D T R E N D : H O T O R N O T ?

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ALL THAT GLIT TERS Stunning Shapes, Materials & Embellishments: H e e l s Ta k e C e n t e r S t a g e

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F E B RUA RY 2 0 1 8 FE AT U R ES 14 Odd Ones In or Out? In the age of satorial decadence, does the mismatch trend have legs?

By Aleda Johnson

Caroline Diaco Publisher Greg Dutter Editorial Director Nancy Campbell Trevett McCandliss Creative Directors

16 First Lady With a resume like few others, Connie Rishwain, president of Vionic Group, is positioning yet another brand for a major liftoff.

By Greg Dutter 22 Trend Spotting A roundup of leading Fall ’18 trends in materials, silhouettes, colors and categories.

By Aleda Johnson

and why the best is yet to come.

By Kirstin Koba

Bruce Sprague Circulation Director

aren’t just for slippers anymore.

By Aleda Johnson 56 Heeling Powers Bold, bedazzled and bejeweled heels add a much-needed lift to fall collections.

By Aleda Johnson

Photography by Bill Phelps/ Casey Creative Group Ltd.; stylist: Barbara Ries; hair and makeup: Angelia Guthrie; model: Lizzy Ryan/Ignite Models.

Melodie Jeng Mary Kang Contributing Photographers

Laurie Guptil Production Manager

52 The New Cozy Felt uppers and shearling linings

This page: Marc Fisher smoking slipper with studded heel, Joynoelle top, undergarment by Baserange.

Kirstin Koba Contributing Editor

Foot Solutions, on the franchisee-owned chain’s pedorthics-meets-fashion model

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On the cover: J. Reneé velvet booties with glitter heels, dress by Zara, vintage bracelet.

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ADVERTISING/ PRODUCTION Jennifer Craig Associate Publisher

Children’s designers go the limit on fall collections to appease parents who demand style without restrictions.

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Emily Beckman Assistant Editor

42 The Perfect Solution Ray Margiano, founder and CEO of

46 Above and Beyond

PA G E

EDITORIAL Aleda Johnson Assistant Editor

D EPA RT M E NT S 12 Editor’s Note 50 What’s Selling 51 A Note to My Younger Self 66 Comfort 68 Shoe Salon 72 Last Word

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10 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2018

STYLE. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO HURT.

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ED ITOR ’S NOTE

Make Shopping Great Again

a Woman’s Point of View...

About shopping in today’s ruptured retail landscape.

A FEW WEEKS ago, my wife set out on what hair, and a lot of it. (She’s been compared to Cousin Itt.) seemed like a simple errand: to buy a hair straightFirst up: Bed Bath & Beyond, a massive store, alas with a tiny selection. ener for our teenage daughter. What followed Next: the specialty beauty chain Blue Mercury, where the salesperson was an Iditarod-like challenge that led from was “lovely,” but the store didn’t carry flat irons. Even if it had, the woman Manhattan’s Financial District to the Upper East advised my wife to go to Target instead to save money. My wife did just and West sides and involved searching national that, but found only one lackluster flat iron—on clearance, in a damchains, big box outlets, online and drug stores. It’s aged box. Next: Sephora had flat irons, but the type she needed started an enlightening case study in just how difficult at $230—three times as much as she paid for our last one, purchased “shopping” for a product you want immediately has become. The story online from the manufacturer two years ago. (By the way, the manufacapplies to beauty care, shoes, food, clothing, etc. turer no longer makes this model, despite the fact that customers gave Full disclosure: Our teenage daughter’s naturally wavy hair demands it a five-star rating. She searched eBay and Amazon Marketplace, but what the kids call a flat iron. You see, poker straight tresses are in these to no avail.) Discouraged, she called a few local retailers. Ulta Beauty, a days, and as another school day loomed—with the national discount chain with an outpost on the end-of-semester choir performance that evening—a Upper East Side, claimed to have a nice selection wavy, frizzy coif was not an option. All would have in a range of prices. One crosstown bus later, my been right in our corner of the world, had my wife wife shopped each model displayed out of its box not dropped our perfectly good flat iron on the for the touch-and-feel test. The help was polite, bathroom floor that morning, cracking it in half. though none too knowledgeable on the topic of Fortunately, we live in New York, one of the world’s flat irons. Still, time was running out, so she left retail meccas. The city that never sleeps is teeming with a model she felt would suffice, though it was with millions of residents, some of whom must, on designed for straightening wet—not dry—hair and occasion, replace broken flat irons. My wife figured was “not nearly as good as the old one.” she’d just pop into one of the numerous shops in The moral of this flat iron shopping fiasco? It’s the stunning new Oculus mall in the World Trade just really hard to shop—for anything—these days.

Center during her lunch break. The race for a new Buying online is no picnic with its ever-increasing Hair they are: my wife and daughter hiking in New Hampshire without a flat iron in sight. flat iron was on. number of shady third-party sources and its shipNow some of you might ask, why not order one ping and return hassles. Brick-and-mortar shoponline and have it overnighted? It’s not that simple—or reliable. We ping is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re gonna get needed it by 7:00 a.m. the following day. Want to roll the dice on UPS, in terms of selection, service and whether the model/size/color you want Fed-Ex or USPS arriving with a delivery by that hour? It was the dead is in stock. If it’s not, offering to have it shipped overnight is fine, but it of winter, no less, with snowstorms crisscrossing the country, wreaking defeats the purpose the customer came into your store for in the first havoc on deliveries. My staff is on a first-name basis with an armada place—to walk out with the item. of delivery guys shipping shoe samples by the carriage load, and I can Hence, the current retail catch-22: Risk carrying a deep inventory to assure you that the timing of arrivals is a crapshoot. What’s more, my serve customers immediately or risk acting like an online dealer—an wife had several recent experiences with online shopping that made approach that discourages going to a store in the first place. It suggests her want to look elsewhere. They included late deliveries, a few nonthe answer might be fewer, better stores with deeper stock. It also sugdeliveries and a couple of products that arrived from shady third-party gests retailers forego competing on free shipping and low prices in favor sources covered in Chinese writing where returns were a lost cause. In of a unique, quality selection backed by a high level of service. Perhaps addition, a flat iron—much like a pair of shoes—is a product best seen the so-called retail apocalypse is really a necessary, natural correction. If and touched before buying. A screen shot requires too much guesswork. so, it’s more a means to an end than the end of retail. If you build such For the record, we needed a wide model, since our daughter has long stores, my wife, for one, will shop there—happily.

Greg Dutter

Editorial Director

12 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2018

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

ODD ONES IN OR OUT? In the age of sartorial decadence, does the mismatch shoe trend have a leg to stand on?

By Aleda Johnson

ELSA SCHIAPARELLI ONCE said, “In difficult times, fashion is always outrageous.” The Italian fashion designer, who came to prominence between the two World Wars, may have been on to something. In the era of tweetstorms, #Timesup and the “retailpocalypse,” ostentatiousness and absurdity reigns in fashion. Some experts even call it downright ugly. The influence of opulent designers like Gucci’s Alessandro Michele facilitated a shift away from the minimalism of normcore and athleisure that dominated the first half of the 2010s. With the likes of ugly dad shoes (think Balenciaga) and knee-to-toe glitter boots a la Chanel becoming trend staples in 2017, designers are taking it a step 14 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2018

further, eschewing the focus on “what’s stylish” for maximalism that encompasses all.

Nowhere was this more obvious than when Celine sent models down the Spring ’17 runway wearing one red leather and one white leather bootie. It wasn’t long until other designers caught on to the mismatched trend. Moschino brought out opposing-striped orange pumps and Fendi answered with contrasting fuzzy flower and striped slides. Bloggers like Aimee Song of Song of Style picked the trend up, donning one black and one white Celine sandal, and Nicole Kidman rocked a mismatched pair of bejeweled Calvin Klein stilettos to the Emmys last year.

To those who’ve tried the trend, wearing a pair of shoes that don’t perfectly match becomes an expression of sartorial freedom. “It is fun, whimsical and allows people to express their individuality in a world where people are discussing tribe mentalities,” says Leslie Gallin, president of footwear for UBM Fashion Group. “I’m surprised we haven’t seen this before now.” For Sari Ratsula, president of Seychelles Footwear, the trend is a refreshing take on designer fashion often plagued with stuffiness.

“It’s fabulous to see this type of playfulness at the high end—ultimately it’s what the industry is all about,” she says.

This isn’t the first time the trend has made an appearance. Carrie Bradshaw donned one hot pink and one electric blue Manolo Blahnik stiletto in a 2000 episode of Sex In The City. Teens knee deep in the grunge movement in the ’90s rocked mismatched converse Top to bottom: sneakers. Camper had a nice Dansko, run with its Twins collection Marskinryyppy, of mismatched styles. Mark Mark Jubelirer, Jubelirer, owner of Reyer’s Ruthie Davis Shoe Store in Sharon, PA, claims to be a pioneer of the trend when he designed his first pair of “reverse pumps” in the mid ’70s. “The right shoe was a black leather base with white cap toe and heel, and the left was the reverse of that,” says Jubelirer, explaining he had about 12 pairs made a year in a small factory in Spain after throwing ideas around with a friend.

“He said I was crazy.” But the styles sold.

This time around, more designers are taking notice. Scott Home, president of Fashion Major Brands, released a few mismatched styles for Coolway last season. Home says they didn’t work well, but thinks he may have been too early for the trend to resonate with his customer. “I love this concept,” he says. “It’s random, it’s unpredictable, it’s exciting, and I’ve already contacted my designers in Spain to have another look at it.” Designer Ruthie Davis is also testing the mismatched waters, having incorporated subtle differences in some pairs of her first capsule collection, Ruthie Davis x Disney Princess, out this year. Her favorite from the Snow White-inspired line is the “Good vs. Evil” ankle boots. “The right bootie has Snow White’s face on it, and the left has the Evil Queen’s face,” Davis says. “So, depending on your mood, you can put that foot forward.” Another mismatched example from the Snow White collab is blue velvet platform booties where the right shoe has “The Fairest” embroidered on it and the left reads, “Of them All.” “I like the mismatched trend if the right and left shoe are not exactly alike, but they need to have some common thread that makes them a pair,” Davis says, adding, “The only time I think two totally different colored shoes of the same >69

Bella~Vita

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Fall 2018

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BY GREG DUTTER

FIRST LADY With a resume like few others, Connie Rishwain, president of Vionic Group, is positioning yet another brand for a major liftoff.

N

OT MANY PEOPLE have the footwear career cred of Connie Rishwain. From successful stints at Nine West and Impo, to spearheading a $1 billion-plus business that stretched over two decades at Ugg, to her latest gig as president of the fast-growing Vionic Group, Rishwain has pretty much seen and done it all when it comes to succeeding in the shoe biz. She’s an industry lifer, having gotten her start selling fine shoes and clothing at Roos Atkins, a local retail chain in her native California during summers in high school and college. She was hooked from the get-go, falling in love with the buying process, the people and the product. Little did she know then that it would become a lifelong career—one that would include learning from industry master Vince Camuto and making Ugg one of the most influential brands in fashion over the past 20 years. (Sales of the surf/slipper brand were $11 million annually when Deckers acquired it for relative peanuts in 1996). Rishwain has a sixth sense when it comes to shoes. She knows how to put together a line and expand upon it season after season. Better still, she knows how to build a brand with a soul, a distinct DNA, a strong story and, of course, killer product.

Rishwain has brought that collective wisdom and magic touch to Vionic, a brand she believes has an Ugg-like growth trajectory ahead. And she has the track record to give her assessment credence. “The brand has a crazy amount of potential,” she says. “Vionic could be so many things, because it’s really about the comfort technology, and we’re not tied to a particular material, season or gender. We can be strong in spring, fall, sandals, boots, men’s, etc.”

The future looks bright for Vionic, which has already become a key brand for many retailers. Its Orthaheel technology that encourages proper alignment and reduces an array of aches and pains is in step with the macro wellness movement. Rishwain is now in charge of making sure the product looks as good as it feels and, along the way, the brand reaches its full potential. “We haven’t even scratched the surface,” she says. “We’ve

16 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2018

O&A got a tremendous growth opportunity ahead of us in the U.S. just within our current retail distribution. International is another huge growth opportunity.

Those businesses are tiny for us, and they could be 20 or 30 percent of our total business.”

Rishwain is the ideal candidate at the perfect time to lead Vionic. But her arrival a year and a half ago happened only through fortunate circumstances.

Rishwain was coming off her epic Ugg run and looking forward to taking some time off, serving on several nonprofit boards, seeing her daughter off to college and contemplating sitting on a corporate board or two. The thought of running another shoe company was the furthest thing from her mind. When long-time industry friend and Vionic global brand architect Lisa Bazinet set up a meeting between Rishwain and CEO Chris Gallagher about joining the company’s board, the lunch stretched into three hours as the two swapped stories about their What are you reading? I just finlengthy shoe business histories. A ished Thrive by Arianna Huffington. meeting at Vionic’s headquarters It’s about the need to take care of in San Rafael, CA, followed—and yourself, which is very relevant to Rishwain was surprised to learn my life. that Gallagher didn’t want her to join the board. The board wanted What was the last movie you her to run the company. saw? It’s been a while. Beauty and “I didn’t even see it coming,” the Beast with my mom. We loved it.

Rishwain says. “I wouldn’t have accepted the offer if they weren’t What was your first-ever paying such great people. At this point in job? Selling women’s and men’s my life, I want to work with wonderclothing and shoes at Roos Atkins. ful people who I respect and have I did that all through high school fun with. They’ve given me a lot of and college. autonomy, and there are just really cool things that we can do at this What’s the smartest business brand. We’ve been wildly successful decision you’ve ever made? without a lot of brand awareness. If Moving to the East Coast early in we just grow the brand awareness, my career to work for the founders I can’t imagine how much more we of Nine West—Vince Camuto, Jack can grow.”

Fisher and Wayne Weaver. It was Rishwain has gone right to work growing Vionic’s business, doing what she does best: upgrading the product development team, expanding the line around core staples, raising brand awareness, upping the fashion ante and making the brand younger in terms of styling and positioning. It’s all textbook, but far easier said than done.

Knowing what to do and how to do it fast helps. Rishwain is proud to report that Vionic has made significant strides in the aforementioned areas, highlighted by the rollout of 10 shop-in-shops last year with plans for 100 more this year.

The brand also introduced riser packages in all doors at Dillard’s in 2017 and will introduce men’s versions this year.

Rishwain is pleased with the new team she’s put together in product, design and development. “It’s really strong,” she says, noting it was an area that needed to be beefed up. “We already had strong sales and marketing teams, and now we have those pillars in place—directors of design, development and product.

The team is having a lot of fun, and that’s when you get great shoes.”

How does Rishwain know Vionic’s team is making great shoes? For one, her college-age daughter now approves of the new styles. Last summer, the Vionic intern even sported a pair to a sales meeting, having stolen her mom’s baby blue Midi Perf sneakers. “This is a girl who said a year before that she would ‘never wear those shoes,’” Rishwain says. “Now she’s rocking the Midi Perf and young

women in our product team are rocking it, too.” She believes the brand is onto something with the cupsole construction, which is striking a younger chord. In fact, Rishwain challenged the sales team at that meeting to sell 50,000 pairs of the style. To help get the ball rolling, she sent two pairs—in baby blue and baby pink—to Oprah with a note mentioning their previous success with similarly colored Ugg boots back in the early aughts. After the talk show queen featured the boots on her show as one of her “Favorite Things,” Ugg was off to the races.

Rishwain heard within a week that the Midi Perf would make Oprah’s list. “We’ve sold about 100,000 pairs,” she says. “The sell-in has been phenomenal, and I just think there are lots of opportunities that we can grab like that.”

Often, the difference between a hit and a miss lies in the fine details that only a seasoned shoe expert knows are missing. Rishwain is one such expert. But a hot item can only take a brand so far. The ability to build comparable to getting an MBA in around a core and tell a meaningful Footwear. After that, I only thought story, season after season, is how a in big picture terms. brand becomes prominent. Or, as Rishwain likes to say, a brand with Who is your most coveted dinner a soul. “I hate it when a line looks guest? Oprah, of course. like a bunch of items that have no relationship to each other,” she What is the best advice you’ve says. “Brands need—and retailers ever received? I heard Oprah speak want—to tell a story, and consumers once and she said, “People will only respond to that.” remember how you made them feel.”

What’s Vionic’s story for Fall ’18?

What is your motto? I have so There are multiple stories. We’ve many, but this is one that comes had a lot of success the past couple to mind: “The customer signs our of years with animal and snakeskin paychecks.” prints across pumps and sneakers, often in sharp black and white What is your favorite hometown contrasts. Now we’re doing more memory? I grew up in Stockton, of a saturated jewel tone animal CA, and it’s of my big, fat Greek print story across the line in deep family—every Sunday was a huge blue, plum and cashew. We’ve also dinner/party with friends and family. expanded our pump category. We added the Josie pump last year, and it’s been very successful. We’ve built on that with the addition of the Mia pump. It’s much more fashionable than the Josie—a little higher heel and a younger aesthetic. It’s going to be a strong category for us. We’re also exploding our booties category. We started out with the Sterling style in Fall ’16, added a couple more styles the following year and now we’re adding a bunch more, as well as some tall boots. We’re also really excited about our men’s collection for this fall, and we’ll be running our first men’s ads. We opened a pop-up store recently in San Francisco, mostly for local brand awareness and to learn. It’s turned out to be a big hit. Men are buying shoes to the tune of 14 percent of the store’s business. We’re stunned, because it’s not 14 percent of the SKUs or the inventory.

OFF THE CUFF

18 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2018

Vionic is not gender specific, which was arguably Ugg’s challenge.

Right, it’s also not as well known, and it could actually be more of a male name.

We’re just very inspired by the response and have added a lot of men’s styles for Fall ’18. Actually, we haven’t been buying enough men’s inventory up to this point. They had been buying the minimums and selling out, so I told our team to take a little risk and order more. Men are slower to the dance sometimes and those styles can sit in the line longer, so it’s ok if we have a little hangover

O&A in the stock. Our inventory is tight, and we have few closeouts—there’s a big appetite, if we did. I just believe we’re onto something in men’s. Dillard’s is really supporting this effort. We’re already in 50 doors, and we are trying to go to 150 this year. We’ve added risers for 100 doors, so we’re excited about growing our men’s business.

fort in premium materials as well as be on trend. You’ve got to stay relevant.

You’ve got to make sure that your brand is on-trend. I always believed you get your cues from couture and try and make it relevant for your consumer so it’s understandable for them and commercial.

You’ve mentioned pumps, elevated styling, finer materials, expanding offerings in men’s and women’s.…Vionic doesn’t strike me as a typical comfort brand. How would you describe it?

We don’t think of ourselves as a “comfort” brand. We want to be known as a premium comfort brand. I wouldn’t call us a luxury brand. Originally, I positioned Ugg that way because sheepskin has the DNA of luxury. By premium, I mean quality materials and products at premium price points. Vionic isn’t a price point brand. While we do have entry-level sandals at $65, we go up to $250, and our sweet spot is around $130. We have little price resistance. We don’t have to be at $99.95 in order to be successful, because we’re not being bought on price. We’re being bought on delivering on our promise: to feel great out of the box and support you all day long. While we market some of our product as pain relieving, all styles must be comfortable. That will always be part of our brand, but comfort doesn’t have to be an ugly word. Everybody wants to be comfortable and look good.

That was the Vince Camuto approach.

Yes, exactly! He was just so in tune with what women would want to wear.

When he shopped Europe for trends, he could figure out how to translate that to the American public. It was never about copying. There’s a difference between a designer and a line builder, and Vince was a line builder. If pony hair was a trend, for example, he could figure out how to place it on a moc that would be commercial for the American public. That’s what I really learned from him, and I apply those same lessons today. If Vionic is a pump or a smoking slipper, what would they look like? They have to have the DNA of the brand. One of my favorite Vince stories happened after I had left Nine West and moved back to California. I was back in New York wearing a crazy yellow dress and yellow pumps when I saw him on the street. He was staring at my shoes. I went up to him and said, ‘Vince, it’s Connie. Look up.’ He was just studying how I put my outfit together. Great designers and line builders do that. They are always in tune with who their customer is and what they would want to wear.

Comfort doesn’t have the stigma it once had.

I don’t think it has that stigma anymore. But you don’t want to look like a dumb-dumb comfort brand. It’s important to offer people fashion and com-

And that’s one of your key areas of focus at Vionic?

Yes. It’s important to build product around your core. For example, we’re known for our Tide sandal. So how do we capture that consumer to buy our other styles

LIVING THE DREAM A career love story as told by Connie Rishwain.

C

ONNIE RISHWAIN CAUGHT the shoe bug in high school, working the floor of a Roos Atkins store. She exhibited an innate talent for spotting trends and having the chutzpah to take on challenges. Her father’s plans for law school went on the backburner. “I fell in love with retail. I wanted to be a buyer,” she says. “When buyers visited our store, I just soaked it all up.”

After graduating college, Rishwain entered a retail buying training program.

She was quickly promoted to an assistant buyer of men’s shoes at a local department store. She transferred to the buying office in Sacramento and, within three months, at age 23, Rishwain was promoted to the women’s shoe buyer. One of her buys was the Calico brand. She developed a strong relationship with brand manager Joe Pearce, who she frequently called asking about missing shipments.

One day Rishwain said he needed someone like her in the office to manage the business. Not long after, Rishwain, age 25, packed her bags for St. Louis to do just that. “I didn’t know St. Louis from anything,” she says. “But I was excited to work for what was then Fisher Camuto Group.”

Rishwain was a natural. She helped grow sales from $32 million to $68 million in her first year. “Joe let me run the office, buy the inventory and help line build,” she says. “I had a ball, but I just didn’t like living there.” Fortunately, a merchandise manager position opened at what were now Nine West’s Connecticut offices.

Rishwain calls this the smartest career move she ever made. In addition to being surrounded by young people and located just outside New York, she worked closely with the executive team. “I was like a sponge, just listening and learning. I would sit with Vince (Camuto) and the other line builders and help them edit and

20 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2018

price the line, picking colors, scheduling delivery dates and buying the inventory.

I would buy a million pairs at a time, and they trusted me.” Rishwain recalls the time she asked CEO Wayne Weaver to check a large order. He declined, saying he was sure it was fine. “He’d say, ‘You’ve got a big pencil, kid.’” Rishwain believes their confidence in her paid off. “When you’re given that much responsibility, you really grow as a person,” she says. “It was life-changing working there. They never sweated the small stuff; they only thought in big picture terms. They were never petty, and Vince was just such an enormous talent. It was just so amazing to witness it every day.”

Four years into her Nine West career and the California girl was homesick again.

Rishwain accepted a position as vice president of merchandising for Impo to return to her home state. “It was great,” she says, noting she dabbled in marketing, product, sales, inventory management—everything. “It was a quiet, $100-million business, and it was such fun.”

Six years later, Rishwain was recruited by a former coworker to join what was then Deckers Brands, makers of Teva and Simple. She got to work managing the inventory at first, and her talents quickly shone through. Simple was taking off, but no one had recognized that a clog was blowing out and calls were pouring into customer service from retailers looking to re-stock the item. Rishwain purchased 60,000 pairs—much to the alarm of CEO Doug Otto at the time. But she foresaw the unfulfilled demand. The following year, 500,000 pairs of that clog were sold, and Simple peaked at about $40 million in sales that year.

Then along came Ugg. During Rishwain’s first month at Deckers, Otto, an avid surfer, floated the idea of buying Ugg. He described it as a great niche brand that both he and his mother wore. The price was $12 million and, after

as well as gain new consumers that didn’t buy the Tide. It’s great to have an iconic product that consumers know you for, but it’s important to have other styles that have equity. You want consumers to buy your brand, not just an item. It’s important to make sure that you could literally fulfill many needs in their closets, if not all of them. Of course, you must control your SKU count, but Vionic is at a point where we haven’t even come close to maximizing that.

So we’ll be growing our SKU count quite a bit in women’s and men’s. You’ll see a big shift this spring and next fall in how much we have increased the offering in different categories. There’s just a lot of potential there.

While the potential for growth may be similar to Ugg in size, how might the runway differ today?

It’s changed a lot. Brands, for example, have to be leery about their number of company-owned stores. I was worried about that at the end of my time with Ugg. There was a lot of pressure to grow, pressure to add stores that we didn’t necessarily need. Of course, Vionic doesn’t have that issue.

But brands, in general, have to be leery of that. I think brick-and-mortar is important, so flagships and stores in general need to find the right amount and in the right locations. And you have to do it well. Retailers are so afraid of carrying inventory of late that it’s difficult to even find mainstream sizes in stock. Many will offer to ship it, but I believe that’s not why the customer went into the store. They went in to walk out with the item. I think it’s better to have less stores and make sure the ones you do have carry the stock, provide great service and are relevant. Because I don’t believe everyone is just suddenly going to buy everything >70

discussion with the team, the belief was that Teva reps could easily ramp up sales from $22 million to $50 million. It wasn’t that easy. For starters, Ugg’s account list ranged from Nordstom to Costco and a lot in between. Once that was cleaned up, sales totaled $11 million in 1996. “We had nowhere to go up but up,” Rishwain says, sensing there was something special about the product. Ugg was blowing out at Nordstrom, but only during the fall.

“The sell-through was ridiculous, and this wasn’t cheap product,” she says.

She got to work on what she did in her previous jobs: building off core items, adding some leather upper styles with sheepskin linings. (It helped get Ugg’s foot in the door with a top Asian factory. )Then, in 1999, Rishwain jumped at the chance to manage Ugg. Otto questioned her decision, calling it the “runt of the litter,” but Rishwain thought it had the most potential.

“Ugg appealed to a lot of different ages, and the selling at Nordstrom was startling,” she says. She convinced Jack Minuk, then Nordstrom’s vice president of sales, to carry Ugg in the chain’s holiday catalog, forcing its reluctant Midwest and Northeast buyers to stock the brand. After that, she felt confident sales would take off.

The rest was a $1 billion-plus brand run for the ages. Ugg rang up $24 million in sales in 2002 and $36 million the following year. That same year Rishwain added baby blue and pink styles to the holiday collection and “all hell broke loose” after they were featured on Oprah’s show. “That was Ugg’s moment.

There were wait lists and points afterward where we literally sold everything we bought,” Rishwain says. “It was incredible. We jumped from $36 million to $116 million the next year and to $270 million the next and on and on from there.” —G.D.

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The Perfect Solution True to his company’s name, Ray Margiano offers Foot Solutions

for customers in need by expanding his pedorthics-meets-fashion concept one franchise at a time. By Kirsten Koba IT IS NOT uncommon for people to sacrifice comcould benefit from its services. With an updated fort for style from time to time, but for those with store design and new licensing concept underway, serious foot issues like Charcot or plantar fasciitis, he plans to reach as many of those people as possible. every day can feel like a sacrifice. Finding shoes He is looking at growth of up to 36 new locations that alleviate pain and look good, well, that may this year, a noteworthy feat in an era when tales of seem about as elusive as a Sasquatch sighting. Enter store closures are far more common than expanRay Margiano, CEO and founder of Atlanta-based sion stories.

Foot Solutions, a 121 franchise-owned chain spanning In fact, Margiano believes there would already be 14 countries, who understands how the perfect pair many more Foot Solutions outlets if it hadn’t been of shoes—fitted properly—can profoundly change for the Financial Crisis about a decade ago. The people’s lives. pace of expansion had been picking up steam since Strip centers are the preferred location for the 121 “We can put people in a product that will change Margiano started aggressively working franchise Foot Solutions outlets located around the world. the way they feel, and the majority of our customers shows in 2000. The following year, he opened 10 notice the difference right in the store,” Margiano says. “It’s not uncommon stores, then 20 and then 30 the year after that. “If it weren’t for the meltdown for customers to hug the person who has fit them, or even start crying because of the U.S. economy, we’d probably be at 600-plus stores,” he says. “We sufwe have helped resolve pain that they couldn’t eliminate.” fered like everyone else did, but maybe not as badly because with a focus on Carving out a unique niche at the intersection of pedorthics and fashionable health, wellness and the medical side of retail, we were still able to grow. Stores comfort footwear, Margiano has learned how to address the specific needs of that focused on other markets weren’t as successful.” Another factor helping his clientele, who often come to his stores in desperate foot pain. And those the expansion of Foot Solutions get off the ground, Margiano says, was the are just the people who have discovered a Foot Solutions; there are millions ability for its franchises to turn a quick profit. “With a total investment in the more people around the world living in discomfort that Margiano believes $200,000 range, most of my franchisees had positive cash flow within three 42 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2018

to six months,” he says. What’s more, Margiano says the concept was unique and the wellness movement was just beginning. Even to this day, Margiano believes Foot Solutions has “peripheral competitors” in comfort specialty stores, podiatry groups and orthopedic medical shoe stores, but still no major direct competitors. “It puts us in a good position for negotiating,” he adds. “Right now, we are the largest in the world in this niche, and we plan on continuing to be the leader.”

Rewind to 1985 and its evident that Margiano has always been a business visionary. That was the year the exec, who had previously toiled in the corporate world at Sikorsky Aircraft, Sybron and Textron, launched his first franchise venture, Heel Quik, an on-the-spot shoe repair chain that he grew to more than 700 locations. But with an influx of throwaway shoes in the mid-’90s, Margiano saw a need to evolve, and began testing his Foot Solutions concept with two stores in the Atlanta area and partnerships with local comfort stores and physicians. He also spent a significant amount of time studying the traditional orthopedic footwear market, which he says was pretty dismal. “Most people didn’t want to go to an orthopedic store, and even if they bought shoes there they didn’t want to wear them,” he says. “At the same time, comfort shoe stores carried styles that looked good but didn’t solve serious foot problems.”

That’s where Foot Solutions has come into play. “I’m planting our flag right in between those areas, so we can be a crossover store that helps people feel attractive while finding shoes that can solve real foot problems,” Margiano says. Foot Solutions does this by offering a combination of comfort brand staples like Brooks, Naot, Dansko and Birkenstock; boutique brands that can’t be found online; proprietary pre-made inserts that give stores a gross margin of 70 to 80 percent and customizable orthotics made in their own Atlanta-based lab, Shu-Re-Nu. The latter offers a turnaround time of three days, when the norm for custom orthotics orders of its competitors is a week, according to Margiano. “Making orthotics is not just a science, there’s an art to it,” he says. “You have to hand shape and they aren’t easily replicable, so it requires talented people. We do it in the lab, so that we can control the operation.”

ALL IN A NAME Just as Foot Solutions strikes a balance between traditional orthotic shops and fashionable comfort stores, the company also balances old school customer service (employees spend at least 30 to 45 minutes with each client) and cutting-edge fit technology (like pressure pad systems and scanning machines in each store).

Scott Garmon, a certified pedorthist based in Hickory, NC, and the 10th franchisee to open a Foot Solutions locale in early 2001, believes the world doesn’t need another shoe store, and that’s why Foot Solutions is different. “We have a unique selling proposition, and it’s hard to replicate what we do,” he says. “We offer a combination of retail expertise and an ability to make modifications in our lab that you just can’t find online. Any store can pull an insert off the shelf for you, but you are not symmetrical; you were made unique.”

Garmon, who focuses on seniors, diabetes patients and veterans through partnerships with Medicare and the Veteran’s Administration, believes addressing the unique needs of every customer, who he views as a “work in progress” as their feet change with age, is the basis of his store’s success. Garmon reports his best gross sales was in 2017, having grown 3.5 percent.

Franchisee Sue Orischak, who is based in Scottsdale, AZ, and operates Foot Solutions’ top-selling store, attributes her success to the fact that it goes beyond the typical retail transaction. “If you’re providing a solution and not just selling a product, customers will recognize that,” she says. Orischak’s shop is more fashion-forward, featuring a broad selection of style savvy brands including Tomasi,

DRIVEN TO DREAM A n e n t r e p r e n e u r f r o m a yo u n g a g e , R ay M a r g i a n o shares his passion for building businesses with his f ra n c h i s e e s a n d h i s f a m i l y.

RAY MARGIANO STARTED working in his dad’s Derby, CT, auto garage when he was just 10 years old.

After a brief stint in the Navy, he returned home to pump gas, wash windshields and do service repairs 50 hours a week, all while attending school full time.

Although he couldn’t wait to get away, it was his first generation Italian father’s entrepreneurial spirit and fierce determination that laid the path for his own success in the footwear industry.

“Growing up in the garage, I knew I would eventually open my own business.

I am an entrepreneur, first and foremost,” Margiano says. “I was successful in the corporate world, but I always have ideas and see visions of how to do things differently. That’s what drives me.”

Although his early corporate accomplishments made his father proud, Margiano was stifled and he just couldn’t kick the entrepreneurial bug. In fact, he started his first business, Heel Quik, because as president of a division that made shoe repair lab equipment at his last corporate gig, Bostich Auto-Soler, he wasn’t allowed to make changes that he knew would grow the business.

“I kept coming up with ideas of how to grow that company but corporate wouldn’t let me do it, so I left,” he says, noting it became a life-long career connected to feet. “I just can’t get away from the feet. I went from Heel Quik to Foot Solutions, so I’m working my way up the body.”

Margiano wants to share his love of owning a business with his growing franchise-owned chain. “Helping people open their own business and be successful is a great pleasure,” he says. In today’s climate, where small business loans are not readily available and a residue of fear from the 2008 market crash lingers, he believes that the Foot Solutions franchise model gives people a low-risk opportunity to be their own boss. “I’m a typical entrepreneur: I don’t like to borrow money and I don’t like to go to investors, because they get the rewards while you do the work,” he says. “I’m also a typical oldfashioned Italian: I am going to work hard for it and I want the money to be in my pocket,” he adds. “Franchising gives people a protected way to grow fast because there is a model they can replicate. Each person is an independent business person, but not in business by themselves.”

Margiano also shares his love of being an entrepreneur with his daughters, Raina Williams, who runs Foot Solutions’ flagship store in Marietta, GA, and Krin Patrie, who works in marketing for the company. However, unlike the pressure he had from his own father to enter the family business, Margiano never forced his daughters to be involved. “I’ve always just put them in a position where they can succeed and grow,” he says. Williams is following in her father’s footsteps as her 20-year-old daughter helps out in her store.

Reflecting on his early days striking out on his own, Margiano remembers his father being upset with his decision at first. “His reaction was, ‘You left being president of a division to do shoe repair. You could have had my garage!’” The father thought his son was taking a step backwards, that is until he saw the Heel Quik concept mushroom into hundreds of stores, followed by similar growth with Foot Solutions, not to mention his son traveling all over the word. “He put his arm around me and said, ‘You’ve done a great thing,’” Margiano says. —K.K.

2018 february • footwearplusmagazine.com 43

Liverpool Moccasins and even heels by Joan Oloff. She takes pride in offering a selection that can’t be found elsewhere. (She claims to have been the first brick-and-mortar store to sell MBT, way before the rocker bottom shoe craze took off.) In addition to a selection that stretches beyond the comfort store standard, Orischak takes innovative approaches to retail, like inviting customers out to lunch. “We need to offer an experience that makes customers feel valued and where they will learn something, otherwise they can sit in their PJs at 2 a.m. shopping,” she says, adding, “We make shopping fun, sassy and outrageous.”

While Foot Solutions’ largest customer base is women ages 40 to 65, Margiano encourages franchisees to establish stores that align with their passions. A podiatrist may focus on medical orthotics, while someone like Orischak has the freedom to explore her fashionable flair. Still other franchisees cater to athletes who want to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury. “You have to work with franchisees to highlight their strengths and look at the marketplace to find the niche that works best for them,” he says.

What ties these franchisees together is a commitment to growing and sharing their knowledge. Each store has at least one employee who is a certified pedorthist and multiple people trained at various levels of pedorthics. Foot Solutions offers all of its employees web-based training courses, regional training events and an online portal to learn from each other. In addition, the company runs its own school, the Foot Solutions Academy of Pedorthic Science affiliated with Kennesaw State University in Marietta, GA. Margiano is committed to investing in training because that is the underlying mission of Foot Solutions. “At the end of the day, we’re helping our customers solve problems rather than selling shoes,” he says. “That’s where our name comes from. We offer Foot Solutions.”

Also part of the franchise model is to do at least three turns of inventory in stores, where many traditional shoe stores do 1.5. “Our business model carries less inventory, it works your money better, and at the end of the day franchisees have more money in their pocket than in the back room,” Margiano says, adding that each customer should have an average sale of $200. These points are part of Foot Solutions’ Key Performance Indicators designed to drive sales. Franchisees receive training modules, marketing support and business planning to meet the standards. “We measure performance at the employee and management levels, looking at sales, gross margins and profits,” he says. “Stores are held accountable and kept on path.”

THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE Margiano’s willingness to evolve while still holding true to Foot Solutions’ core values is what has enabled the chain to succeed despite a volatile retail climate, according to his daughter, Raina Williams. “My dad is my hero and always has been. He’s always evolved with the times and comes out ahead,” she says. “As things change, he changes with them.”

Williams, who is a certified pedorthist, runs the company’s two-year-old flagship store in Marietta, which is another example of how the company is changing with the times. While the store maintains Foot Solutions’ priority of analyzing each foot and unique gait, at 2,000 square feet, it’s 800 square feet larger than the standard location. And rather than sporting a clean, bright medical look, it espouses a higher-end comfort vibe, with gentle lighting, a cozy sofa and no medical shoes on display. “It’s like going into a restaurant where it smells delicious so that you are hungry before you even sit down to eat,” Margiano says. “That’s what we’re trying to do with this new concept.”

So far, so good. While the previous standard was $400,000 in sales in the first year, this updated concept did $600,000 the first year and grew 15 percent in year two. “We’re very confident with this change, and it will be our new standard,” Margiano says. “It’s a style that gives our brand a

better, higher-end image.” language could translate to something Additional new concepts rolling out this bad,” he says. “Certain countries have year include a focus on licensee conversions, colors you need to avoid, as well. You where Foot Solutions takes 8 to 12 feet of also really need to look at the popula“I’d like to expand where wall space in an existing retailer to display tion, income and fashion preferences.” custom orthotics and premade inserts as Malaysia, for example, is a poor country we have an existing network, so well as trains their staff on how to best so Foot Solutions adjusted the concept service those customers. First launched to carry less costly inserts and orthotics, we have a clustered group that at the end of 2017, Foot Solutions already but still addresses those needs. “In India, has six licensee stations in place, and we recognized that the country has three Margiano believes he can open at least times more cases of diabetes than in the can market and buy together as 24 more in 2018. As for additional stores, U.S., so we adjusted our model to serve the plan is to first expand in areas that that need,” he adds. well as reduce costs.” they already have existing locations, such Last but not least, Foot Solutions has as Colorado, California and Arizona. “I’d introduced a mobile unit that brings like to expand where we have an existing the company’s goods and services to the network, so we have a clustered group medical community, to health and wellR AY M A R G I A N O, that can market and buy together as ness events, and to homes. While this is F O U N D E R A N D C E O, F O OT S O L U T I O N S well as reduce costs,” Margiano says. In still a small part of its business, Margiano terms of specific locations, he prefers strip believes that as the medical and insurance centers, currently home to 98 percent of businesses change, mobile units may it stores. The rest are stand alone, usually represent a viable model for new growth. tied to a medical center or another business. Margiano avoids malls because It’s also just how Margiano rolls—constant change and creative adaptation they are “too expensive,” except internationally in places like Dubai where is what he loves most about his work. “The retail industry is going through a mall was the best choice for a Foot Solutions. International expansion, earth-shattering changes right now,” he says. “It keeps you on the edge of Margiano adds, has its idiosyncrasies and challenges. “There’s so much to the cliff, and you have to think through it and be ahead of it. The challenge consider—something as simple as a name when it gets converted in their is constantly there, and that’s what drives me.” •

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“Today’s shoes do everything—especially in the kids’ Sammy Esquenazi, owner of Josmo Shoes, makers of Nanette Lepore, Kensie Girl and Joseph Allen brands among others, agrees that athletic-casual is the most profitable direction for Fall ’18. “If the customer doesn’t want a flat, doesn’t want a boot, doesn’t want a sandal or a

46 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2018

market,” says Naly Lee, design director at Vida Group Intl., makers of Stride Rite, Carter’s and Jambu KD, among other labels. “Parents used to buy a casual shoe, a dress shoe and a sneaker, but now the athleisure movement has blurred those lines.” Besides athleisure’s “addictive comfort,” Lee says versatile product is beloved by Mom as a way to stretch the dollar when it comes to keeping up with growing feet.

“It’s about making a shoe that does it all,” she says, adding how that typically means “a casual style with slightly athletic influences.”

dress shoe—what can we give them?” he says.

The answer: more “cool sneakers” with unique soles, metallic accents, pompoms and knits across its portfolio.

“We’re still seeing a strong influence for knitted materials as they give a more dimensional look

while being monochromatic,” Lee says, mentioning the new “Rowan” style from Jambu KD as a machine-washable casual silhouette with a custom knitted upper and quick closure for kids on the move. “Millennial pinks and neutrals are also a big emphasis for this season,” she adds.

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Gina LaRossa, director of marketing for Primigi USA, agrees that cozy neutrals like gray, burgundy, taupe, blush and navy make up the season’s palette, evident across the brand’s fur accessories that can be added and removed for 2-in-1 hybrid fashion sneakers and demi boots.

“Kids want trendy, mainstream styles,” she says. “But at the same time, parents want quality that lasts and versatility.”

To that end, Jenevieve Froncek, Pediped’s vice president of product development and design, believes it’s important to never sacrifice quality. “Our customers prove to us, time and time again, that the surface hand-feel and soft linings are what drives their purchase,” she says. For Fall ’18, Pediped is introducing a crib slipper category with its first style, “Buddy,” made from a soft, color-blocked fleece material that can be worn indoors or outside. “No need to change shoes when a quick errand pops up,” Froncek says, highlighting how versatility now trickles all the way down to infant sizes. In addition to parent-pleasing versatility, she says the looks must appeal to kids. “While kids benefit from quality, versatility and comfort, their main desire is often how

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Primigi USA Josmo Stride Rite

much the shoe sparkles,” Froncek says, noting that Pediped will continue to release best-selling metallic and glitter embellishments for Fall ’18.

The brand will also tap into the growing Mommy and Me movement, introducing a sophisticated palette featuring deeper mauve hues as well as a washed-out navy. “We’re finding it particularly important to pull inspiration from what’s going on in the adult footwear world,” Froncek says.

Bob Campbell, chairman and CEO of BBC Intl., makers of Polo Ralph Lauren, Feiyue and Marvel brands among a host of other licenses, agrees that “concurrent trend release” in adult and kids’ is the formula for success these days.

“Seven to 10 years ago, the philosophy was wait

and see if the trend will work in adults before taking it down to kids,” he says. “Now that is an outdated model.” Anticipating a close reflection of adult styles for Fall ’18, Campbell cites chunky outsoles, jersey knits, chromes, grommets, appliqués, winter florals, mismatched pairs, retro influences and short boots as some of the season’s key trends.

Kids of all ages are just much more aware of the latest trends and brands, thanks to social media. Many have their own smartphone in elementary school, thus are dialed in on what bloggers and influencers are touting. “It’s turned into a buy now, wear now mentality often because an influencer is wearing it,” Lee says.

Peter Roccamo, vice president of sales and design at BCNY Intl./Synclaire Brands, whose portfolio includes Kenneth Cole, Fry and Stuart Weitzman among others, is not surprised the short boot continues to be strong—like it has been in adult sizes. “The short boot is one of the few styles with the ability to cut into the athleisure business,” he says. “It’s becoming a staple in a lot of kids’ closets.” Roccamo says the style’s versatility, particularly for between seasons, is what caused the short boot to kick the ballet flat from the center of girls’ fashion. “For years, every girl had a ballet flat, and now they’re using a short boot as their everyday shoe,” he says.

Josmo’s Esquenazi says it’s still important to

Rugged Bear Pediped

keep a few tall boots on the roster, as well. “We have it all covered,” he says. “Last year, people wanted the tall shaft, even though most preferred the Chelsea boot.” For Fall ’18, Esquenazi says the company is updating several boot offerings with heavy embroidery details, tapping into the tapestry trend that’s been prevalent in adult sizes the past few seasons.

As comfort and wellness continue to be strong themes, Vida’s Lee believes parents also want features such as memory foam insoles, anti-microbial-treated linings and (at least) water-resistant uppers. Non-slip soles, sturdy constructions and lightweight materials are other key product aspects. Jambu KD, for example, is

COMFORT + BEAUTY

launching two mid-height waterproof boots for Fall ’18 with the same protection as a classic rain boot yet more suitable for play. The two new styles, “Willow” and “Cypress,” offer lightweight EVA construction on a full rubber sole for a sleek and functional silhouette that holds up in muddy terrain. “If you look at slush-molded boots or more heavy-duty boots, it’s really difficult for a kid to wear all day long and still play,” Lee says.

“Even when I wear bulky waterproof boots as an adult, I’m clunking around and can’t wait to take them off.”

Another principal concern of today’s parent that must be met: ease of care. “With shoes going from playground to party, it’s important Mom can

Visit us at Platform Booth #81634 www.lamourdespieds.com | 800.527.5322

easily wash them and be ready for the next day’s adventures,” Lee says, noting its Stride Rite line will include its first machine-washable lighted program in its Made2Play platform. The M2P Lighted Neo features a translucent sole with flashing lights and a minimal lifestyle sneaker upper. “A lot of competitors are trying to figure out what more they can do with lighted shoes, so this machine-washable technology is a big story for us,” she says. The lighted offerings are available in black and navy for boys with pops of bright colors on the outsoles, as well as blue, pink, gray and aqua for girls. “I must say, children do not dress the way children used to 20 years ago—they are way cooler today,” Lee says. •

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W H AT ’S SEL LI NG

Comfort Speciality

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DAV I D S O N S H O E S Canandaigua, NY

HERE HAS BEEN a storefront at 153 South Main street in Canandaigua, NY, selling shoes of all kinds since 1894, when a pair went for $1.50. The current store, run by owner Mark Hogan, offers his customers the classic full-service, sit-and-fit experience. “Our diverse product mix sets us apart from other stores,” Hogan says of the wide range of comfortwear spanning sandals to sneakers to work and hiking boots. “There’s something to sell for every season no matter the weather,” he adds.

Set in the picturesque Finger Lakes region, the 2,100-square-foot Davidson Shoes still boasts the original wood lettering along the wall and 13-foot, antique tin ceilings. “We’re a blast from the past,” Hogan says.

“It’s just a matter of keeping up with the times.” Which is just what Hogan has aimed to do since taking over from his father in the ’80s and shifting focus from selling dress shoes to comfort. With a philosophy of giving feet the best possibly fit and comfort on the market, the store shelves are stocked with leaders like Birkenstock, Klogs, Merrell, New Balance and Brooks as well as work boots from Red Wing, Danner, Wolverine and Keen.

“We have a lot of little niche businesses within the business,” Hogan says.

Always keeping ahead of the curve has served Hogan well as online sales grow in market share. He was ahead of the curve when he started pulling in 20 percent of his annual sales through the website he started in 1999. When that re venue s tream dried up with the arrival of Amazon and G oogle changing its search engine rankings, Hogan shifted gears and relied on government contracts to generate cash flow by selling goods to state workers. Now, he sells some of his stock through Amazon Marketplace. “I’ve diversified through a few different channels,” he says. “Some people are afraid to make changes, but I saw opportunities and went with them.”

In spite of the constant competition, Hogan relies on the 70-plus combined years of expertise of his dedicated staff. “We still maintain a high level of customer service and product knowledge,” he says, noting that he’s seen a recent shift to shopping local, especially when the weather breaks.

“When spring rolls around, the Internet’s luster has worn off and people are tired of ordering shoes and sending them back and not accomplishing what they set out to do,” he says. “Traditional retail is still relevant so long as you have what they need. They’re more than happy to buy it, but if you don’t have it, they’ll leave and shop online.” —Aleda Johnson Who is Davidson Shoes clientele? People who demand comfort from their footwear, so they’re typically working people who are on their feet all day. We also see the soccer mom who wants to put on their shoes and go. Everyone is time-crunched and busy.

50 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2018

How’s business of late? Steady. The market is changing with etail, so we’re honing in and focusing on the best brands. We’re going after a more workingclass person and adding more athletic shoes into the mix. We’re constantly trying new brands—Hoka One One, for example. We started carrying Birkenstock in ’81 and Ugg in ’96, before anyone knew what they were.

What are your top-selling brands this past year? Keen is very strong, and we do well with Merrell, New Balance, Dansko and now Rieker.

Any hot trends this season? Winter-type footwear has come down to convenience. People want slip-on models and styles with zippers. No one wants to tie shoes anymore. We focused on making a commitment to that the last time we were at market. We’re doing well with Rieker this season because they have lots of cute, functional, warm, waterproof shoes that mostly all have zippers.

What are your best-selling accessories?

Socks by Smartwool and Point6 as well as some novelty styles from Sock it to Me. We also do quite a bit of over-the-counter orthotics from doctor referrals with Lynco, Redi-Thotics and Spenco.

What’s the biggest challenge facing your business right now? Online sales seem to be more of a challenge in the Northeast in the winter months when weather gets nasty. People don’t want to leave their house when snow gets blowing. When spring rolls around the weather is more conducive to shopping. So it’s about making sure there’s enough cash on hand to make it through February and March, so once April rolls around, business picks up again.

How do you weather those winter months? We know our customers, so we’re finding the proper mix of merchandise. It’s the 80/20 rule. You do 80 percent of your sales in 20 percent of your merchandise. You have to stock those key items and not get too spread out and know what’s really generating your business.

What is the smartest business move you’ve made recently? Focusing more on partnering with brands that are user-friendly to retailers. It seems that lot of brands are taking a different tact to survive the retail apocalypse. Many are partnering with Amazon, which seldom works because they don’t hold pricing, or they’re focusing heavily on the big box stores and throwing us little guys to the curb. So we’re tightening our brand spread and focusing on those that are less distributed and more willing to work with independents.

Where do you see Davidson Shoes in five years? That’s a good question because I’m approaching the end of my career. I have two children, a son in college for engineering and a 14-year-old daughter, and I’m not sure if I can hold out for her. I have to give it a lot of thought. In the meantime, business has always been here, it’s just a matter of keeping up with the times.

A N OT E T O M Y Y OU N G E R S E L F

L E A P S O F FA I T H Te r r y A b e l e s , o w n e r o f T A b e l e s & C o m p a n y i n R i d g e l a n d , M S , o n w h y q u i t t i n g i s n o t a n o p t i o n — e v e r.

DEAR TERRY, You are only in the 6th grade right now, and you just got in trouble again. It seems like no matter how hard you try, you just won’t settle down and do your schoolwork. Well, much later in life, when you’re a parent and your twin boys are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, you’ll realize you suffer from it too. Taking medication will help you focus.

When you reach high school, however, you’re still getting in trouble.

You have below average grades and make too many rash decisions. But one thing you have going for you is that you’re stubborn; you don’t quit. Your family is in the shoe business, and you start selling shoes at their store in downtown Little Rock, AR. You find out you like it, and you’re pretty good at it. Your father starts teaching you a bit about running a shoe store, and he even lets you go to St. Louis by yourself to buy some closeouts. Soon after, you get a call telling you that your father is not feeling well, and you attend your first shoe show. It’s a wonderful experience until you return home to learn that your dad has cancer. He spends the rest of his life—the next 18 months—trying to teach you about life as well as how to manage a shoe store. After your father passes, your mother sells the store, and you land a job as an assistant manager for Butlers in Detroit.

It feels like starting over, but you don’t quit.

Sometimes your impulsive behavior turns out well. One day, for example, you spot a pretty woman looking in Butlers’ window. You think you don’t stand a chance, but you go out and ask for her phone number anyway. Surprise! She gives it to you! You are still married to that pretty woman over 40 years later. Together, you move on from Detroit, progressing steadily in the shoe business. You work in an independent shoe store, manage a shoe department for a major department store and finally, with the help of your family and friends, become part owner of a shoe department in a small department store in Pearl, MS. You and Sherie have twin boys and soon after, with a loan from a family friend, you open your own store in Ridgeland, MS. What could possibly go wrong, given all your experience? You believe you can’t miss.

But soon you’ll wish you had paid more attention in school—and learned more of what your father tried to teach you. You realize how critical building a firm foundation is to almost any business venture.

You struggle but manage to survive the next 25 years. Then disaster strikes. You lose your No. 1 vendor, business is terrible, you can’t pay the bills and you don’t know what to do. You don’t see how you can dig yourself out of this hole, but you still don’t quit. Finally, you ask for help from a consultant suggested to you by the National Shoe Retailers Association. He helps you survive, teaching you the importance of building systems to help you run a profitable business. He forces you to see things as they really are, so you make tough but better decisions. Business improves, plus you have a great wife and kids. Life is good. While there are bumps in the road, now you manage them better. You learn that planning is better than reacting. Thinking long-term is more rewarding than just thinking about today.

Now your store is more than 30 years old and things are going pretty well—despite the fact the shoe business has never been easy. You and Sherie are working hard and showing a small profit. Even with all the mistakes you’ve made over the years, you’re still in the game.

Then you come across kyBoot, a brand that’s new to America. It’s comfortable, therapeutic and selling well. You’re so impressed that you do something you never thought you’d do: You apply for a job as a sales representative—and you get it! In your new side gig, you work with some of the best shoe stores in the country, seeing how they operate. You learn firsthand the benefits of building a solid foundation, the value of long-range planning and the importance of constantly trying to improve a store. You incorporate these lessons into your store. Most of all, you discover that, like yourself, people in this business—on the retail and wholesale sides—generally love what they do and don’t want to do anything else. In good times and bad, you discover that it takes a lot to put a true Shoe Dog down because we just don’t quit!

2018 february • footwearplusmagazine.com 51

THE NEW COZY FELT UPPERS AND SHEARLING LININGS AREN’T JUST FOR SLIPPERS ANYMORE.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TREVETT MCCANDLISS

Toni Pons

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Birkenstock Woolrich

Bearpaw Sporto

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Pendleton

Spring Step

Giesswein

Taos

Bos. & Co.

BC Footwear

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FA S H I O N E D I TO R : A L E DA J O H N S O N ; M O D E L : N O E L L E H .

FROM DRESSY TO SPORTY TO APRÉS STYLES, WOOL WORKS WELL.

J. Reneé

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Dirty Laundry sneakers, Racil Suit, blouse by Pinko, Ex Mermaid glasses, Falke socks, Vita Fede earrings.

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Jewel by Badgley Mischka glitter bootie, Zara dress.

Marion Parke diamond heel bootie, dress by Joynoelle. Opposite page: FS/NY bubble heel smoking slipper.

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TMRW Studio studded heels, top by Joynoelle, undergarment by Baserange, vintage bracelet.

Opposite page, from top: Seven Dials studded bootie, relief carved bootie by Butter, Azura bejeweled d’Orsay jeweled-heel pump.

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Kendall + Kylie metallic heel sandal (in hand), Spring Step geometric booties, top by Joynoelle, undergarment by Baserange, vintage tulle skirt.

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All Black pearl-accented fur mule.

Opposite page: block crystal heel pump

by Bill Blass, Joynoelle blouse.

Hair and makeup: Angelia Guthrie; model: Lizzy Ryan/Ignite Models; stylist: Barbara Ries.

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U P C L O S E C O M F O RT

Benchgrade Brands Launches Four comfort brands in the stable.

THE NEW NAME is Benchgrade Brands, but it’s the same seasoned exec, Jan Brinkmann, who will be leading U.S. operations, as well as the same Orlando, FL-based back office and logistics center in Edison, NJ. In addition to Tamaris, the stable includes Caprice, C.O.M (Creation of Minds) and Wolkenwerk brands. Brinkmann believes the timing is right for all of them.

“This is a strong portfolio for better independents who are and should be looking for an offering that differentiates them from the masses as well as delivers ample margins,” Brinkmann says. Initial mark-ups start at 57 percent, but he says they can be widened if certain incentive terms are met. “Our portfolio will give our existing and future partners choices that will freshen up displays, produce healthy margins and, I cannot say it enough, differentiation,” he says.

“We’ll also keep an in-season stock program and assist with marketing.”

As for the brand specifics, each is distinct.

Tamaris, a market leader in Europe, is positioned as affordable, modern fashion Caprice with engineered comfort features. The brand was introduced to the U.S. in the fall of 2015. ”It’s a well-working business model,” Brinkmann reports. Caprice is all about the leathers. The third-generation German family craftsman combine classic shoemaking traditions with modern technologies like its Walking on Air insoles.

Brinkmann claims the comfort, fit and finish offers an “amazing” price-value ratio. C.O.M., made in Portugal, features a unique design DNA that makes comfort cool and “more funky.”

Handcrafted using the highest-grade vegetable tanned Italian leathers and other sustainable components, C.O.M. has been on the market for 30 years.

Last but not least, Brinkmann describes Wolkenwerk as a “classic” Germanmade comfort brand, offering lightweight constructions, top European leathers and every style sporting a removable insole. “The brands all have one important feature in common: they are super comfortable and have neat fit characteristics,” he says.

Brinkmann and his wife/business partner, Anke, believe these challenging retail times present an ideal opportunity for new options as well as a company committed to helping its retail partners adapt to a new paradeigm. “If things are stellar, the market gets quickly crowded,” he says. “And if it’s challenging, then there is always room for new, honest, fresh and well-made products.”

Brinkmann cites the restaurant business as an analogy. “How else can you explain the ever-evolving restaurant market that allows room for new concepts to flourish? There’s truly no lack of opportunities to eat out, and we believe that the right product, concept and service strategy will work no matter what business environment.” Running their own company is also a dream come true for the Brinkmanns. “We’re infusing our very own everything, especially a culture that places customers at the center of what we’re doing,” he says, adding, “We’re passionate about footwear, dedicated to make this work and want to make certain that we enjoy all the steps along this building process and beyond.” —Greg Dutter 66 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2018

Meet Men’s Align Nurse Mates launches men’s lifestyle collection.

NURSE MATES, A division of H.H. Brown, has been making orthopedic comfort shoes and apparel for healthcare professionals for more than five decades. You could say it’s got women’s nurses’ wants and needs down pat.

So much so that, for years, a growing chorus of male healthcare workers clamoured for styles that their colleagues claimed to be incredibly comfortable. Their wishes have been answered in the form of the Men’s Align lifestyle collection, led by its ergonomically built-in orthotic.

“Throughout my years of practice, I’ve observed a huge void in the men’s orthotic footwear market,” says Dr. Kurtz Phelan, a board-certified podiatrist who played an integral role in the development of the Align technology. “While men have the same issues with fatigue, pain and misalignment that women do, men’s footwear often lacks comfort and stability. There is a clear necessity for a men’s product with corrective technology and support.”

The Men’s Align features the same ergonomically designed insole found in Nurse Mates, albeit specific to men’s needs. Each casual sneaker features a firm, yet flexible orthotic that gently stabilizes and supports the arch and heel from the ground up. The technology assists with the proper alignment of the foot, reducing pressure on tendons and joints to help prevent ankle and arch instability, knee and hip pain, posture and back issues, neck and shoulder strain as well as muscle and joint fatigue, according to Phelan. “The problem has always been comfort shoes that don’t have enough support and a million over-the-counter custom inserts that don’t always fit together,” she says. “The goal is to create a shoe where the insert fits perfectly, and you don’t even notice you have orthotic in your shoe. It’s not moving around, it doesn’t have to custom fitted and it doesn’t cost upwards of $600 as some custom orthotics can, which also can take weeks to be made.”

Men’s Align claims to do all that—for the suggested retail price of just under $90. The shoe also features leather uppers with a wicking material that doesn’t absorb anything and slip-resistant outsoles—both great aspects for those working in the medical profession. But Sarah Tropeano, public relations manager, says the Men’s Align is an everyday casual collection. “We’re packaging it in a stylish way, and the marketing will reflect that as well,” she says. “It’s taking the ugly out of orthotic.” What’s more, Tropeano says the orthotic is removable, allowing wearers to slip them into their running shoes, for example. “Essentially, the consumer receives a custom fit, effective orthotic and a new pair of shoes in one affordable purchase,” adds Phelan.

Men’s Align is currently available on the Nurse Mates website as well as in select specialty healthcare accounts. Going forward, Tropeano says the plan is to expand distribution beyond its core dealers. “We’re not in any big department stores yet, but that’s the direction we see it moving as we gain awareness in the men’s lifestyle market,” she says. —G.D.

British Invasion

Joules debuts expanded collection for fall.

WITH ROOTS FITTINGLY entrenched in the rain boots market, the Britain-based Joules continues to move beyond its core with an expanded offering of silhouettes, materials and styles as well as apparel for Fall ’18. The fast-growing brand is targeting the U.S. outdoor lifestyle market, in particular, this coming season with a plethora of jackets and boots in an array of new prints and colors that the company believes are spot-on and helps bring Joules one step closer to lifestyle brand status.

“As we develop as an international lifestyle brand across our core channels of distribution with a product range that increasingly covers the whole family, we’re focused on staying true to what makes the Joules brand unique,” says Dave Wood, general manager of Joules USA. The brand’s offering currently consists of men’s, women’s and children’s apparel, outerwear, footwear and accessories, including hats, scarves and purses. Suggested retail prices for shoes ranges from $54.95 (low-cut, synthetic rubber wellies) to $79.95 (tall natural rubber wellies) to $214.95 for leather ankle and Chelsea boots.

The fall collection is inspired by personal outdoor

pursuits while staying dry and warm, according to Wood. The general aesthetic being that bad weather doesn’t mean you can’t look good while walking amid it. It’s a combination of function and fashion, be it the new Golightly waterproof packaway jacket or Joules’ range of waterproof wellies in coordinating designs with the outerwear. “The collection is stylish, functional and reflects the personality of the brand,” he says. “Designers utilized their favorite woods and fields, galleries, museums and libraries to create hand-drawn prints that not only appeal to the discerning eye, but also to the imagination.”

The Bircham Bloom print, for example, is inspired by vintage print fabrics from the New York Design Library, accompanied by flowers sketched on the side of a winding country road in Norfolk, U.K. Wood adds that the Woodland Floral print embraces the wonder, richness, vibrancy and romance of the British countryside. “Both prints are interpreted in outerwear and footwear, for a carefully crafted collection that meets the needs for the unpredictable weather,” he says.

Expect more going forward, according to Wood.

“The strategy is to grow our international business and expand the product range,” he says. “We’re obsessed with delivering products that our customers love, and we’ll never compromise on our design-led approach with quality, attention to detail, exclusive prints and unique colors.”

The Joules formula is a success, and that’s despite a stormy retail climate. “Having seen good growth the past season, we look forward with confidence into this year,” Wood says, adding, “Our wholesale order book for Spring ’18 has shown an increase, both with the number of accounts and sales.” —G.D.

An elevated classic.

FFANY, Rooms 1816 & 1817 FN PLATFORM, Booth 82841 Toronto Shoe Show, Booth 1325

Always waterproof. cougarshoes.com

COUGAR

TRIM: 7.75 X 5 inches

EDITOR’S PICKS

FFC New York

D E S I G N E R C H AT

AS FAR AS routes to becoming the founder and CEO of the sustainablebased fashion sneaker label, House of Future, Stuart Ahlum’s was anything but usual. Moving to Shanghai, China, in 2014, Ahlum was interested in working with high quality consumer products and direct-to-consumer platforms like Gofundme and Indiegogo when a footwear project fell in his lap. “I was hooked by the quirky material being used and wanted to learn more about unusual textiles,” he says, noting it was part new business venture part personal shopping experience. “I knew I could make something just as good with sustainable textiles that aren’t widely known but believed consumers would like,” he adds.

Moving back to the U.S. in 2016 saw that dream turned into reality with the debut of House of Future later that year. The men’s sustainable sneaker brand features clean designs of classic hi-top and slip-on silhouettes in a muted palette of white, gray, cream and black, but with the modern twist of textile innovation that spans laces to soles.

For Fall ’18, a new performance micro leather—used by designers like Stella McCartney—is incorporated into the collection. “We use a water-based resin so it’s not as toxic,” Ahlum says. “The leather is also breathable and water-resistant, and the hand feel is amazing.”

Other new eco-friendly highlights include insoles with fewer oils than typical EVA foam that feature great rebound, aloe vera derivative sock liners that are moisture wicking and anti-microbial, and soles made of recycled rubber and algae foam.

House of Future plans to debut its first women’s sandal collection this June. Ahlum says it will tie together with sustainable material stories, including cork, Ugandan tree bark and possibly recycled sea plastic in a knit form. Being a newcomer to the industry, Ahlum is optimistic in the face of the retail turmoil that House of Future’s fresh approach to design and manufacturing presents a point of difference in a market with too much sameness. “Our team thinks there’s something inherently off-balance with the way retail is working when it comes to sustainability and material innovation, and I think that’s a problem we’re interested in tackling,” he says. —Aleda Johnson Who is the House of Future consumer? Our customer is on the younger side. Someone looking for comfortable, versatile, highquality shoes at a good price point and can’t justify spending $400 on a pair of sneakers. They want comfort that can be dressed up for going into the office as well as to wear on the weekend. They also care about material innovation and like the idea of pushing boundaries.

68 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2018

Bernardo

Walking Cradles

THE NUDE NEUTRAL Designers show a little skin for fall.

As a brand with a minimalist aesthetic, what’s your take on Balenciaga’s chunky sneaker? It’s always exciting to see designers bring something back, even if it’s Frankensteinesque. But I don’t think it will sell outside of the high fashion world.

Where might the sneaker movement in general be headed? If people have more sneakers, better for us. We talk a lot internally about the fact that a shrinking group of people are wearing suits to work, so sneakers are more work-appropriate, not to mention more comfortable. The movement has gone hand-in-hand with the acceptance of athleisure and street style in higher-end fashion. Sneakers are more ubiquitous, especially with men.

Is there a perfect shoe? Something incredibly versatile style-wise that could be worn with a ton of different outfits, is super comfortable straight out of the box and

sustainable. There would also be inherent performance aspects that address user needs like being water- and stain-resistant and feature interchangeable insoles.

Any designers you admire? I’m a big Rick Allen fan because of how cohesive and immersive the entire brand experience is across his apparel and stores. You immediately know it’s him, and he does it with a very small team, which is impressive.

Others I admire are more mass market, like Allbirds, which has built a business around one silhouette. I also admire the honesty of strong direct-to-consumer brands like Harry’s and Outdoor Voices.

What do you love most about designing shoes? I love building product that provides utility and is an inherent point in a wardrobe. The immediate comfort also solves a problem that they don’t even have to think about. It’s our product that does it.

E D I TO R ’ S P I C K S P H OTO G R A P H Y BY T R E V E T T M CC A N D L I S S

HOUSE OF FUTURE

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

continued from page 14 pattern works is in a black and white theme.”

Gallin thinks more designers will introduce mismatched offerings, but in a targeted demographic. Currently, that is younger women open to an avant-garde fashion statement. Home doubts it will expand much beyond the upper-echelons of women’s fashion houses, adding it would be a “tough sell” in men’s. But designers may entice less-forward consumers with toneddown variations. For example, Nicole Brundage, designer of Marskinryyppy, is debuting contrasting pop-color tinted PVC straps on a sandal this spring.

“It was a subtle mismatch given the PVC’s transparency, which also made it easier for our more conservative buyers to consider,” she says, adding that for Fall ’18, she will be sampling leather pumps with mismatched sequins text (the right shoe reads “FASHION” and left “FASHIOFF”), and strappy stiletto pumps with mismatched color blocking. “The mismatched sandal sold-in relatively well,” she says.

Whether the trend will trickle down to the masses remains to be seen.

Kelsey Jayne, footwear design manager at Dansko, believes so. The brand is introducing three mismatched styles for Fall ’18 in its Professional clogs line. The “Love What You Do” clog—an homage to the many nurses wearing its clogs—is a subtle take on the trend with the phrase stitched on the right and “Do What You Love” stitched on the left. The “Day to Night” clog is more daring. The white right clog features a blue inked sun and clouds, and the blue left clog shows a white inked moon and stars. “We wanted to have some fun and highlight our iconic silhouette with a renewed and lighthearted energy,” Jayne says. “A lot of our customers are nurses, and this is a little shout out to them, a thank you, for working around the clock.”

For those bold enough to wear a mismatched style, experts says there’s a delicate balance to being just the right amount of bold when putting an outfit together. With such a statement being made by the shoes, Ratsula advises everything above the ankle should be less extraordinary. “I’m a firm believer of having only one fun focus point on any outfit so the rest should be clean and simple,” she says. Brundage also preaches simplicity.

“Any shoe, no matter how loud it may be, can be styled with jeans without putting much thought into it,” she says.

While some designers have embraced the mismatched movement as quirky and lively, others aren’t convinced—yet. Ratsula loves the idea of mismatched décor on shoes and playing with colors, but thinks the idea of drastically different shoes is likely a fleeting one. “Our job is to curate the latest fashion trends to fit our customers everyday wardrobe—we are trend right, not trendy,” she says. “We’re our customer’s choice for everyday fashion, not fads, and though fun is important I think this trend is more a fad than a lifestyle enhancement.” While Laura Conwell-O’Brien, executive director of The Atlanta Shoe Market, has seen the trend on the runways from several designers, she doesn’t see it taking off. “I think most women like to match, so it is going to take that very avant-garde woman to wear it and pull it off successfully without looking like they pulled out two different shoes from their closet,” she says.

Most retailers aren’t sold enough to stock the look either. Jubelirer, for one, has sold the trend before, but he isn’t seeing many options on display at trade shows. “They don’t have these items for sale unless maybe you’re in the designer areas, and they do these things not as a trend but a flight of fancy in their collections,” he says, adding that Americans are basic fashion consumers. “Most Americans don’t pay attention to fashion,” he says. “Women don’t get dressed up like they used to. Today, their wow factor is their phone.”

Of course, if you build it customers may buy. Brundage, for one, will be expanding Marskinryyppy’s subtly mismatched offerings. Soon the label will allow customers on its ecommerce site the opportunity to monogram the right side differently than the left of its Moire pumps. “I hope the trend picks up momentum as a way of pushing the imagination of us designers more,” Brundage says. •

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Insight 00669 Muse

O&A continued from page 21 online. I believe there’s still a reason for being for brick-and-mortar. So, to answer your question, it’s a lot tougher than it was, for sure.

It helps if brands are looking to grow with their retail partners rather than compete head to head.

Yes, and I think retailers need to look closely at the brands they are buying and make sure whether they should still be doing so. Sometimes when you’re a buyer, you keep buying something because you’ve always bought it. You like that company, they’ve helped you out with your markdown situation…but at some point you might need to ask whether this brand is driving customers to your store? That’s what you want. Our customers are seeking where to buy Vionic. We need more distribution. People want to know where they can shop the entire selection other than online. That’s why we’ve had dramatic growth with Dillard’s—because of the riser package. It’s two and three tables of Vionic in those doors, making it a destination for the brand. That’s why our San Francisco store is also doing so well; it’s a destination for the brand.

Consumers want to see the whole line.

Consumers aren’t all going to just shop on Amazon at some point?

Of course, everyone has to deal with Amazon’s market share. I think everybody who runs a brand needs to be very protective of it. Because how your brand shows up at retail and at what price are extremely important factors.

I’ve never run a brand by price, and I’ve always said to never make decisions out of desperation, because those aren’t good decisions. Now when it comes to commodities, perhaps people will just shop online. But I don’t believe they will for footwear and apparel as much. When I look at my kids’ online purchases—because they are still on the family payroll—I see that they are buying schoolbooks and household supplies like shampoo and food, and that’s because it’s convenient. But they aren’t buying anything they wear, like shoes or jeans, online. I think that’s interesting, because they could.

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The commodity aspect of online shopping may run counter to fashion?

Right, and we don’t want to be a commodity. We are not Scotch Tape. Brands have to have a soul, and in order to have one they can’t be sold like a commodity. Brands also need to stick to their guns and DNA. You’ve got to have integrity and say this is what we stand for. That extends to how you treat your employees. People want to work at Vionic. We’ve won several awards for Best Places to Work surveys. It goes back to how you treat people. That’s why I believe Vionic has huge potential. We haven’t even yet scratched the surface.

Our brand awareness is hovering around 15 percent among women. Can you imagine if we hit 50 percent? Ugg was like 85 percent, thanks in large part to Oprah who helped make it a household name.

Just think if she becomes President Oprah and what that might do for Vionic’s brand awareness.

I’m her biggest fan! I love her. I’ve met her several times, and she’s the real deal. I saw her speak in 2002, and she made the point about how people will only remember how you made them feel. Did you make them feel important?

Did you care about them? Later that same year, my father passed away during open-heart surgery. He was so loved; people kept coming up to me saying how my dad would walk across the room to ask how they were doing. It wasn’t just lip service; he really wanted to know. What Oprah said and what people said about my dad has stuck with me ever since. How you treat employees and customers is important.

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It seems that aspect of human decency is rare of late?

It feels that way. But people aren’t going to remember whether you might have been a big success or had a lot of money. They’re going to remember how you treated them. Did you make them feel important? Did you care about them?

That’s an important aspect in management: to acknowledge and appreciate people, and mentor them. At this point in my career, those aspects have more

meaning than ever before. When you’re older and still working, I think your main purpose is to teach and help people realize their goals. It’s really rewarding.

In many ways, leading Vionic is a similar job. What are some differences compared to Ugg? In both cases, I have a lot of autonomy. I got to pick my team at Ugg, and they left me to my own devices, mainly because I performed. But it’s different now at a private company. I’ve always did what I believed was right for the brand, because if you start doing things to please Wall Street, you’re going to make bad decisions. With Vionic, I don’t have to worry about that. I’m just doing what’s right for the brand, our employees and our customers. That’s a nice difference. I also think, because we are smaller, I touch more departments than before. I also feel like I have more help. I never felt like I had quite enough at Ugg because it was such a big beast to feed every day. I feel like I have more staff per the volume we are doing here.

Is it refreshing to be running a relatively small brand again?

Yes, because you just see a lot of growth in front of you. It’s exciting. It’s also nice to have only one brand to worry about.

Is there something about the shoe business that you just can’t let go of ?

I just love my customers. I love working with Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Zappos, independents, etc. I love being around people. I look forward to going to a trade show and seeing my customers. And I definitely love apparel, shoes and handbags. I also love working with our team. We just previewed Spring ’19, and I love going through the line with them. If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t do it. But I totally still enjoy it. It’s kind of who I am, I guess.

Are you having even more fun now?

I’m having as much fun. It’s different than Ugg—different people and a different stage of development for the brand. Not everything is the same as with Ugg, nor do I want or need it to be. I think that’s important for me. That was a very special time in my life. It was a lot of work and personal sacrifice. I spent a lot of time away from my family. But this is a different time in my life. I love Vionic and I love the people here, and I feel I have a more balanced life. It’s healthier for me.

Are there any advantages or challenges to being a female executive, which is still the minority in this industry?

I’ve never felt it was an advantage. I’ve had to earn it just as much, if not more so, being a woman. It’s really interesting what’s going on in the country with the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. Women have had to remain silent for many years because they felt like if they said something, they would be ousted. Hopefully, women will now feel empowered to speak up. There are a lot of great men and now maybe some of the others are going to be more aware that this has been going on. People need to root for each other and women, in particular, need to support each other. It’s a competitive environment, but this isn’t a competition internally. People need to act like a team in order to be successful. You see that in sports. If players play for themselves, the team is usually not successful. It’s the same in business.

It takes a true leader to create a winning culture.

Exactly, and the leader must be decisive, consistent and offer a clear direction—just like you have to with kids. Otherwise, people aren’t all on the same page. People need direction of what the vision and goals are so that they can execute. I don’t get into the, “he said, she said” stuff. Everybody needs to support one another. No grenades. Don’t throw your teammate under the bus.

Do you feel as if Vionic is your new baby now?

Yes, but it’s an older baby. It also involves shared parenting duties with the founders, which is great. •

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LA S T W O RD

Life’s a Beach

this success in Europe, the ingredients for success are all there. Plus, being offered the opportunity to repeat this challenge in a tough and competitive environment as this one is a competitor’s dream.

How does your previous experience prepare you for growing the brand in the U.S.?

After 10 years of managing the brand in Europe, I have the experience of understanding the complications of a mono product and a seasonal business, which is not common in many other brands. To succeed in such a business, one needs to set up the right structure, logistics, cash flows and high-service levels our customers expect from a product with high sell-out rates.

What are the brand’s strengths and how do they translate well to this market?

Havaianas’ strength is its simple perfection. It’s a product that, once slipped on a foot, brings a sensation of joy, freedom and summer. It puts a smile on one’s feet, so to speak. In many holiday destinations in the US, there’s this laid back, relaxed, summer atmosphere (Hawaii, California, Florida, etc.) where our product fits right into that lifestyle across genders and all ages.

American Dreams E n o Po l o , p r e s i d e n t o f Alpargatas USA, parent company of Havaianas, on his grand vision for the classic flip-flop brand in the States. By Greg Dutter LAST FALL, ENO POLO took the helm of Havaianas in the United States, and he immediately set about making the brand a leader in flip-flops as well as planting the seeds for it to become a lifestyle brand infused with its Brazilian roots. Think laidback, casual, wear in your favorite Happy Place type of traits.

It’s not all hopes and dreams, however. Polo has spent the past decade doing exactly that as president of Alpargatas’ Europe, Middle East and Asia regions. Under his tutelage, Havaianas became the number-one sandal brand in Europe. Now the former Nike exec is aiming for a repeat success story in the States. Here, Polo dishes on what to expect, why it can work and what’s not to love about trying to make it happen.

What attracted you to the opportunity to manage Havaianas in the U.S.?

I believe there’s a great potential for Havaianas to become the market leader in the U.S. It’s a great brand and a great product. After seeing

72 footwearplusmagazine.com • february 2018

Where do you envision the brand in the years ahead in the U.S.?

More than a sandal brand?

We first need to get ourselves positioned as the leading flip-flop brand in the U.S. and, in parallel, develop our sandals and espadrille collections. The next steps would be to have a “toe to head” strategy as a go-to brand when you think of summer.

Any specific market, category or demographic that presents a significant growth opportunity for Havaianas in the short term?

We are very well positioned in Florida. We have good growth opportunities in California, and still lots of room to grow in the other ‘hot states,’ such as Texas, Arizona and Louisiana, as well as key holiday destinations like Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Another great opportunity is men’s, which is starting to pick up as that customer realizes how cool and trendy it is to wear Havaianas after seeing celebrities wear them across the world.

What’s new and noteworthy for Fall ’18?

We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of our iconic style, the Brazil flip-flop, which features the country’s flag on the insole. It was created to support the Brazilian soccer team at the 1998 World Cup. We are also bringing new technology to our prints with all over designs, as well as new shapes and embellishments in our sandals collection for VIP customers.

With the popularity of sandals and casual fashion in general, how might Havaianas be particularly positioned well for growth?

Havaianas is the only flip-flop/sandal brand that is truly democratic and touches all consumers. We are “invited” in high-fashion boutiques next to top designer and luxury brands. We’re invited in cool beach boutiques alongside trendy swimwear and apparel brands. We’re also in the top surf shops worldwide, the most famous department stores and sporting goods stores. The beauty is that we are accepted in all those environments. Not many brands can claim the same. There’s a saying in Brazil that “everyone wears Havaianas,” and I guess that’s why the brand sells more than 220 million pairs a year—or eight pairs every second!

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