Footwear Plus | The Source for Retailers | 2012 • November

EURO TREND REPORT • BOAT SHOES THAT ROCK • HARRY’S SHOES : BIGGER IS BETTER • DEFINING COMFORT

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GYPSY WOMAN A caravan of eclectic comfort looks for spring

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10 How to Combat Showrooming

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012

Retailers discuss how to turn shoppers into buyers and make the in-store experience pay off.

By Maria Bouselli

12 Q&A: Deer Stags Deer Stags President Michael Muskat shares why the brand is still going strong, and the buzz around its new line NoSox. By Greg Dutter

18 Sign of Better Times Robert Goldberg, president of Harry’s Shoes, talks about its big expansion and how it meets the needs of its changing Manhattan customer base.

By Greg Dutter

24 Defining Comfort Leading brands spanning Alegria and Dansko to Aetrex and Gentle Souls reveal how comfort fits into today’s fashion world. By Lyndsay McGregor & Angela Velasquez

30 The European Report The GDS show offered the hottest European trends for spring, from bright colors and metallics to cool blue hues. By Angela Velasquez Patrizia by Spring Step PA G E

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36 Band of Gypsies Adorned with earthy accents and hints of antique metal, Spring ’13 comfort styles cull inspiration from travel and treasures. By Angela Velasquez

4 Editor’s Note 6 This Just In 8 Scene & Heard 22 What’s Selling 34 Trend Spotting 46 Shoe Salon 48 Street 50 Kids 52 Last Word

Blondo CoupleOf

On the cover: Alegria floral print sandals. Photography by Trevett McCandliss. Styling and wardobe

by Basia Plewinska. Hair and makeup by Robert Huitron for Mark Edward, Inc. Model: Marina at Red Model Management.

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Caroline Diaco Publisher Greg Dutter Editorial Director Jennifer Craig Associate Publisher Nancy Campbell Trevett McCandliss Creative Directors EDITORIAL Angela Velasquez Fashion Editor Lyndsay McGregor Associate Editor Maria Bouselli Assistant Editor Margaret Maloney Location Coordinator Kathy Passero Editor at Large Judy Leand Contributing Editor Tim Jones Senior Designer ADMINISTRATION Alexandra Marinacci Operations Manager Laurie Guptill Production Manager Melanie Prescott Circulation Manager Mike Hoff Webmaster Theodore Hoffman Special Projects Director OFFICES Advertising/Editorial 36 Cooper Square, 4th fl.

New York, NY 10003 Tel: (646) 278-1550 Fax: (646) 278-1553 editorialrequests@ 9Threads.com Circulation 21 Highland Circle Needham, MA 02494 Tel: (800) 964-5150 Fax: (781) 453-9389 circulation@9Threads.com Corporate 9Threads 26202 Detroit Road, #300 Westlake, OH 44145 Tel: (440) 871-1300 Xen Zapis Chairman Lee Zapis President Rich Bongorno Chief Financial Officer

FOOTWEAR PLUS ™ (ISSN#1054-898X) Vol. 23 issue #9 The fashion magazine of the footwear industry is published monthly (except for bimonthly April/May and October/November editions) by Symphony Publishing NY LLC, 36 Cooper Square, 4th fl., New York, NY, 10003-7118. The publishers of this magazine do not accept responsibility for statements made by their advertisers in business competition. Periodicals postage is paid in New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Subscription price for one year: $48.00 in the U.S. Rates oustide the U.S. are available upon request. Single copy price: $10.00. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FOOTWEAR PLUS, P.O. Box 8548, Lowell, MA 01853-8548. Publisher not responsible for unsolicited articles or photos. Any photographs, artwork, manuscripts, editorial samples or merchandise sent for editorial consideration are sent at the sole risk of the sender. Symphony Publishing NY, LLC, will assume no responsibility for loss or damage. No portion of this issue may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. ©2012 by Symphony Publishing NY, LLC. Printed in the United States.

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editor’s note a good time for change

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Wrecking Ball FALL IS THE ideal time to bring out the metaphorical wrecking ball and obliterate what is passé, played or busted. The change of seasons—where Mother Nature breaks summer’s stifling heat with cool Canadian air and trees go out in a blaze of glory— offers an energizing backdrop for making changes and trying fresh approaches. It sure beats winter—a season that can paralyze you with fits of nostalgia, a sense of finality and a desire to hunker down or even hibernate. (They don’t call it the “dead of winter” for nothing.)

The presidential election this fall only heightens the feeling of potential change in the crisp air. No matter who occupies the White House, big changes are surely on the way. If Barack Obama is reelected, for example, the majority of the country won’t stomach four more years of Congressional gridlock. Mitt Romney as president would suggest that voters want even more serious changes when it comes to how Washington governs; the equivalent of a megawrecking ball.

Changes in our industry might not be as epic in scale, but could have a strong impact nonetheless. For instance, will the weather change enough to produce a real winter as opposed to last year’s extended fall, which led right into an early spring and put the kibosh on boot sales? If not, might certain cold-weather necessities cease to be considered staples? I hope the wrecking ball crushes last year’s status quo weather-wise. Boots are just too important of a segment in our industry to be made unnecessary by a temperate climate. Besides, winter is what makes spring and summer beautiful. It’s the annual contrast that’s so rejuvenating. In the meantime, the buy now-wear now mentality doesn’t show signs of abating. Apparently, consumers

are content to take their fashion cues from Mother Nature.

Assuming Mother Nature will stay unpredictable, I’d sure like to line up that wrecking ball to break through this listless economy. I’ve read enough recovery talk. It’s time to see some genuine improvement—enough to set the majority of the country on a course toward better financial footing. Any such breakthrough would mean aiming a wrecking ball at the mountain of unemployment and smashing through it to create more jobs. One encouraging sign in this regard: It’s increasingly chic to “buy American” and to look for even more localized origins like “Made in Detroit.” We’re shattering preconceived notions that American-made goods are too expensive and that we don’t make anything in the U.S. anymore. Hats off to those in our industry—New Balance, Justin Boot Company, Wolverine Worldwide and Allen Edmonds, to cite a few—for creating American-made products, and American jobs.

Never underestimate the positive impact our industry has on the overall economy. There are thousands of retailers across the country employing many thousands more Americans helping to sell our products. And retail is always ripe for fresh approaches. Take, for example, this month’s profile (p. 18) of the recently renovated and expanded Harry’s Shoes in New York. Owner Robert Goldberg warns that refusing to change can be a death knell. Rapidly changing consumer demographics in his Manhattan location prompted him to nearly double his square footage and to upgrade his merchandise mix to embrace those changes. Goldberg offers insightful details about the new Harry’s, and is an inspiring success story.

When it comes to wrecking ball analogies and shattering preconceived expectations, I can’t resist mentioning the Baltimore Orioles.

After 14 straight losing seasons and predictions for a 100-loss season in 2012, those once-hapless Birds smashed the culture of losing to smithereens. Hard work, perseverance, belief in themselves, and a little bit of good fortune produced a winning change. It’s an inspiring example for all of us, particularly for this lifelong Orioles fan.

Greg Dutter Editorial Director

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THIS JUST IN

Fancy Pants Print lives on in the form of denim and pajama-style bottoms.

By Melodie Jeng

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¡+¢ scene and heard Keds Hits a High Note with Taylor Swift

Poker Pro Deals in Shoes

MILLIONS OF GIRLS will be “Breathless” now that their hero has traded in her designer heels to endorse the more accessible and wearable Keds brand. The six-time Grammywinning, multi-platinum singer-songwriter and style icon has inked a multi-year endorsement deal with the brand, which recently became a division of Wolverine Worldwide.

“Taylor has become an inspiration to millions and a shining example of what can happen when you set your mind to something,” says Keds President Rick Blackshaw. “We’re committed to helping girls everywhere look great but feel even better.” Adds Swift: “I’m so excited to be partnering with Keds... They have two of my favorite elements of great style—they’re classic and effortless.”

Via a multimedia campaign, Keds will be encouraging young women to share their stories of strength, creating a global community that inspires and motivates members to live their lives to the fullest. The campaign will include scholarship opportunities, social media initiatives, video content and limited-edition styles. “The Keds team has amazing plans for the brand in 2013,” states Gregg Ribatt, president and CEO of the Performance & Lifestyle Group that oversee Keds, Sperry and Saucony. “We’re thrilled that Taylor is a part of this exciting time.”

The partnership kicked off with the limited-edition red Champion designed to commemorate the release this fall of Swift’s latest album, “Red.” The style is available online at Journeys, Nordstrom and Keds. —Greg Dutter

PROFESSIONAL POKER PLAYER Beth Shak is trying her hand at a new game: shoe design.

The 42-yearold, who gained notoriety when it was revealed she owned a whopping 1,200 pairs of designer shoes, is starting an eponymous footwear line for Spring ’13 in the smaller stakes-friendly confines of $160 and $190 suggested retail—a world away from her own $1 million shoe collection that she keeps in a password-protected closet in her home in Bryn Mawr, PA. “My 18-year-old daughter was not thrilled that her mother was a professional poker player,” laughs the shoeloving card shark, a World Series of Poker champion whose background is in the vintage and designer clothing business. “So she said ‘Why don’t you design shoes?’ and she was right.”

Shak’s debut collection of wedges, flats and strappy sandals is manufactured in China with imported Italian leather, and each shoe is named after an iconic woman who has had an effect on her life. Proceeds from the Elizabeth, a purple patent-leather slingback (pictured above), will go to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Shak says she’s still in talks with major retailers about carrying her line, but envisions Macy’s, Lord & Taylor and Nordstrom as good fits. “To me, shoes are what make an outfit,” she says. “You can buy a $50 or $90 dress from anywhere, but you put on a beautiful sexy shoe and it pulls it all together.” —Lyndsay McGregor

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Wolverine Pops Up Downtown

IF A PICTURE is worth a thousand words, a pop-up shop is surely a novel. And what better way to share the storied history of heritage work brand Wolverine than with a temporary treasure chest at 242 Elizabeth Street in New York’s hip Nolita neighborhood.

In place until late February, the shop offers a curated selection of goods that shares the brand’s commitment to quality, heritage and craftsmanship. “We really want to showcase to our loyal fans what we have, but also to expose them to some other brands that they’re not used to seeing,” says Christina Vernon, Wolverine’s director of international business development.

In addition to the full men’s and women’s collections of Wolverine 1000 Mile and Wolverine No. 1883, the store showcases items from Filson,

Tellason and Samantha Pleet, alongside a selection of jewelry from The Shiny Squirrel and vintage pieces from Brklyn Dry Goods. As Vernon notes, “The difference is that we brought so many brands to be a part of it with us. It’s not just about the footwear, or just about Wolverine. It’s about the experience.”

To enhance this experience, Wolverine turned to Brklyn Dry Goods to help decorate the space: reclaimed wood from the original Wolverine tannery in Rockford, MI, as well as salvaged light fixtures and a wall decorated with 170 authentic boot lasts adds to the story. Over the coming months, Wolverine hopes the store will become somewhat of a community center as it hosts an array of events and parties to celebrate its first stand-alone presence in New York. —L.M.

Finish Line Teams With Macy’s MACY’S WILL OPEN Finish Line athletic footwear shops in more than 450 of its stores and online. The shop-in-shops will be run as leased departments by Finish Line.

“Finish Line brings a premium line of athletic footwear to Macy’s customers,” says Glenn Lyon, chairman and CEO of Finish Line. “The Macy’s demographic widens the customer base to an audience Finish Line has not penetrated to date.”

Lyon notes that 70 percent of Macy’s customers are women, whereas the core demographic for Finish Line is men ages 18 to 29. “We will adjust our assortment accordingly for the Macy’s consumer, while remaining true to the Finish Line brand.”

Steve Peterson, vice president of sales at Merrell, which is carried by Finish Line, calls the partnership a “sound business solution,” and believes that it will benefit the brand. “I only see positive results for Merrell in the Finish Line and Macy’s collaboration,” he says. “It’s all about offering compelling product to the consumer where they’re most comfortable shopping. [The] right product offered in the right shopping environment wins every time.” He warns, however, that working together is key for a positive outcome. “A collaboration of this type is less about fewer buyers to call on and more about building teams of people who are working together in the buying and selling process to create an amazing retail experience for the consumer in store and online.”

President of CMerit USA Doug Vesling, makers of Gotta Flurt, agrees that the partnership has the “potential to be something uniquely special,” as long as they are both in tune with what the customer wants.

“It’s all about understanding and addressing the proper product needs of your consumer while creating a shopping experience that exceeds their expectation,” he says, adding “I see this as their greatest challenge.”

The stores will begin opening this spring and will continue to open across the U.S. through fall of 2014.

Finish Line is projected to receive an additional $250 to $350 million of sales per year. —Maria Bouselli

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SPECIAL REPORT

How to Combat Showrooming IT’S A SCENARIO many retailers across the country are facing every day: a customer enters a store, browses the selection while soaking in the ambiance, is informed of the various styles’ features and benefits and, perhaps, even gets fitted by a trained professional. The customer decides which pair he or she likes, only to whip out their smartphone to compare prices and later purchase the item online or at a competing retailer for a lower price.

This act has been dubbed “showrooming,” which basically sums up what many stores have become for those shoppers seeking the lowest price possible regardless of whether it’s deemed taking advantage of those provided services. Bob Schwartz, CEO of Eneslow Pedorthic Enterprises in New York, notes that showrooming is a “disappointment” and is becoming more common. In addition to a lost sales opportunity, he says it slows down the entire energy inside the store. “More and more people are [getting] the full experience and then say they’ll get back to you or that they’re not ready to buy. Others are blunt and tell you that they’re going to buy it online,” he says. Making matters more difficult, James Dion, founder and president of Chicago-based retail consulting firm Dionco Inc., says Amazon went so far as to offer customers a $5 rebate on items they scanned at brick-and-mortar stores through its mobile shopping app.

Like it or not, technology has put the power into consumers’ hands, and that’s only going to become more prevalent as tech-savvy younger shoppers

grow up attached to such devices and older consumers increasingly get up to gadget speed. “It’s [mostly] the younger generation doing it, but as baby-boomers get more involved with that technology, we’ll see them doing it more as well because people want to save money,” confirms Joe Gradia, co-owner of Hawley Lane Shoes in Norwalk, CT. “And having the ability at their fingertips makes it easy.”

What’s a brick-and-mortar retailer to do? Edith James, owner of Comfort Shoe Specialists in St. Louis, says she simply does not stand for customers constantly on their phones while in her store. “I instruct my staff, if they get the feeling that a customer is just using them, to ask, ‘What are you planning to do?’” James says if the response is they want to order the item online, she instructs her staff to stop helping immediately. “We can’t afford to be fitting people and paying hourly wages for that kind of nonsense,” she explains. Schwartz instructs his employees not to let showrooming customers ruin their positive outlook, and to “communicate to the customer that [the sales staff ] are aware of what they are doing and request they do it elsewhere.” Gradia goes a step further by featuring in-store “signage that shows [how the sales staff ] has done customers’ homework for them and how it is an advantage to purchase [in store].”

While these are reasonable enough tactics it still may not result in a sale and could limit the chance of the customer’s return. That’s why Matt Lucas, president of Luke’s Locker, a specialty running chain with various Texas locations, always gives his customers the benefit of the doubt—at first. “There are situations when customers will come back and they do want to remember what they tried on, so I don’t want to make the wrong assumption,” he notes. “However, it’s hard to give information to ‘repeat offenders.’” To that end, Lucas has heard of some running specialty stores debating whether to charge a service fee for the half-hour fitting process many provide, which normally entails a treadmill run and the use of several cameras for gait analyses. The idea being the customer would be charged for the fitting, but would then be given an equal credit if he/she purchases shoes in the store. Lucas isn’t sure, however, if this is necessarily the right path. “I would not be comfortable doing that right now,” he says. “I think that bigpicture wise, the expectation of our target customer is that they are willing to pay and support a local retailer.”

In the meantime, offering top-notch customer service seems to be the most effective way to combat showrooming. A recent Nielsen survey reports 69 percent of respondents believe purchasing items in a physical store is the most reliable method of shopping, with 77 percent stating it’s also the safest—proving, in part, that honest service and valuable assistance can help convert browsers into buyers. “You have to train your team to have the most knowledge about the products that they sell,” offers Perry Miroballi, co-owner of Miroballi Shoes in Orland Park, IL. “And [I tell my] team to build a personto-person relationship with their customers, which leads to building personal clientele.” Doing so makes it simply harder to say no. Miroballi also keeps in mind that convenience plays a part in customers turning to online shopping.

“We have expanded hours, [created] a more flexible return policy, >51

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MCCANDLISS & CAMPBELL

Tips on overcoming the latest challenge facing brick-and-mortar retailers.

By Maria Bouselli

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Not Fade Away An industry career spanning four decades, Michael Muskat, president of Deer Stags and makers of NoSox, knows a hit when he sees one— and how to run with it when opportunity knocks.

ALL IT DESTINY, fate, preordained or whatever, but Michael Muskat always knew he’d make a living in the shoe business. And, for 40-plus years and still going strong, he has done exactly that—selling a ton of shoes, primarily men’s styles under the Deer Stags brand. Now with the successful debut of NoSox this spring, a casual hybrid brand, the offering includes women’s and kids’ styles.

That inevitability of a career in footwear stems largely from the fact that Muskat was born into the business. His father and uncles—dating back to post-World War II—served as territory shoe salesmen, selling Jarman and Fortune brands, among others, for General Shoe Corpora-

tion (known today as Genesco). As a young child, whenever it was time for the family to hop into the car, Muskat’s father made room by unloading the sample cases while the occasional order pad left behind served as doodling paper for the kids. “I always thought I’d grow up to do the same: get a territory, pack my bags and go out and sell shoes,” he confirms. Muskat did just that beginning in the late ’60s. His family had made the leap into importing with the launch of Dunbar Boot Company, which made its mark as one of the first U.S. importers of cowboy boots. It was under the Dan Post label for Acme Boot Company. That factory was based in Majorca, Spain, and happened to be next to another shoe factory. “My father asked if my brother (Rick) and I would be interested in importing shoes,” he says. “That became Glen Shoe Company, which is basically what we still are today just under a different name and, of course, now importing from China primarily.”

Muskat, who oversees product and marketing while his brother controls the backroom, has experienced his share of sales runs over the years, including a particularly explosive one when the company held the Saturday Night Fever license in the late ’70s. “It didn’t get any hotter than that,” he recalls, noting it included 2- and 4-inch heel shoes for men, which was groundbreaking at the time. “That’s when the men’s fashion craze really exploded. Guys wanted to look like John Travolta and get decked out on Saturday nights. It was fun and the trends changed constantly.” The company later focused on private label manufacturing for leading wholesalers such as Rockport and Nunn Bush during the late ’80s comfort revolution and then renewed its focus on branded business with the acquisition of Deer Stags (hence the name change) in the early ’90s. In addition to Deer Stags, the stable of brands today includes

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TREVETT MCCANDLISS.

BY GREG DUTTER

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O&A the men’s brands Rockadelic, Detour and Soft Stags as well as the aforementioned and current center of attention, NoSox. Regarding the latter brand, Muskat believes NoSox has the legs to make a big sales run. All initial signs point to it. For starters, he reports that NoSox’s initial 250 specialty comfort retailers have all re-ordered for fall. “It’s been phenomenal. I haven’t had this good of a feeling in 30 years,” Muskat gushes.

He adds, “They are offering ideas about how we can grow the business together. It’s terrific.” To that end, Muskat predicts the sky’s the limit and expects NoSox to grow within its existing account base next year as well as add more specialty independents to its roster. “I would be very disappointed if secondyear sales didn’t do three times the volume,” he maintains.

So why does NoSox have that coveted buzz that so many other start-ups fail to garner?

As much as everyone would like there to be a fool-proof recipe, Muskat admits you never really know until it’s presented to buyers.

They are the ultimate tasters. But there have What are you reading? been some key ingredients that went into the Lunatics by Dave Barry NoSox pot that shouldn’t be overlooked. For and Alan Zweibel. starters, Muskat designed the collection on a single oblique last for cost efficiencies as What one word best well as creating a signature look. “NoSox is describes you? Driven. not intended to be a full-line shoe company,” he says. “I want it to be more like Toms, PalWho inspires you? From ladium or Dr. Martens—brands that are all a lifestyle standpoint, it’s known basically for one item as opposed to, the Rolling Stones. I am for example, Easy Spirit, which represents 66 years old and have been eight million different things.” following those guys since Secondly, Muskat says the hybrid design my 20s, and they’re still zeros in on a long line of utilitatian fashdoing it and so am I. ion hits that span Ugg to Merrell to Toms.

They are all versatile, easy-on and -off, with Who is your favorite or without socks and suitable in the office or character in literature? in the park. Interestingly, the whole NoSox Peter Pan. He had a great concept grew out of a casual conversation philosophy on life, which is Muskat had with a colleague. The two veterto stay young. ans were discussing—lamenting, really—the state of the industry and, specifically, how Who would be your most the athletic business had virtually taken over coveted dinner guest? the entire casual shoe market for the past 30 years. “We were kidding that if anybody could come up with a casual shoe that’s kind of a sneaker but not really a sneaker, yet had all the bells and whistles that stimulate a person to buy an athletic shoe to wear for casual purposes, then they would really be on to something,” Muskat explains. Soon after he got together with his design team and created a collection of shoes that hit on those touchstones, beginning with it being extremely lightweight. “NoSox is a great crossover product,” he offers. “It’s a true hybrid, because the side profile looks like an athletic shoe and from the top it looks casual.” As for the name, it’s catchy, apropos and happened to be lying fallow in the company archives.

Sometimes, Muskat notes, the shoe business can be serendipitous like that.

Another key ingredient of the NoSox recipe: strictly targeting specialty comfort retailers—those that Muskat believes are the only ones willing and able to introduce new product concepts. And, unlike the Deer Stags tier, can do so at a higher price point (in the case, $60 to $90). Muskat is grateful such buyers still exist, albeit in far fewer overall numbers. He fondly remembers the days when one could call on thousands of such buyers. While ever an optimist who hopes the future will be his favorite era, he considers the

’70s and ’80s to be the golden age for selling shoes. Back then the company’s offices were located on 34th Street in Manhattan, which was ground zero. “You could call on Macy’s and Gimbels in the morning, E.J. Korvette just before lunch, Franklin Simon & Co. after lunch and B. Altman that evening, and you hadn’t even left the block yet!” he exclaims. What’s more, Muskat says, there was plenty of room for everybody to hawk their shoes. And the cherry on top: the emphasis was on product and not markdown money requirements and other financial tourniquets that often kill creative aspects of the business. “I’m a product guy,” Muskat professes, noting back then buyers and wholesalers traveled like a band of gypsies as they’d shop the European markets twice a year in search of the next great trends. “We would go out at night together where the main conversation was always about which was the best last, the best pattern, the hottest colors, etc.,” he says. “Today, it’s bottom-line driven.

You don’t have as many merchants involved Not being political but just as you did then, and I miss that aspect a lot.” for his personality, it’d be Ain’t that the truth and Muskat’s frankBill Clinton. ness is refreshing. And while he has seen it all from an industry perspective, includWhat might people be ing the shifts in sourcing that read like a surprised to know about whirlwind world tour and the economic you? I always say what I challenges that one must weather just to feel, so I’m not quite sure survive, he continues to press on because there is anything surprising the opportunity to create that next hot to know about me. item always exists. That potential windfall never goes away, regardless of the overWhat is your motto? all economic climate or retail landscape. A Sales cure all ills. hot item, Muskat says, is just that: waiting to explode at retail because the consumWhat is your favorite ers’ need factor coupled with the want can hometown memory? I equal the next $100-million idea. was born and raised in the That potential jackpot is what keeps MusLower East Side of Mankat coming to work each day after all of hattan, and my favorite these years. That and the lifelong musimemories are of coming cian’s soundproof studio he installed in the home from public school offices located in Manhattan’s Flatiron disand playing in the local trict. He and three co-workers are also band playground. members of the Offshoots (Muskat plays bass), and the group performs monthly gigs around Greenwich Village. For Muskat, the hunger to sell shoes—and to play rock ‘n’ roll—never subsides. “No matter how bad the economy is or how much buyers may be [complaining], brands are able to do it. And we believe we can do it, too,” he confirms. “But you can’t make it happen just because you want it to. The product has to be right.”

OFF THE CUFF

Is it true that everyone in this business is potentially one item away from a $100-million idea?

Absolutely. You’ve got to keep throwing things out there until one of them hits. Although today, with the economy and sourcing as challenging as it is, you have to be more deliberate in your thinking. You just can’t go off to the factories, design a line and hope something sticks. You’ve got to offer something that fills an opening that the market will accept. Basically, you know if you do within 10 minutes of the first shoe show you exhibit at.

Did you have a gut feeling with NoSox right away?

When I showed the first samples to my team—many of whom have been in

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the business a long time—the reaction was confused. They didn’t know if they liked it, but nobody said they didn’t. So I thought maybe I had something. We then went to the Platform show in Las Vegas where set up a major display and we were flooded with buyers and distributors, who wanted to represent the line in Europe and Asia, which we wouldn’t do. We then culled down the line and keyed-in on the retailers we wanted to sell first. It’s been a very carefully planned project for the past year and a half.

Is NoSox hitting on a new niche, or is it taking share from something else?

Everything takes share from something else because there’s X amount of feet and X amount of dollars out there. But you never want to hear buyers say that they are already covered in that. We didn’t hear that with respect to NoSox. People kept saying that the shoes looked cool and unique, that they’re light and feel comfortable, and that they wanted a pair for themselves. It’s truly a fresh concept.

A lot of new brands jump out of the gate only to quickly crash and burn because the growth wasn’t managed properly. How will you avoid such pitfalls regarding NoSox? Everything has a life span, but look at how long Birkenstock has gone on. And I say this in a loving way; it’s an ugly sandal that started out with a granola customer and then it became fashionable and it since has largely gone back to its original customer base. Yet it is still a huge business worldwide. Same for Converse All-Star—it lives, it dies and now it’s huge again. Dr. Martens is another example. It’s all a matter of the product and the company behind it that keeps it relevant. Along those lines, our spring collection virtually sold out as retailers re-ordered throughout the season as we are a total fulfillment house.

NoSox looks to be another in a long line of popular utilitarian styles. Merrell’s Jungle Moc being one example.

Absolutely. But just claiming it offers all of those utilitarian benefits doesn’t preclude the fact that it still has to stand by itself. It’s interesting that you mentioned Merrell. The brand was doing a tremendous amount of business overseas just before it introduced the Jungle Moc to the U.S. And during one of my European shopping trips I brought a pair of Jungle Mocs to review with our design team as we are always looking how we might interpret unique shoes in our Deer Stags line. My brother just laughed that shoe off the table and said, “Next.” To his defense, it didn’t make any sense on the one hand—a men’s sneaker clog—but, on the other hand, it made all the sense in the world. It’s very strange, but you don’t know what makes a winner until it’s a winner. Similarly, you don’t know why certain brand names resonate and others don’t.

Are you fortunate just to have one great run in this business?

Well, you can’t survive this business long-term with only one great run.

A good run comes every four to five years; that’s normally the timeline for getting another hot shoe. Now to succeed like Toms, FitFlops or Crocs, for example, all of the elements have to fall into place at the right time. But you can’t control all of the elements. Right now, the independent retailer is the only tier with an appetite to test new products. Whereas at the Deer Stags end of the retail spectrum, they don’t have an appetite to test anything.

How would you describe Deer Stags’ niche in the marketplace?

First off, Deer Stags is the heart and soul of our business, which it has been for the last 20 or so years. I look at it as commodity footwear for men, as we are positioned in the lower mid-tier like in Burlington Coat Factory and Sears. We make shoes that men have to have. The guy needs a quality pair of shoes for work. It’s foot covering, but it’s fashionable and functional. You often see guys wearing their Deer Stags with jeans as well. Moreover, the Deer Stags customer—what used to represent the

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middle class—doesn’t have the luxury of buying many pairs of shoes today. My customer is often working two jobs and his wife is working, as well.

If anybody is going to get a second pair of shoes, it’s going to be the wife or the kids first.

Have Deer Stags sales been good this year?

We’ve had better years, but it certainly wasn’t a bad year. I attribute a lot of our success of late to our position in the marketplace and where the economy stands. Some of the top brands in our tier, like Rockport, might be priced at $80 or $90 and Deer Stags is at $40 to $50. If the economy is good, the guy who couldn’t afford anything buys our shoes. And if the economy tanks, the guy that doesn’t want to spend $80 comes down to buy our shoes. We are pulling from both of those bases as the economy is sort of in the middle.

How hard is it to appeal to a customer with a finite amount of disposable income? Can you blow them away with product?

You can and we do. Our packaging and product is as good as a $200-brand presentation. When that customer leaves with a pair of Deer Stags he feels like he is buying an authentic brand. We also have a terrific customer service department and we are very interactive on social media. We believe our customer is proud of that purchase and loyal to our brand.

Has the recent influx of color into men’s footwear reached Deer Stags?

It doesn’t really play with us. My guy [wears] black, black, black and sometimes brown. He doesn’t have the income to change his shoes because he changed the colors of his clothes.

So how do you grow Deer Stags, or is more a case of maintaining that base?

We’re always trying to grow. One way is by getting more SKUs into our existing accounts, and that could be by adding some seasonal product. For example, Deer Stags does a great slipper business.

And we are always trying to sell those we don’t sell yet. But let’s not kid ourselves, the number of buyers today in that tier has been reduced by 80 percent than what it was in the ’70s.

A pessimist might say those odds aren’t worth it. What makes you keep battling?

Because we’ve got a profitable business filled with people who come to work every day and I feel a responsibility to them to keep this thing going. And it’s going well. For example, we are looking at other markets, like with NoSox. That’s how you grow.

What’s the biggest challenge facing your business right now?

First of all, we have to sell to more retailers. We have to grow our business. If we want NoSox to be a $100-million brand we obviously can’t only sell to 250 retailers; we have to get up into the thou-

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sands. So that’s one challenge, taking into account the high cost of putting salespeople on the road.

Then there’s the design challenge in that you’ve got to keep your product at a level so the consumer wants to keep buying it. And the third challenge is sourcing, which is the hardest aspect for anybody in the shoe business today, and that’s regardless of it being men’s, women’s or kids’ product or what tier it’s sold in. Sourcing has become an absolute nightmare over the last three years.

Are you planning to move it out of China?

Not at the moment. We are fortunate to have several factories that we have dealt with for years and NoSox is riding the tails of Deer Stags, in this regard. We give them a hell of a lot of volume each year and they believe in us. But anybody that says they are not driven by price is a fool. So as long as I can keep my prices in line, I will stay.

But if it goes up to a certain point, then I’m going to have to start moving production elsewhere, which I’ve done since I started Glen Shoe Company. It has gone from Majorca, Spain, to mainland Spain to Italy to Brazil to Taiwan, back to Brazil and to China. Now we are moving deeper into China, because the biggest part of Deer Stags involves synthetic materials and there is really nowhere else in the world right now that you can make shoes at the quality for that price.

But I even bought shoes out of Pakistan until about two years ago when the State Department showed me where the bombs were going off and we decided to source from somewhere else. As far as leather shoes, there’s talk about it moving to Italy, India and Vietnam. We’ll see.

Might production move to the United States more as well?

I hear a lot about bringing production back to America. In fact, the drummer in my band recently sent out an email that requested everyone to stop buying anything that was not made in the U.S. When I explained to him that our band is primarily financed by Chinese people making Deer Stags, he reconsidered (laughs).

The fact is our first big item back in the ’70s was the Jazz oxford, which we produced in Lawrence and Lowell, Massachusetts. We made hundreds of thousands of pairs. And we would be thrilled making shoes in those factories again, but EPA regulations helped put a stop to that coupled with the fact that Americans no longer wanted to work in shoe factories. So they closed as did ones in North Carolina and Arkansas that we also used to source out of. Now if you’re willing to pay a minimum of $150 for a pair, I think I could swing making shoes in this country again. But if you want to pay $29.99, I don’t know how we are going to be able to make them here.

What do you think has been your best survival trait and enabled you to stay in business all of these years?

We’ve always been on top of our market. >51

10/15/12 3:59 PM

SIGN OF BETTER TIMES The recently expanded Harry’s Shoes on Manhattan’s Upper West Side meets the needs and wants of a neighborhood’s changing demographic.

By Greg Dutter IRST, A LITTLE author’s disclosure: I have lived on Manhattan’s Upper West Side for the past 18 years. In fact, I live within 12 blocks—deemed but a short walk by most native, car-less New Yorkers—to the neighborhood stalwart, Harry’s Shoes, where my family has been frequent customers. Over the years, I have seen my share of yogurt shops, restaurants and Gap Outlets come and go within my beloved nabe. I have also seen my shopping desires and needs evolve as I moved through my early adult years (when bars, bike shops and gyms were top of mind) into my 30- and 40-something years, when the fatherhood era dawned and much of my shopping shifted to make-your-own pottery shops, grocery stores and drug chains for the neverending sundries a growing child consumes.

Apparently, I am not alone in my adult arc through life on the Upper West Side. The once seedier—as compared to the tony Upper East Side—and older-based demographic continues to undergo a suburban-like metamorphasis where strollers now outnumber taxis and parents desperately fight for the coveted, yet precious few, spaces in the area’s choice public and private schools. In short, these neighborhood pioneers are laying down roots and raising families here. The Upper West Side is considered by many realtors as the new “It” neighborhood, drawing in a mix of young professionals, many of whom rake in

high incomes. Thus retailers must adapt to meet the wants and needs of its evolving customer base.

That’s one of the leading reasons behind Robert Goldberg’s decision to nearly double Harry’s Shoes (located on the corner of 83rd St. and Broadway) to 7,200 square feet of selling space.

That and the fact that the neighboring Talbot’s closed and the realtor had come to him with an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Sometimes running a retail business can be serendipitous like that. “We know that the demographics of the Upper West Side are changing dramatically and that there are other markets for us to be in,” says Goldberg, Harry’s president and the family’s third generation to run the business. “The neighborhood is getting younger, much more family oriented and it’s got a very high per-capita income rate. We knew that we had to evolve to meet this changing demographic where the DNA of our business will stay the same but the way we merchandise our expanded selection is more current and elegant.”

The fact is the old Harry’s couldn’t carry more brands even if it wanted to as it had maxed out its stockroom capacity.

In addition, Goldberg says the selling floor had become so crowded that, in order to appeal to the fashionable brands he was seeking to add, more space and fixture upgrades were required to meet their standards. “It was a very good

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opportunity for us to build out and we were due for a remodel in the next two or three years anyway,” he says, noting the store’s last full remodeling occurred more than 20 years ago. But the decision goes beyond fortuitous timing; Goldberg knew the time was right for his store’s relevance. “We were starting to get pigeon-holed into being a store for more mature people. And we were finding it harder and harder to get the 30-something customer into our experience because we were looking dated,” he says.

MEET THE NEW HARRY’S The expanded and remodeled Harry’s features a more sophisticated décor, including plush seating and enhanced shop-in-shop brand presentations, which includes (on the men’s side) the addition of To Boot New York, Santoni, Fratelli Rosetti, Hugo Boss and Converse by John Vavartos. “These are very choice brands,” Goldberg offers. “The idea was to appeal to a younger man, but not a sneakerhead.” He adds, “This is a little younger, cooler mix with a little more fashion spin, but we are also still a basic shoe store. We still sell a ton of Rockport.” On the women’s side, labels like Pas de Rouge, Bruno Magli, Attillio Giusti Leombruni and Peter Kaiser up the fashion ante alongside go-to store favorites like Dansko, Ugg, Munro and Merrell. When asked to define the new store overall, Goldberg says: “We are a lifestyle play for people who are looking for functional and also wearable fashion.” In other words: a sweet spot in today’s utilitarian-infused, casual fashion world. “It’s a great niche to be in right now,” he confirms. “It’s where the bulk of the business in our industry is being done today.”

It fits the tastes of many Upper West Side shoppers to a tee. Goldberg says it also fills a need, one he thinks is not found in the recently opened DSW outlet nearby and the since departed Plaza Too boutique that, he believes, went too couture. While many area residents can afford pricier shoes, they are not as inclined to drape themselves in the hottest designer logos. That’s more Upper East Side-y. Or, as Goldberg defines it: “A lot of Upper West Side women have Christian Louboutins in their wardrobe, but that’s not the flag they are rallying behind. Their flag is what works for their lifestyle, and they want it to be a little bit more relaxed.” He adds, “It could be Dansko or Merrell. Or it could be something as intriguing as Paul Mayer, Arcopedico or Arche. Or, right now, it could be Ash’s wedge sneakers.”

So far so good, Goldberg reports, regarding the reaction to Harry’s new digs and expanded selection. “It has been unbelievable. Customers walk into the store and say, ‘Wow. This is great,’” he says. He is particularly

encouraged to see trendy, younger moms perusing the store’s expanded salon selection. “We wanted it to be distinctive enough so that it would look and feel like Harry’s, but also create a very positive impact on customers.” Mission accomplished.

Overall, what customers are seeing is something unique to the area, Goldberg adds. “There are not many independent shoes stores left around here,” he notes. “You have department stores, which do what they do, but it’s not like they take the place of us and their brand mix is different.

And you have discounters, who are good at what they do, but consumers who are more discerning are not as likely to shop those stores.” In fact, Goldberg believes the new DSW is helping bring more shoe shoppers into the neighborhood as opposed to siphoning off sales. And while there is some brand overlap, he is focused on the bigger picture: “We have so many directions that we can go in our new environment that it will keep us away from them.” For starters, Harry’s is a full-service retailer—complete with Brannock devices. “We still measure every foot and fit shoes properly,” he notes. “And we still sell sizes and widths. Munroe American and SAS, for example, are very strong brands for us.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TREVETT MCCANDLISS.

LOOKING AHEAD If you think doubling the selling space means the goal is for Harry’s to double its overall sales, then you’d be wrong. Goldberg is not looking at the expansion that way.

Such growth is not required, he says. “Our goal, in the next three or four years, is a 30- to 40-percent increase in our business.”

It’s a realistic goal, he adds, taking into consideration the unique advantage that Manhattan offers as compared to much of the country that continues to struggle in a difficult economy. “There are markets within markets in this country,” he surmises.

“And Manhattan, right now, is isolated from a lot of the other issues going on in the country.” Specifically, Goldberg says the borough continues to become more homogeneous of residents that have more disposable income. “The difference between $100 and $150 for a pair of shoes is not nearly as great,” he says.

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encouraging Goldberg to reach out to these coveted consumers. It includes holding more in-store events during the evenings, be it fashion shows and cocktail preview parties. Vendors are lining up to take part in that, he notes. Harry’s is also advertising more locally in Avenue and New York magazines as well as continuing with its New York Times campaign. Goldberg even made his “acting” debut via a commercial spot that aired on the local cable news channel, NY-1. “I learned just how hard it is to do that,” he laughs. “It looks easy when you see the final product, but the amount of takes took a long time.”

Speaking of easy, Goldberg expects his day-to-day job to get a little more so, despite having to manage plenty more SKUs. “Ultimately, the expansion makes it a more comfortable place to work in because we’ll have more stockroom space and we’ll be able to manage the flow of our merchandise better,” he says. “And we have added some new staff hires to help out, but we are going to let that kind of organically evolve. I want to bring people on because there’s a reason for it as opposed to over-hiring and then having to cut staff.

I’m trying to be more practical.”

Goldberg’s only regret in this entire process? The fact that his father, who opened Harry’s in this location in 1975, didn’t live to see its makeover complete. “He was very involved in the original planning and, when he was in the hospital, I would bring in the plans,” Goldberg says. “He was very proud that this was happening.”

Goldberg’s grandfather started the business in two other Manhattan locations, beginning in 1931. “It’s a long legacy,” he adds. Speaking of which, Goldberg and his sister have two children apiece, so he hopes a fourth generation shoe retailer lies in the wings. “I think the odds of that are pretty good,” he says. •

Goldberg Nuggets Digging into the mind of a veteran retailer unearths wisdom on fashion trends, consumer behavior and retailing strategies.

Why keep Harry’s Kids separate?

Kids need their own environment and a staff that caters to their specific needs. It’s like when they go for a haircut or to see the pediatrician: These are people that deal with children and understand their needs as well as the concerns of the parent.

What’s your outlook for the rest of this year? A continuation of the transition from what we’ve all been seeing regarding how consumers shop. They are increasingly more buy now-wear now because of their overall outlook since 2008. Along those lines, what’s going to happen with Ugg? Nobody knows except that the weather will play a huge role. I’m optimistic and believe it’s still going to be a very strong business for us.

What’s your take on fashion in general right now? From a retailer’s point of view, it’s a very good market because fashion is very eclectic right now. There isn’t one direction in clothing and people are being very individual in what they are choosing to wear, which means you can sell a lot of different categories of shoes.

Are we better off as an industry than we were four years ago?

I think we are because brands and retailers are being forced to

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become more innovative. Due to the Internet, the lifespan of a product is getting shorter and shorter.

Trends get over-exposed quicker.

And everyone has tremendous access to products now. Those who understand exactly who their customer is and what they want, have a tremendous opportunity to build a business with staying power.

In contrast, it’s a very hard market to be an item chaser because you have a very short window span.

If you are trying to meet a purely emotional fashion curve, which is what most stores try to do in order to gain maximum turn, you can do it but the window is narrower. And if you miss the beginning of that curve, don’t even try to chase it.

That’s not the Harry’s way? My whole concept is I want to build equity in my customer. Meaning that we carry brands that they know and like and that serve their needs.

They are brands that they can rely on and don’t have tremendous exposure everywhere. Of course, we also carry a few commercial brands that are commodities, because our customers buy those as well. Overall, I believe we offer a uniqueness that creates a reason to visit our store. It becomes part of the experience.

What was the best retailing lesson you learned from your father?

Always listen to your customer.

It’s really that simple. The second rule is the customer is always right.

Third: Just follow rules one and two. You can have your own insights into what think might happen, but at the end of the day the consumer is the ultimate critic and their choice whether to shop and buy from your store tells whether you did your job right.

Do you envision another location some day? I’d have to ask my wife (laughs). For now, this is a big project and we are dedicated to making it as perfect as we can. —G.D.

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what’s selling

sit & fits

Comfort Meets Democracy Comfort specialty stores discuss their outlook for the coming season, popular brands and accessories, customer shopping trends, and if the presidential election will have an impact on sales.

by Maria Bouselli

BAKER’S BIRKENSTOCK

Paramus, NJ

OUTFITTING LOYAL CUSTOMERS since 1953 with its knowledgeable sales staff and vast selection of sizes and widths, General Manager Bobby Adler describes the 14,000-square-foot store as a “sit and fit” destination.

Top-selling brands: Ugg, SAS, Munro, New Balance, Clarks, Florsheim, Merrell and Rockport.

How would you describe the general mood of your customers? More eager to buy. You can only stay negative for so long. As long as things kick up in the economy, people will start spending more.

What has been your go-to brand this past year? Naot has really started to pick up; we do well with the Earth family of brands. Right now, we’re selling evenly across the board.

What is the biggest challenge currently facing your business?

The Internet. Specifically, people who come in and get sized but they have no intention of buying from us. Sometimes we can turn around and sell them, but it’s frustrating when people are just using you.

What’s your outlook for boot sales this season? To be better than last year because I don’t expect we’ll have a mild winter.

What is your No. 1 goal right now? To be proactive in promoting our new brands—ones our customers might not recognize. It’s always a battle of figuring out how we want to promote— newspapers, magazines, store windows, etc.

Top-selling brands: Birkenstock, Dansko, Finn Comfort, Naot, Clarks, Ugg, BeautiFeel and Earthies.

What are your top-selling accessories? Anuschka handbags (above) and Ellington and Ameribag, as well. We also sell a lot of jewelry and socks, including Wigwam and Smartwool brands.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETE SOUZA.

Chico, CA

ANTIQUE FURNITURE AND décor coupled with oldfashioned customer service and a classic selection of 30 comfort brands makes this 1,800-square-foot store a stand out.

Celeste Baker opened the doors in 1976 with the mission to “provide comfortable footwear and accessories in a fun atmosphere” and has been delivering on that promise ever since.

GLOBE FOOTWEAR

What is the biggest challenge currently facing your business?

Some of our vendors selling to discounters.

Are you expecting any election fallout? As long as the economy improves, it doesn’t really matter who wins. Fifty percent are going to be happy and 50 percent unhappy.

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sit & fits

wh a t ’s s e l l i ng

SELIGA SHOES St. Louis, MO

75 years

Will you be expanding your footwear assortment for next year? No. We’re tightening up and trying to go deeper. This spring was our 75th anniversary and we really expanded our collection [too much] and overwhelmed our customer.

KARAVEL SHOES Austin, TX

THIS TEXAS GEM just celebrated its 75th anniversary and continues to delight customers with its Southern hospitality and extensive selection of brands.

President Rick Ravel says business is up this fall thanks to his talented team of buyers and the store’s merchandise mix. “Put our store anywhere in the U.S. and we can compete with the best,” he proclaims.

Top-selling brands: Naot, Ecco, New Balance, Rockport, Finn Comfort, Dansko, Merrell, Clarks, Birkenstock and Anyi Lu.

Ecco

Any election fallout expected to impact your business?

No. For all intensive purposes Texas is doing well and people are moving here like crazy.

SERVING THE ST. LOUIS area since 1920, the pedorthic and fit specialists strive to provide a comfortable, lowkey atmosphere for customers.

“When they walk in we greet them and do one-on-one fittings, but we don’t try to push [the sale],” says Andrew Hagopin, store manager. “We believe if we provide great service then everything else is gravy from there.”

What has been the best thing to happen to your business this year?

We opened a women’s boutique right next to our original store. It features brands like Fly London, Merrell, Dromedaris, Taos and Cushe. They’re edgier styles for the younger clientele. It’s been a nice surprise.

Top-selling brands: SAS, Sebago, Deer Tracks, Natural Step, SoftWalk, Finn Comfort, Aravon and New Balance.

What has been the biggest challenge currently facing your business? While we carry a wide range of brands—more than you can shake a stick at—in a price range from $60 to $450, our challenge is getting that younger customer (age 35 to 50) who doesn’t read the newspaper or watch TV too much. We’ve started using social media in an effort to reach them.

What’s your outlook for boot sales this fall? It’s been 10 degrees cooler this year than last, so we’re real happy and our boots have been selling well. We expect to sell through on our inventory.

Has the past season met your sales expectations?

We were up a little bit from last year. I think it’s due, in part, to the baby-boomer generation being more active and needing more shoes in their wardrobe.

What is the biggest challenge currently facing your business? Working with our vendors on payment schedules. It’d be nice to have more leeway.

For example, we sell a lot of medical goods here but Medicare has changed a lot of its regulations and that has made it more challenging for us.

What your store’s go-to brand? New Balance. Everybody needs [sneakers].

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DEFINING COMFORT : CIRCA SPRING ’13 SPANNING EXAMPLES OF WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE AND LOOK COMFORTABLY STYLISH TO THE LATEST PRODUCT INNOVATIONS HELPING CONSUMERS FEEL COMFORTABLE, CATEGORY LEADERS PRESENT THEIR LATEST DEFINITIONS FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON.

Comfort can be a feeling, involve a desire and fulfill a need. It can also reflect various lifestyles: How one lives in the comfort of their own skin to the comfort of looking and feeling good in one’s clothes. It can also involve far more grounded definitions and be something as essential as a terrific pair of comfortable shoes.

As casual attire cements its place in wardrobes across all demographics, subtle nuances to what it means to look, feel and dress comfortably are evolving.

Terms like comfort chic, style made comfortable and comfort couture are but a few examples of how brands are tweaking the genre to stand out from the growing crowd while staying true to core needs that the shoes must, in fact, be comfortable. Chalk the latter aspect up to human nature as the desire to feel comfortable is a universal one, but that surely doesn’t mean it should all look the same.

Gentle Souls: Tread Softly For Wayne Finkelstein, founder of Gentle Souls, his light bulb moment came way back in 1968 when he worked in the comfort department at Abraham & Straus in Brooklyn, NY. “A woman came in with hammertoe, and she had to take a 10EEEE to get her foot into the shoe,” he remembers, describing the painful affliction in detail. “There was maybe an inch of insole in front, because it was an open-toe sandal, and she put the shoes on and said ‘Oh, these are so comfortable,’—and they were the ugliest shoes!” The seed was planted that would blossom in 1995 into Gentle Souls—a line of shoes for women that combines fashion, comfort and care for feet.

To this day, Finkelstein believes comfort footwear is defined by putting on a pair of shoes, and forgetting there’s something on your feet. “You always feel best in the morning, and your feet should feel the same at the end of the day as they do when you start the day,” he says. “Every style—from fashion to casual—is made with comfort features in it.” The centerpiece of this is Displaceable Solid Technology, which loosely translates to the brand’s layered approach to comfort. Similar to walking on the beach, flaxseed memory pillows embedded in the footbed mold to your foot with each step,

creating a dynamic resistance, while deerskin lining allows the foot to breathe. “We try to let the shoe accommodate the foot, rather than the foot having to accommodate the shoe,” he says. “The more the shoe can accommodate the foot, the less stress that’s on the foot in any area. Red marks mean information.”

Another problem Gentle Souls is seeking to solve is the pain and awkward limpwalk of blister territory that comes with ill-fitting shoes. “We’ve added a dime-size piece of 3-mm memory foam between the counter pocket and the back of the shoe. It’s contoured to the foot and takes away the likelihood of it cutting into your feet,” he explains. And Finkelstein stands behind the merits of Gentle Souls’ comfort constructions 100 percent: “If it’s not profitable for our customers, it doesn’t work,” he says, noting success breeds success. “People develop more and more confidence in the line because it rings the cash register.”

Perhaps that sales potential is what attracted Kenneth Cole to the company when he acquired the brand in 2005. Or maybe it was the sandal Finkelstein gifted to Cole’s wife beforehand—a style that was carried at Shoe In boutique in the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. “We sold one sandal to that store (which carries Christian Louboutin and Giuseppe Zanotti) and they sold 800 pairs in a three-month period,” he says, adding, “I think we cater to a really wide audience.”

In fact, Finkelstein gets accused of carrying too many SKUs. However, his focus is to fill every need in a women’s closet. “That [approach isn’t] popular in the industry today, but it’s an old-fashioned way of doing business,” he says. “Actually selling people a collection, selling to women who really believe in comfort features—that will come back to your brand.” —Lyndsay McGregor

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Earthies: Grounded In Wearable Style

Model Erin Wasson: the face of the Rockport women’s collection.

Rockport: Walking On Air Bob Mullaney is happy. The president of U.S. sales and operations at Rockport recently returned from a trip to St. Louis—the Adidasowned subsidiary’s toughest consumer market—where he found business to be booming. “It was one of those trips that makes us feel good because the associates on the floor are seeing what we’re doing and they’re truly embracing where we’re going,” Mullaney says.

For Spring ’13 Rockport is sailing into the season on a color wave of nautical-inspired casual and career looks and expanding its lightweight offering with Truwalk Zero, RockSports Lite and Business Lite collections, and continuing its 40-year legacy of product innovation. “We’re really committed to reducing stress on our customers, both emotionally and physically, through our lightweight initiative. Who knew footwear could be so deep?” he laughs, adding, “We certainly drive ourselves to help our customers.”

The female customer, in particular, is demanding a lot more from the brand these days. “I think she knows, as does the male consumer, that style and comfort don’t have to be mutually exclusive,” Mullaney offers. “You can look good and feel good at the same time. It’s one of our mantras: style made comfortable.” In an effort to enhance its fashion quotient, the brand brought model Erin Wasson on board to be the official face of its fall women’s collection, and Mullaney says the response so far at retail has been phenomenal. “She has the credibility of not only a model, but an entrepreneur,” he notes.

In addition to her modeling career, Wasson is a jewelry designer and actress, as well as a design collaborator with RVCA and Zadig & Voltaire. “How she carries herself is very brand-relevant. Her approach to fashion is much more sensible,” he adds, alluding to a possible collaboration further down the line. “There are a lot of potentially exciting avenues to explore with Erin.”

While Rockport got off track during previous years by being too heavily promoted, Mullaney knows the brand’s bones are solid and its reputation among its loyal consumers remains equally strong. The same goes for its retail partners who have made it a cornerstone of their businesses for decades. “Everyone wants Rockport to succeed; they know how strong the brand is and how meaningful it is to the consumer,” he notes. “It’s not just a cliché to say everyone thinks our line is great. People are genuinely rooting for us.”

The challenge going forward for Rockport: How to stay true to its roots and loyal customers while attempting to appeal to a younger and more fashion-forward generation. Mullaney welcomes the challenge and believes the brand is well on its way to meeting it. “Customers appreciate that brands have to move forward. And if we’re true to who we are for reasons they can see, it’s relevant today for the same reasons why they were attracted to the brand way back when,” he says. “It’s about how well we execute the DNA of the brand.” —L.M.

Since the peak of the extreme-heel trend back in 2008—when several catwalk models took a tumble while wearing higher-thanever shoes—killer stilettos and super-sized platforms have become de rigeur—at the wearer’s own risk, mind you. Thankfully, the fashion industry has been lowering that risk with the return of the kitten heel in 2010 and last summer’s demi-wedge, stocky silhouettes that offer the style-plus-comfort solution for all-day footwear.

With the bambi-legged likes of Alexa Chung, Zooey Deschanel and Lana Del Rey all sporting sensible shoes of late, Earthies is hoping its steady year-over-year growth of stylish yet sturdy and comfortable constructions continues. “It’s all about being current and reading the trends in the marketplace, [then] translating those trends into the type of consumer you’re pursuing,” says Gary Champion, president of Earth Inc., makers of Earthies.

The brand is stepping up its penchant for style next season, aiming to leverage its reputation for delivering on-trend fashion looks with comfort. Tribal-inspired details such as bone and rope and exotic upper materials abound, while decorative gemstone, beading and laser-cut treatments add some oomph to traditional silhouettes like ballet flats and wedges. “A lot of our ideas come out of the European fashion world,” Champion notes. “Our product development team spends time on the streets for about two weeks before going to China.”

Now entering its third spring/summer season, Earthies’ contoured wellness footbed remains a constant. “You have designer dress shoes touting comfort nowadays, but all that is is a little more foam in the foot bed,” Champion notes. A cupped heel, enhanced support through the arch and a cradled toe box work together to ensure that every Earthies style helps promote the proper position of the foot within the shoe and the proper distribution of weight across the entirety of the body.

It involves far more than a simple add-on.

Champion defines the Earthies customer as a sophisticated woman who doesn’t want to sacrifice comfort for style, or vice versa. And while retailers shopping the Spring ’13 show circuit weren’t exactly ecstatic about business overall, Champion says many were cautiously optimistic and knew exactly what they were looking for. “I believe there’s change in the air among retailers,” Champion muses.

“Even Macy’s redoing its (Herald Square flagship) shoe floor and bringing attention to its fashion area—there’s a theme that’s running from department stores down to the independents. They’re Tribal-inspired details by Earthies looking for brands that bring for spring. newness to the comfort world.” —L.M. 2012 october/november • footwearplusmagazine.com 25

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Anyi Lu: Couture Comfort When the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission raised cab fares by 17 percent in September, the local Twitterverse devolved into a communal freak-out. This meant New York fashionistas sacrificing comfort for style would no longer hurt just feet, but wallets, too, should pavement pounding in too-high heels prove excruciating. Throw in the fact that the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reports women’s visits to specialists for foot and toe complaints shot up 75 percent between 2005 and 2009 and we have the makings of a major financial dilemma.

But, ladies, it doesn’t have to be this way. Former chemical engineer Anyi Lu created her eponymous luxury shoe line when her search for highfashion shoes that could be worn all day was futile.

“Comfort is a pair of shoes I want to wear that makes me look good and stylish, but I can wear 14 to 15 hours a day without coming home and wanting to die,” Lu says.

Fusing modern technology with old-world Italian constructions, the Tiburon, CA-based brand offers fashion-forward designs that are as comfortable as are they are pretty. Lu calls it “couture comfort.”

“A lot of our customers are attorneys, doctors, Fortune 500 businesswomen and professional salespeople,” notes Lu’s husband and business partner, David Spatz. “They’re on their feet all day long and they need comfort, but style is also critically important.”

“They need heels. They’re not wearing sneakers,” Lu adds, who describes her spring collection as quintessential to the laidback lifestyle of Northern California, with lots of easy-to-wear silhouettes and modern materials, textural patterns and bold hues of red, orange and green. That being said, Lu notes that fashion is at the forefront of her collection, unlike many comfort brands whose collections are mostly carry-over silhouettes. “They don’t evolve that much from a fashion perspective,” she maintains. “With us, it’s 50-50. Returning silhouettes are bestsellers but updated with new materials and the rest are completely new,” she says.

Anyi Lu wholesale prices ranges from $170 to $225, and the brand is on track to double business in the next three years. “We started at zero seven years ago and we have steadily grown 25 to 30 percent every year.

We see it continuing,” predicts Spatz, adding that comfort is a relative term for the fashion industry. “Several years ago it was a towering stiletto. Now they have added a platform to that towering heel, hence that slope is not as steep. But does that make it anymore comfortable?

Is it more of a deceiving comfort?” No matter how a particular brand defines what makes a shoe comfortable, Lu believes the desire to wear comfortable shoes is universal. “It doesn’t matter how old the customer is and what age group she’s in. Of course she’d like to wear comfortable shoes, but she doesn’t want to look old,” she says. “We are always focusing on the fashion element of comfort footwear.” —L.M.

Naot: The Comfort Addicts For a company that got its start in surf boutiques and other non-shoe stores 25 years ago, Naot has made leaps and bounds in the comfort category. Its legion of loyal customers and comfort addicts—lovingly coined “Naotics”— could attest to that as they grow their personal collections of sandals, pumps and boots with each passing season.

Fast-forward to 2012 and the company known for its cork and latex molding footbed is stretching its fashion legs, increasingly adding fashion boutiques to its distribution mix and reaching out to more 20-somethings as consumers. It’s all part of comfort’s evolution that Steven Lax, president of Yaleet, U.S. distributors of the Israeli-made brand, says has been happening for the last two decades. “One of the big things we hear from fitting stores is that they don’t want fashion, only stuff to fit, but then they start to pick up some of the fashion,” Lax explains. Comfort is stepping out of its zone and thanks to a crew of young, stylish women on staff and a design team with an eye for trends in their infancy, he says Naot is one of the few brands in the comfort category that can safely say fashion companies are watching and imitating.

“We’re very involved in fashion. Sometimes we’re a year or two ahead and have to drop a style, but we’ll see it come back when the market is ready for it,” Lax notes. That eye for the next big thing isn’t honed by just attending the top fashion shows and working with leading trend and color forecasters, though Lax says they do that too. The company also has an in-house design program, instituted three years ago that trains model makers, product developers and designers at the company’s studio in Northern Israel, essentially developing a team of world-class designers that understand the fundamentals of Naot comfort, and has the skill to make footwear that is contemporary and fun to wear.

Still, the company continues to cull inspiration from the market.

“We tend to get very involved with retailers’ feedback and rely on their insight,” Lax explains, especially because while Naot’s business is doing “phenomenal,” the company understands many retailers are struggling to get customers in the door. Naot’s niche market of 35to 70-year old women want to wear similar shoes as their kids, but be age-appropriate and comfortable. It’s a fine line between offering product that is too safe and product that is too unrecognizable—a design conundrum Naot takes into consideration each season since many retailers are hesitant of comfort shoes that look too much like their less comfortable counterparts. For instance, Lax says Naot’s colors for spring—blue and orange—were right on target with what is happening in fashion, but retailers were scared that blue might sit in the store and were resistant to pick it up. “So many fashion brands are calling themselves comfortable. Customers are confused about what comfort actually is,” he explains.

It’s nothing that a solid reputation for quality European craftsmanship can’t solve. The Spring ’13 line, which focused on natural textures, cutouts and subtle pops of bright color, has been getting a strong response. Lax says he is even a little shocked by just how many styles took off. “But we tend to always do a little better in bad times because retailers are picky about what they bring in. The pie is getting smaller but we’re getting a bigger piece of it,” he adds. —Angela Velasquez

26 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2012

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NOVEMBER 28–30 WEDNESDAY–FRIDAY Hilton New York Hotel & Member Showrooms

SAVE THE DATE

February 5–7, 2013 Tuesday–Thursday

Download FFANY’s iPad App to view the show directory on November 15.

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Aetrex: The DNA Connection

Alegria: The Happy Risk Taker One risk each season has proved to be the creative catalyst for Alegria that has helped transform the maker of funky comfort rocker bottom clogs into a full range of comfortable footwear that hits every note in a woman’s wardrobe. “We try something new with the construction or pattern—something that is out of the box for comfort and not seen in this world,” design director Megan Gold explains. And with each success, the brand has the freedom to branch out a little bit more.

“Customers are starting to trust us,” she adds.

One thing that remains untouched is Alegria’s cork and latex PU anatomical footbed and pressure reducing midsoles, which serve as the foundation for the line. The comfort construction is a godsend to the brand’s core customer base of professionals who are on their feet all day and take to the company’s Facebook page with high praise and Instagrams of their personal Alegria collections. “It’s good, in general, that more companies are concerned with comfort, but we have an orthopedic background,” Gold offers. “Even though we are moving in a more fashion-forward direction, our shoes still have to have an ‘Ah’ feeling.”

Last season, Alegria took a leap of faith with a completely flat sandal—a rarity in a category that calls on rocker, wedge and platform soles to help deliver comfort. Up until that point, most Alegria wearers started with styles for work and then added ones for the weekends, but for the first time Gold saw women with no prior Alegria experience buying into the brand. “I will never stray from the professional core.

It’s our bread and butter and we’re happy to work on something that’s enjoyable to wear in that context, but it’s also exciting to bring something completely new to the category. Success dictates what comes out next,” she explains.

For Spring ’13, the company followed-up with an adjustable strap wedge Gold was holding onto for a number of seasons. The design team tweaked the pattern for more than two years, fine-tuning the silhouette’s weight distribution and support. Gold says, “Our goal was to disguise the adjustability and comfort. It needed to have a cute factor.” Lighthearted, “cute” designs contribute to the company’s girlfriend vibe depicted in catalogs that Gold believes is detrimental to its increasing popularity. “We try to keep it light and fun, a bit of fantasy and whimsy.

Happiness is our focus and colors play a big role,” she explains.

In an unlikely twist for a brand that relishes color and prints, Gold pinpoints plain white as the biggest draw this past spring. “In the first seasons it seemed too old-school comfort and we never did it, but now we’re hearing from a number of accounts that they can’t keep white in stock. And it makes sense. Personally, I’m feeling it too. White feels very new and fresh,” she adds.

That philosophy is why Alegria encourages its retailers to carry a wide assortment. And as more women become increasingly conscious about how they are spending, Gold predicts it will be more important than ever to combine “cute with comfortable.” With a retail price range of $79 for sandals to $159 for professional styles, Gold says, “We have a strong advantage there. You can’t do it for less than what we’re doing.” —A.V.

“It’s hard to not be gung-ho,” says Matt Schwartz of Aetrex about the Teaneck, NJ-based company’s latest collections for Spring ’13 and its business overall. Schwartz projects it will go into the record books as its best booking season (to date) and the executive vice president sees the economy moving in the right direction with regards to its sell-through potential. It’s a potent combination of style and comfort that is driving the Aetrex team to look at growth and expansion with momentum. “That’s the fun part,” he adds. “If we can deliver comfort and fashion, then why should consumers go to a brand that only delivers just one of those elements?”

In the course of eight years, Aetrex has introduced a complete range of customizable sandals, cork sandals, The Marissa sandal peep toe heels (often

by Aetrex. referred to as “magic heels” by customers), work-appropriate pumps, winter boots and more—all built upon Lynco orthotic footbeds for support, balance and alignment.

And then there’s a host of other features like adjustable uppers, stretch and memory foam found in its namesake brand as well as its Sandalistas and Berries by Aetrex labels.

Comfort, Schwartz notes, is in the brand’s DNA and he believes that if a company can stick with its core values, customers are more likely to move along with it. “There’s a constant commitment to be better and make consumers happier,” he notes.

Guided by trends from the world’s cosmopolitan capitals, the Aetrex design team incorporates multi-metallic and rub-off leather treatments, colorful suede and embellishments placed into each collection in different ways. Schwartz finds comfort no different from any other footwear category. “We have to make an emotional connection on the fashion side. It’s part of our job,” he adds.

So is having a direct dialogue with consumers. The exec acknowledges, “It’s impossible to avoid the incredible dominance of the Internet. It’s how people learn and shop.” But the company boasts a 45-person sales team committed to brink-and-mortars and in return, retailers are excited to host events, clinics and pass on the Aetrex story. “We have a strong grassroots operation talking to consumers through our dealers,” he explains.

The company is also turning a new page by rolling out a fleet of New York cabs illuminated with Aetrex roof signs and full-page ads in Lucky, Condé Nast Traveler, and Vogue. Schwartz says he’s excited about that factor of the business. “It’s a great way to hit a new demographic,” he adds, especially since each collection seems to be attracting a younger customer. —A.V.

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Dansko: Easy Does It Like everyone else in the business, Dansko watches the runways and keeps up with fashion blogs, but CEO Mandy Cabot says the company is much more attuned to follow lifestyle trends. By embracing the individualism of its customers and homing in on the attributes that make footwear “easy,” the company has found fans all along the age spectrum. “Customers are leading busy lives, and they want a shoe that is easy in every way—easy to wear, easy to fit, easy to match with their wardrobe. Women simply don’t have time to think about their shoes and make decisions of whether to go fashion or go comfort. They demand both, together,” she explains.

To better understand consumer behavior, Dansko surveys fans on the company website to look for immediate feedback on their purchasing decisions with inbox surveys.

The company also tracks responses received by the customer service team, and talk to customers directly at various events throughout the year. In fact, according to Stylophane’s Facebook Fashion Index, Dansko is in the Top 5 of footwear brands with the Most Engaged Facebook fans.

“Not only are thousands of fans out there talking about us, but we’re listening—carefully,” Cabot affirms. “These touch points are constantly monitored and the responses we receive are inspiration for collections to come.”

Lightweight and versatile styling are a draw for Spring ’13. Dansko introduced a new, less-constructed casual collection called Sedona that gives women a new way to wear the brand without sacrificing comfort. “The featherweight feel is new to our brand but the support and quality are most definitely Dansko,” Cabot notes. Other flourishes for spring include mismatched artisan buttons and bright pops of color to appeal to ladies’ sporty side.

As long as designers start with the company’s signature footbed with foot-friendly contours and support, Cabot believes shoes can take on any style they like. “It’s the groundwork that we begin with, and from there we add the emotional elements—color, texture, embellishments—the quirky details that define Dansko’s style and add the ‘pop’ to the line,” she explains.

With no fashion laws to obey—as Cabot notes “older women are demanding fashion, younger women are demanding comfort”—the exec expects comfort to gain a larger percentage of consumers’ closets in the seasons to come. “And as they diversify and expand, comfort brands will overcome the consumer compromise of style or comfort by providing both,” she says. —A.V.

Birki’s: Authentic Rules While some companies let buzz words dictate their definition of comfort—natural motion, minimalist and barefoot, just to name a few—Bill Taylor, vice president of Birki’s says the brand has its feet firmly (and comfortably) planted in the ground. “We can say that we remain consistent and authentic. We know who we are, what really works and we don’t have to change every season to suit a marketing campaign,” the exec explains.

For Birki’s, comfort is found in the form of its cork footbed that provides support for the arch, takes weight off the ball of the foot and cradles the heel. But even a company as headstrong as Birki’s can’t pass up a new way to please its wearers. For Spring ’13, the footbed is spruced up with added memory foam that, Taylor says, “Still allows you to get the benefits of our classic footbed with extra instant gratification.” He adds, “There’s a lot of different things that compile into comfort, but it really is the total structure.”

Basics are still intact for the company’s occupational wearers, but Birki’s is finding ways to speak to new customers, mostly by way of new uppers and designs inspired by other avenues of fashion. The company is especially hitting its stride with consumers who like the feel of comfort footwear, but with an outdoor, beachy aesthetic. A new mesh upper and a Neoprene upper topped off in vibrant shades of pink and orange are drawing retailers—old and new—in, Taylor says. At Outdoor Retailer, for example, he notes the mesh styles were the most popular.

The new crop of styles that blur category lines mirror what Taylor sees happening in retail. “You don’t see comfort stores anymore. Those stores are also selling fashion and athletic,” he notes. It’s an ongoing evolution, partly because Taylor says comfort is a given and expected in shoes across all categories.

With that momentum, next on Birki’s to-do list is a push to grow its online presence. A sweepstakes partnership with American Park Network, producers of park visitor guides, has the potential to reach 20 million consumers. Taylor says the company is also working closely with fashion bloggers and traditional publications to showcase the collection and get on the radar of influencers. —A.V. 2012 october/november • footwearplusmagazine.com 29

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THE EUROPEAN REPORT

Daring colors, lively prints and intense metallic finishes trending at the recent GDS show in Düsseldorf, Germany, delivered a potent combination that awoke buyers from a long sartorial slumber. A total of 879 exhibitors from 38 countries showcased their wares at the biannual exhibition.

Despite a shaky Euro-zone economy (not to mention a cabin crew strike that resulted in more than 140 canceled Lufthansa flights on the show’s last day) 69 percent of buyers in attendance ordered or planned to order at GDS, according to show officials. “Coming into it, I think everyone’s expectations were not set as high, but the mood was good and people were excited by the new fashion hitting the market,“ says GDS Director Kirstin Deutelmoser.

High on retailers’ shopping lists: fashion sneakers, color accents, pastels and canvas. Accessories were repositioned to be in better eyeshot of buyers and the show saw 16 percent more children’s exhibitors. Also encouraging: the colors, materials, finishes and silhouettes were echoed at all four fashion capitals during their respective Spring ’13 fashion weeks. BY ANGELA VELASQUEZ

Emmeci

Nat

PATENT PENDING

Having been washed, distressed, burnished and tumbled in recent seasons, of-the-moment silos like boat shoes and women’s oxfords are spruced up with generous amounts of patent color. Like a fresh coat of wet paint, patents rejuvenated familiar silhouettes such as cap-toe flats and peep-toe slingback wedges, tapping into their retro roots and playing up the styles’ potential to be a fun and flirty addition to spring wardrobes. In a bold turn, designers took a paint-by-number approach to sneakers, decking out kicks with multiple glossy shades. Color-contrasting patent accessories amped up the slick look.

Sambapati Voltan KMB

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Ted Baker

SHINE ON

Wrapped up like a pictureperfect gift—occasionally, even topped off with a bow—shoes with high shine, metallic foil dazzled just as eye-candy should.

The trend appeared sweet on ballet flats and in vibrant shades of fuchsia, purple and green, as seen on Burberry Prorsum’s runway. The material takes on a slinky, molten hot look in shades of gold and silver.

Via Uno

SNEAK ATTACK

Maybe the energy and excitement of the Olympics moved designers to renew their gym memberships? Or, more likely, they were inspired by the buzz surrounding designer Isabel Marant’s “Bekket” wedge sneaker, as teetering kicks cropped up in a number of unexpected booths. The distinct silhouette, done in metallic, color blocking or exotic materials, with Velcro straps and without, is the defining accoutrement of the ongoing sport trend sneaking into all pockets of fashion. Even uptown girls’ go-to dresser, Milly, toned down the label’s traditionally prim and proper persona with windbreakers, hoodies and mesh tops. On the men’s end, the season’s legion of vulcanized footwear calls to mind ’70s track stars with streamlined shapes, lightweight synthetic uppers and color contrasting toe boxes. Other styles feature tonal brown and navy leathers for a sharp casual look.

Clarks

BROWN SUGAR

Brands whipped up a rich batch of butterscotch-hued heels to suit a number of sartorial tastes. And in a season where attention-seeking color and finishes led most trends, the classic shade acted as the calm amongst the storm. Timeless silhouettes, mostly on wood or platform heels, lent themselves well to a number of enduring trends including tribal with wovens and beading; the ’70s with suede and oversized buckles; and the prepster with statement-making kilties.

Strenesse

Blink

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Kangaroos

10/15/12 12:17 PM

ICE PRINCESS

Ricosta

Cha Ibiza Paco Gil

Frosty shades of light blue sent an unexpected chill through spring collections. Paired with sleek lines, the crisp coolness of the hues added a contemporary alternative to the season’s crop of dainty pastels, while silver heels resembling icicles beckoned the Ice Capades. Decorative nail heads, studding, spikes and hints of glacial glitter cooled down other pastels for an unconventional edgy look.

Hogl

DIMMER SWITCH

Could the era of multi-color color blocking be coming to an end? In a sophisticated twist, men’s and women’s neutral styles were injected with a subtle shot of single color, be it on soles, laces, straps or heels. Choice pairings included tan with orange and salmon; gray with yellow; and turquoise, which made comfy bedfellows with just about every neutral in the pot. The accent colors were decidedly wearable—a couple of notches below neon—perhaps a sign that fluorescent’s light is flickering, too.

Bottero

Koolaburra Selected

Franceschetti

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HOT TROPICS

Forget the quintessential sparkly party shoe. This spring, designers are perfecting shoes fit for a Carnival queen—loud styles that invite every color, texture and print to the fun. From prints depicting lush foliage and exotic blooms to a fearless approach to color, the mix of Latin flavor and tropical heat combined for an unforgettable look that landed on a number of fashion week runways, including Vena Cava’s pompomaccented “Tijuana” collection, Ralph Lauren’s surprising ode to Latin America and the Duchess of Cambridge’s favorite Issa London, which sent models down the runway in parrot print jumpsuits and breezy halter dresses.

Giesswein Via Uno

United Nude

WHITE HOT

Turning its clean-cut reputation for being “Sunday’s best” onto its head, the incoming class of white shoes has a daring, rebellious side. By channeling a punk-rock vibe, men’s styles manned up with bands of studs, chunky soles and contrasting pops of black. For women, designers offered a more stark approach with futuristic monochromatic heels and complex laser cuts, similar to Catherine Malandrino’s cutout cocktail dresses and Missoni’s sheer trapeze dresses seen on the spring runways.

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United Nude

T. Odo

10/15/12 3:51 PM

TREND SPOTTING

Rock the Boat Meet the newest fleet of colorful deck shoes.

Top row: Finn Comfort, Clarks, Born, Rockport.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MCCANDLISS & CAMPBELL.

Bottom row: Sperry Top-Sider, Alegria, Evos, Ronnie Fieg by Sebago.

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Opposite: Bearpaw thong sandals with whip-stitch accents. Wardrobe provided by Basia Plewinska.

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HAIR & MAKEUP BY ROBERT HUITRON FOR MARK EDWARD INC.; STYLING ASSISTANCE BY KARINA SOBIS.

Clockwise, from top: Earth beaded and woven wedge, SoftWalk metallic thong with metal ornaments, cork flat by Arcopedico.

Opposite, from left: Naot slides with chain accents, laceups by Birkenstock.

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Clarks criss-cross slides.

Opposite: studded sandals by Taos.

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From left: Dansko bronze slides, Cobb Hill metallic thong sandals, distressed canvas slides by Birki’s. Opposite, from left: Easy Street multi-strap slide, beaded ballet flat by Mups, Sandalista by Aetrex silver sandal with metal accents, slide with mismatched buttons by Dansko.

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Chelsea boots

by Allen Edmonds.

Opposite: Ahnu strappy flat sandals.

Fashion Editor: Angela Velasquez Shot on location at the Scully Estate.

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Ingelmo

D E S I G N E R C H AT :

Sydney Brown

BUGATCHI

Messeca

Molten Rocks EDITOR’S PICKS

stray from his “conservative blue and whites.”

The collection, which retails from $125 to $275, has caught the attention of specialty stores like Von Maur and the major ecommerce sites.

Abecassis chalks the early success up to being an established brand with strong retail relationships.

“Your new line is being looked at as if you’ve been around for a number of seasons,” he says. It’s that serendipitous feeling that leads him to believe Bugatchi footwear has a bright future. “Sometimes you have an idea and no matter how hard you try to get it going, everything is difficult,” he says. “I’ve learned to let go of those ideas. If it’s meant to be, the pieces come together.” —Angela Velasquez What should every man have in his closet? At least one classic black wingtip that can be worn with suits and for special occasions. A selection of classic and colorful loafers that can be worn every day that mix and match with shirts—it’s like

Designers amp up the voltage with psychedelic finishes and liquid-like metallics.

wearing a slipper all day. And men should start taking a serious look at fashion sneakers because they make everyone feel a bit younger and in tune with what’s going on in fashion.

Which stores do a good job catering to male shoppers? Upscale store like Neiman Marcus, Saks and Nordstrom are doing an excellent job at getting to know their customers. The stores have a large selection, but shopping there feels personal.

What is your favorite pair of shoes in your closet? A pair of very comfortable black leather and suede Louis Vuitton shoes with a sneaker bottom.

What do you love the most about your job? I love being involved in operations to product developing.

But what I love most is when I get to bear down, close my door and concentrate on design.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MCCANDLISS AND CAMPBELL.

NOT EVEN SERGE Abecassis could have designed a more perfect situation when his sisterin-law and owner of the Bugatchi line of men’s sportswear mentioned she was looking for a footwear licensee. The lifelong design aficionado with experience in apparel, jewelry, furniture and even bottle design (he once owned two vodka brands), floated the idea by his first cousin Joe Ouaknine, CEO of Titan Industries (makers of L.A.M.B., Badgley Mischka and Charles Jourdan collections, among others). The close cousins rarely talked business and Abecassis knew Ouaknine was focused on women’s but believes it presented a unique opportunity to break into men’s with an established brand, possibly opening the door to add more lines down the road.

The rest is history, or at least the latest chapter for the 30-year-old Bugatchi brand known for dress shirts (recently named the No. 1 selling shirt line at Nordstrom), bold colors, patterns and fine details—all which Abecassis culled inspiration from for its debut collection for spring. On the casual end, the designer had fun with fashion sneakers, a trend he’s seen in Europe and expects the U.S. to warm up to in the upcoming seasons. The line also includes classic leather wingtips and lace-ups in black and brown, but the bulk of silhouettes is focused on colorful hybrid dress/casual styles like suede and leather loafers—15 colors to be exact. “It’s a very visual collection,” Abecassis describes, adding most buyers (to his surprise) peppered basics with red, denim blue, lime green, yellow and pink. He says working with so much color has been “enlightening” and has even inspired him to

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ATHLETIC DRESS KIDS MEN STREET WORK

Sole Ambition

Following in his family’s footsteps, Alejandro Ingelmo creates a splash on the stiletto scene for spring.

DESPITE BEING THE son of a third-generation cobbler, footwear was something Alejandro Ingelmo never felt much affinity to: a family legacy can be equal parts burden and blessing. “I want to say it wasn’t ever mapped out,” says the Cuban-born, Miami-raised designer. “I never really quite knew if I wanted it, and I feel like I had to go off on my own and do something to realize what my roots are and where I came from.”

For Ingelmo, that meant moving to New York and enrolling in interior design at Parsons. While there, he randomly signed up for a shoemaking class and the rest, as they say, is history. He left school and started his eponymous collection, which was quickly picked up by Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Jeffrey New York, and he’s now carrying on a family tradition started years ago—though his designs are a far cry from the sturdy wingtips on which his grandfather built an empire in pre-Castro Havana. For one, he counts Madonna, Mary-Kate Olsen, Khloe Kardashian and Kanye West as fans, and designers like Chris Benz and Cushnie et Ochs call on him to shod their models for their runway shows.

Known for his bondage-inspired platforms, the two-time CFDA Swarovski Award nominee evolved his design aesthetic to a new level of sophistication for Spring ’13, with sleek pointed-toe heels for women while still incorporating his signature attention to geometry.

“I kept certain elements from what I normally do, but this season was really about refinement,” he says. “Sexiness doesn’t have to be a super-high heel or a super-high platform. I do kicks for girls as well, and you can definitely feel sexy in a pair of sneakers.”

With a focus on the classic pump, and the addition of candycolored pastels such as blush and ice blue, his trademark cutouts look softer teamed with slender heels and slimmer shapes. For men, his sneakers also took on a fresh look in new colors and fabrications, with neon low cuts and hi-tops accented with metal and mesh.

Wholesale prices range from $215 to $867.

Since expanding into men’s bags earlier this year, might we be seeing more accessories from Ingelmo in the future? “I definitely want to expand more, but I think you’ve got to gradually do things, and do them when you feel like they’re right for you. It’s an organic growth.” Much like his own career path. —Lyndsay McGregor

Surfing the Streets Brooklyn Workshop aims to make its longboarder sneaker an everyman’s shoe.

THE IDEA OF a longboarder skate shoe came to Alon Karpman, founder of Brooklyn Workshop and avid longboarder, after he noticed the quick wear and tear of his riding footwear. “I commute to work on my longboard and my shoes wear out really quickly,” he says. “In about a month they’re dead.” Karpman is not alone as longboarders have been making deep inroads of late into the hardcore skate scene as well as increasingly becoming a mode of everyday transportation.

Karpman reached out to athletic design veteran Michael DiTullo, design director at Converse for eight years who also had stints at Nike and Jordan Brand. Together they crafted a classic vulcanized skate silhouette with more support and resistance so shoes last longer. “It is an awesome brand to work on with huge potential to keep growing and innovating,’” DiTullo says, adding, “Collaborating with others who want to make quality products with authenticity and integrity, and who you naturally get on with, is so important.”

The two got to work on the Elby skate shoe, analyzing which parts needed to be reinforced by drawing from personal experience as well as asking longboarders to submit photos of their rundown kicks. The designers doubly-enforced the toe cap of the high-top sneaker, added rubber overlay to protect the spots of the shoe that regularly wear out and experimented with materials. “We worked on a compound for the outsole that is thin so you can still feel the board, but it’s abrasion resistant—10 times more than a Vans sneaker,” Karpman claims.

The Elby is currently the only shoe specifically for longboarders.

“It’s pretty rare to be the only one catering to a market,” Karpman says. While skate shops are the primary buyers, specialty stores such as Enzyme Shoe Lab in Brooklyn, have also expressed interest. “Our target customer is really anybody who fits the shoe,” he says. “I know that sounds over reaching, but who can’t use a shoe with a sole that lasts a little longer. That’s why we wanted to create an overall, stylish shoe that works for everybody.”

Karpman describes the design as an updated version of the classic Chuck Taylor. “We intentionally riffed off the cues of over 100 years of sneaker making to create something that felt comfortable and familiar, yet new,” DiTullo explains. “They are slightly nostalgic without being retro, innovative without looking like a rocket ship ate your foot, performance oriented while still feeling nonchalant.”

The shoe wholesales for $34 in canvas and at $44 in leather. New for spring will be a mid-top style, which features ankle protection and neon-colored accents. “I hate being ‘on trend’ but that’s what I’m being requested to make,” Karpman says. “I’m tailoring the line according to what my riders are into.”—Maria Bouselli

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SPECIAL REPORT continued from page 10 and make sure we have sizes in stock,” he says. “We want to raise the level of consumer experience and make it unmatchable.”

While upping the ante on service, retailers must also maintain competitive pricing in order to help combat showrooming. Dion compares showrooming to cognitive dissonance, more commonly known as buyer’s remorse. “People used to feel buyer’s remorse over large purchases [such as] purchasing a home,” he explains. “Today, people are feeling cognitive dissonance over $2.99 items because it’s so easy to do a comparison.” And customers notice even the most miniscule differences in price. “In the past we used to be able to charge $2 to $5 [more] to cover costs,” Schwartz says. “Now you can’t even charge $1 more because the competition is so great.”

As such, an increasing amount of retailers are willing to match the price customers find online—so long as it’s a reliable quote. “Some say, ‘I saw this on the web’ and show the print out,” Gradia offers. “We look into it and see if that online store might only have a couple sizes left and are trying to get rid of their inventory. If the product is really on sale, we’ll definitely honor it, but if there are only odd sizes left, we can’t.”

Of course, showrooming might not be as viable a shopping strategy if distribution policies were more selective. “We always want to carry products that are more exclusive than those that are widely distributed,” Lucas says. “We’re always excited when brands limit styles to our retail specialty category.” He cites Nike’s new Structure Triax as a successful example.

Dion warns retailers of buying from over-distributed brands: “I don’t care how much you up your game as a retailer, if you are buying products from brands that are (over distributing) then you’re in trouble. But if you are buying from brands with good ‘minimum advertised price’ policies and brands that protect themselves by selling only to first-quality retailers, you’re going to be OK.” Paul Muller, vice president of merchandising for the Foot Solutions chain, agrees: “We want to know what [the brand’s] Internet

and pricing policies are first,” he says. “Independent retailers need to ask those same questions.” James even goes so far as to not partner with brands that sell to consumers direct via their own sites as well. “We don’t need their help to put [us] out of business,” she says.

Along those lines, another way retailers can combat against showrooming is to create a strong online presence of their own. “You must be on the web selling today,” Dion maintains. “If you want me as a customer, you can’t tell me to show up only from 10 am to 5 pm during the week. You have to give me the ability to shop whenever I want.” While some retailers might find an ecommerce to be too much of an investment, Dion assures that hiring a company to create one for a couple thousand dollars is worth it in the long run, and the best way to start this process is by talking to other independent retailers. “When you see a site you like, call your peers,” he suggests. “The only people that you can really trust are each other.” Along those lines, Eneslow’s Schwartz suggests that other independent stores nearby, such as family-run restaurants and apparel boutiques, could also support each other by hosting street events to promote shopping—and purchasing—local.

In short, there are steps that retailers can take to turn that showroom shopper into a paying customer. If that customer has made the effort to come into a store, a retailer must find a way to close the deal and not lose a sale for a measly few dollars less. The sales staff must make that entire in-store shopping experience so pleasant and the service so good that the customers feel indebted to reward that store with their purchase—even if it happens to be for a few dollars more. Because, as most retailers and vendors agree, the showrooming consumer is here to stay. “This is a fact of life. It’s one more thing added to the list [of challenges],” Schwartz says. “But I wouldn’t stop my business over it. I think the most important thing we can do to combat it is to provide a unique experience for customers to say, ‘I couldn’t get this anywhere else.’” •

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ATHLETIC DRESS KIDS MEN STREET WORK

Make a Splash

Zooligans expands its animal-themed footwear into water-friendly sandals.

WADING THROUGH PONDS, pools and water parks is standard kids fare on warm days, and soggy feet are the last thing little explorers—and their parents—need to worry about. That’s why Bedford, MA-based Zooligans is adding a collection of water shoes to its lineup for Spring ’13.

Water Fun joins the menagerie of animal-themed footwear, taking kids from surf to turf with quick-drying synthetic, air mesh and fabric lining to keep feet comfortable, while built-in water grooves provide ample traction. “It’s like a 3-D animal. Rather than a motif on the vamp, the entire shoe is an animal,” notes creator and designer Joel Rusnak. Available in a shark, fish, turtle or frog design, the sandals (in toddler sizes 4-12 at $21.50 wholesale) feature a “fish flex” bottom and UV-sensitive lips and teeth that change from white to yellow, blue or purple in the sun.

The littlest feet can walk and crawl on the wild side, too: Joining the zoo for spring is a collection of soft-soled booties for newborns to early walkers. Made of super-soft leather and suede with grippy printed paw pads on the bottom, Baby Zooligans come in six styles with fun details like rear pull-tabs shaped like tails and wholesale for $13.50. Since hitting stores in May with its Paw Flex line, Zooligans is well on its way to becoming a force at retail: Parents love the quality, comfort and durability, while kids adore the characters. And retailers are increasingly catching on too—now in its second selling season, Nordstrom.com has just picked up the brand. “It’s fresh. It’s colorful. It’s fun. It’s great to have something new in the marketplace that isn’t the same old thing,” Rusnak says. In addition, each shoe provides plenty of wiggle room in the forefoot, allowing little toes room to spread out, while pull tabs, adjustable straps and wide openings allow for easy on and off.

Completing the package, each pair of Zooligans comes in a “pet carrier” shoebox that is tagged with the animal’s name and a fun and educational story for kids to learn about the characteristics and quirky habits of that respective animal. “The kids don’t see them as shoes,” Rusnak says, revealing that one Facebook fan wrote how her daughter even takes her sandals to bed. “A kid doesn’t normally have that kind of response with a shoe.” —Lyndsay McGregor

Get in Gear Kamik’s eco- and kid-friendly rain boots protect and serve, and look great.

FOR MORE THAN 100 years the family-run Canadian company, Kamik, has been producing durable footwear with a level of performance and protection that matches consumers’ zeal for outdoor adventures. Every style that leaves the company’s Montreal and Littleton, NH, factories must offer substance, says Catherine Cook, Kamik’s marketing director, and granddaughter of founder Richard Cook. “Our brand has deep roots in the outdoors. Even our more fashionable products have technical features,” she explains.

Along with heavy-duty snow and winter boots that mean business, Kamik has built a solid reputation in the women’s market for rain boots with vibrant animal and floral prints and signature watercolor-inspired designs— an approach to waterproof footwear that is making a splash in kids, too. In addition to a range of water-friendly sandals, like the sporty Tugboat and closed toe Jetty and Waterway sandals, the Spring ’13 collection includes Raindrops, a rain boot style that Cook says is the leading seller to date. The 100-percent recyclable boot features Rubber He, Kamik’s own PVC-free synthetic rubber that is 50 percent lighter than natural rubber. “It’s based on our adult boot, the Jennifer, and uses all the same technology,” Cook notes, including a removable comfort footbed for support. For kids, the pull-on boot is available in poppy shades of red, pink, blue, yellow, green and basic black.

Other styles for spring include the Stomp, a classic boot made from traditional rubber boot materials, and the Essex collection—a colorful line of waterproof boots that blends soft, warming neoprene uppers with vulcanized rubber shells. Each style features side handles, non-marking rubber outsoles for traction and come in a mix of abstract prints and solids. “Kids don’t like a lot of fuss, and moms want a shoe they can count on to be waterproof, easy to wear and comfortable whether they are being worn out in the country, a park or on a playground,” Cook maintains. The product versatility, she adds, has translated into a strong four-season business.

The line is split evenly between boys and girls and is available in sizes 11 to 6. Distribution spans a diverse pot of retailers, including REI, Nordstrom, The Sports Authority and leading independents.

“We appeal to a range of retailers because there’s a lot of overlap with our customers,” she explains. “We have parents who know Kamik from the snow and outdoor world, parents who wear the brand themselves and others who are just looking for reliable quality footwear for their children.”

That all-in-the-family approach to business comes easy to the company that passes leadership positions from one generation to the next. In fact, the fourth generation of Cooks just clocked in and is learning the footwear ropes. Cook projects the newbie will add a young, fresh perspective to the company’s international sales and development team. “We’re all very involved,” she laughs. “It’s one big family here.” —Angela Velasquez

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continued from page 17 With respect to Deer Stags, we really know who our consumer is. We have had an ongoing love affair with them. From the day the Internet started, we have been reaching out to them. In return, we have a very strong, loyal consumer base that loves our products.

We are also safe. Thus, we haven’t been hit like a lot of the brands on the fringe. For example, we are not hurt by a warm winter or a cold summer because we are not seasonal. We are a 12-months-a-year business. Again, we are in the commodity footwear business, and I say that with pride because there is always a need for a commodity.

It sounds simple enough, but it’s not that easy.

It’s not. Nothing is easy. Except for playing a three-chord blues song, perhaps.

Would you say Deer Stags is better off than it was four years ago?

For starters, my 401K is a lot better than it was four years ago, as is everybody’s in the company. And we haven’t let people go during this time, which I feel terrific about. In addition, I believe we are much better off because NoSox is looking like it’s going to explode. Given the current economic conditions and the general mentality of retailers, we’re very fortunate to have a brand sizzling the way it is.

Might this recession be building a pent-up demand that will unleash like it did following the austerity of the ’40s and ’50s?

That’s normally the way it goes. I’m of the baby boomer generation where our parents lived through WWII and didn’t want to talk about such depressing matters. Although they did tell us to finish our supper because there are starving children in Europe… Today it’s Africa.

The bigger point being that we were always told how lucky we were, yet we were nothing but lower middle class. But we felt very good about life and we were always optimistic. Then we became yuppies and the disco era hit and we blatantly went off the bean and the you-knowwhat hit the fan. It’s a cycle. And it will come around again. Once people have money again, I expect that they’ll become as arrogant as past generations.

“[Deer Stags is] in the commodity footwear business, and I say that with pride, because there is always a need for a commodity.”

How would you describe the consumer’s overall mindset right now?

The fact is too many consumers still don’t have a job. Once they get one and start to feel good about themselves again, then they will want to shop more and look good as well as have a good time again. Right now, the mentality is: How do I pay my bills?

When that’s the overriding factor, fashion takes a back seat, except at the higher end because they still have the discretionary income.

What do you love about your job?

Coming to work every day with the people who are here. I work with friends and family. The best part about working in a family business is seeing someone you love and care about succeed. That’s a really good feeling.

Along those lines, what’s the best lesson you ever learned from your father about how to succeed in this business?

Number 1: Listen first and then look for the opportunity. Don’t talk too much until you know what you want to say. Number 2: Go out and sell because orders cure all ills. When you have orders you can get factories to make the goods and banks to give loans. You can be in business. Without orders, you have nothing. And that’s the mantra of this company: Go out and sell, sell, sell. •

LAST WORD

CAUSE AND EFFECT

Clockwise from left: Caitlyn Hess, founder of Scheé; the “Sacha” pump displaying the green insole, which represents the charitable donations; the Spring ’13 statement shoe, the “Giuliana.”

Platform Souls

Designer Caitlyn Hess puts her best foot forward with a brand concept that offers wearers luxury style while contributing to meaningful causes.

CAITLYN HESS WAS on her way to nursing school after graduating from Penn State University with a degree in Human Health Development (and being a member of an NCAA championship team in women’s volleyball) when a string of illnesses and accidents in her family inspired her to embark on a career change. “I wanted to do more,” she says. “I was [always] motivated by fashion and shoes so I combined the two.” Enter Scheé: a high-end women’s fashion brand that will donate 5 percent of total sales to a different charity each season.

Scheé’s debut collection set for Spring ’13 is in support of Bright Pink, a non-profit organization based in Chicago. “I chose breast cancer because that is something near and dear to my heart—my great-grandmother passed away from it,” Hess says. “And the reason we chose Bright Pink, spe-

cifically, is that it is the only national non-profit organization that focuses on the prevention and early detection of breast cancer (as well as ovarian cancer)… and ultimately I would like to find a cure to prevent people from ever having to deal with this disease.”

Every Scheé shoe features a signature green insole, which represents the donations that will be given to the respective charities and symbolizes the brand’s slogan, “Walk to Make a Difference.”

“It means each individual is connecting with the shoes and the purpose that’s behind them,” Hess notes. The collection, which retails from $495 to $2,400, is handcrafted in Italy with luxury materials, such as saffiano leather, exotic skins, hand-loomed silk satins and Swarovski crystals, including the traditional pavé and the new crystal rock stone that will debut with

Scheé. Hess, who is also the head designer, says she draws inspiration from “the emotions and feelings behind the cause.” While the styles do incorporate trendy details, Hess stresses that she wants the pieces “to have longevity and an elegant feel to them.”

The initial collection consists mainly of heels, including pumps and platforms, but also features an encrusted crystal sandal and a doublestrap Mary Jane flat. Each collection will also include a “statement shoe” designed to represent that season’s particular cause. For spring, the “Giuliana” pump displays a pink-crystallized, two-dimensional heel in the shape of the iconic breast cancer awareness ribbon. “Retailers have really been reacting to it,” Hess says. “It pulls them in because it’s something they’ve never seen before, [and] they stay to hear the story of the brand.” High-end designer boutiques and department stores alike have showed interest in the charitable brand.

Hess says she does extensive research before choosing a charity to understand its mission and learn exactly where the money will go from the brand’s contribution. “I am researching causes that are affecting the [entire] world, such as poverty and autism as well as others like supporting our military,” Hess says. “I would eventually like to get feedback from women all over the world to base my decision off of what’s the most pressing [cause] at that moment.”

Hess’ goal is to take the fashion industry to a new level with Scheé, and she is well on her way after winning the recent FN Platform show’s Glass Slipper Award for the Best New Exhibitor Booth. And while Hess understands the shoes must be desirable first and foremost, she wants Scheé ultimately to help women connect with meaningful causes and be a positive influence in the world. “Women love to purchase shoes, and if they can purchase shoes and do something good at the same time, it’s a winwin,” she says. —Maria Bouselli

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