Upclose Comfort

Rieker Gets Fit

The Euro comfort brand flexes its sneaker-making muscle.

IT’S NO SECRET that the pandemic has ushered in a sneaker boom, be it the millions of consumers who’ve discovered/rediscovered the benefits of exercising outdoors as well as the many millions more who’ve had their dress shoes mothballed in a remote workplace world for well over a year and with little sign that may change any time soon. Sneakers have become the everyday, go-to footwear, and Rieker is now meeting the macro lifestyle shift head on with the debut of its Revolution collection for men and women, debuting for Spring/Summer ’22.

“This collection is in response to our worldwide network of retailers and consumers,” says Rich Rask, president, Rieker Shoe Corporation. “This is what they’re asking and looking for. We listen, we’re responsive and we take care of our all of our customers.” Rask adds, “The active lifestyle is the new normal. People are spending more time at home, with family and friends. Walking, running, riding bikes, etc. promotes a more causal healthy homebased lifestyle, and comfort, function and styling are a must, and that’s the DNA of our Revolution collection.”

Rieker went the extra mile to ensure that the collection goes beyond just looking like sneakers, according to Rask. The shoes are built from the ground up, offering genuine athletic comfort and style. In fact, the company created a new, in-house design team to focus solely on combining innovative constructions with high-quality materials. Examples include lightweight rubber outsoles, EVA midsoles, stroble PU sole constructions, removable insoles made of Memosoft and uppers featuring padded collars, soft linings and sock-like materials. “With Rieker’s long tradition (147 years) of shoemaking, Revolution focuses on quality, fit, comfort and functionality,” Rask says. “The collection is where design meets functionality; it’s a beautiful fit.” The target customer is broad—just about anyone who wears sneakers, and these days that is just about everyone. “The target customer is ageless. Everyone is part of the ‘Revolution,’” Rask affirms. Indeed, the designs are not sport-specific, nor are the just stripped-down classic looks. Overall, the collection is a modern take on sport lifestyle. That aesthetic, Rask believes, will appeal to consumers who are looking for wear versatility. “People want a shoe that suits every part of their day and night activities,” he says. Then there’s the simple fact that Rieker is not one of those highly exposed athletic brands, a few of which are paring down their account lists. “The Revolution customer is looking to go beyond what is already in the market,” Rask offers. “They’re looking for something new and fresh, something beyond just a restyle or a reshape.” As for other ways the Revolution collection differs from (many) athletic brands on the market, Rask notes Rieker’s long track record. “Our fifth generation ownership brings shoemaking tradition, quality and unapparelled manufacturing knowledge,” he says, adding that the collection, unlike most athletic brands, will be offered in European whole sizes. Last but not least, the company is offering long initial margins to sweeten the incentive for retailers, and the collection will be backed by extensive digital, social media and point-of-sale campaigns. So far so good, Rask reports. “The initial feedback from our retailers has been amazing,” he says. “They too are looking for something new and fresh.” He adds the feedback from retail partners will advance the collection in the seasons ahead. “We can’t do it without our retail partners, and we thank them for their continued support,” Rask says. “Here’s Rieker’s new Revolution line is aimed at the sneaker-wearing masses. to the Revolution!” —G.D.

DNA T250 by MLO.

Kicks Starter

Clayton Kanemitsu, founder of MLO, on how launching a new sneaker brand in the midst of a pandemic has been a blessing wrapped in a trial by fire. By Greg Dutter

LAUNCHING A NEW brand from scratch is never easy. Launching a new sneaker brand on a shoestring budget and a dream—in a field dominated by T-rex predators amid a still-raging pandemic—has been, to quote MLO founder Clayton Kanemitsu, “Pretty insane!” But that’s exactly what the social media influencer turned designer/entrepreneur has done and, all challenges aside, the brand is off to a “pretty amazing” start.

Here, the former “Claytano,” his moniker that YouTube and Twitch video game fans knew him by, discusses MLO’s brand recipe that’s rooted in style, comfort and affordability with key ingredients of sustainability, philanthropy and community. The Japanese-American designer and his team have burst onto the market with a blind ambition that is proving beneficial in an intimidating landscape. Sometimes it’s really just better to not know any better.

Just why did you decide to launch a sneaker brand in March 2020? First off, my goal with MLO is to create designs that inspire people. High-fashion products are typically too overpriced for everyone to afford, which leaves a ton of people, including myself at one point, uninterested in fashion. MLO (SRP $68 to $198) solves that issue by making looking good and feeling incredible about yourself accessible and inclusive. Still, the pandemic added hurdles, no? It’s been pretty insane! The biggest issue has been shipping and logistics. Our products were taking months to get to customers. Definitely not the best first impression as people were taking a chance on a new brand. Worse, the issue was almost completely out of our control. Still, we implemented a shipping guarantee stating customers would receive orders within a certain timeframe or their money back. While we’ve refunded a massive amount of orders, which almost broke us, if we didn’t do that we would have lost a lot of faith from our customers. We wouldn’t be the brand we are today without it.

Any ways the pandemic might have helped? The pandemic shined a spotlight on the possibilities of shopping online, which was a driving factor for our initial virality. People were forced to stay home, so they ended up shopping online for anything and everything. For those who never did that, many realized that it’s not so bad, which also made them more likely to take a chance on a new brand. Most of all, the pandemic gave us purpose. Many of our initial employees were hired after being laid-off from jobs due to shut downs. We also gave a portion of our profit to the CDC Response Fund to provide life-saving equipment to healthcare workers on the front lines. We even implemented a company game night where everyone jumps

on Discord to play video games and have fun. Having some light-hearted human interaction, especially early on when there wasn’t much of that, went a long way for us.

How’s business? Amazing! It’s crazy to think about how fast it has all happened and how quickly we grew. My initial expectations were quite low in comparison to our results. I’m humbled every day by the amount of people who support us, but still have so much more we want to do to be the shoes that move the world.

What makes MLO shoes different from other brands? MLO shoes are the lightest, most comfortable shoes you’ll ever wear. It feels like you’re walking on clouds, no matter what style you slip on. Comfort and fashion are two things you don’t get together very often, but with MLO you get comfort, fashion and affordability.

How might your non-sneaker designer background be an advantage?

Because I’m our customer. It allows me to have an unbiased opinion of the designs and colorways by putting myself in my customers shoes, no pun intended. Our customers aren’t sneaker designers either, but they still know what they like.

How might MLO’s collective approach to design be an advantage? It’s a huge advantage in so many ways that it’s surprising other companies don’t do this. Everyone is encouraged to bring ideas to the table, which immediately makes our employees feel connected with the company. Think of how motivating and inspiring it is for employees to know that they could design the next shoe, regardless of their title. Why should I be the one to say someone else, without a sneaker design background, can’t design a sick sneaker?

Why is philanthropy important for MLO? People want to be a part of something bigger. By supporting a brand that aligns with your values, you feel more connected with the brand, the shoes on your feet and others who wear them. You feel like you’re making a difference in the world, and it gives you a sense of pride as you walk down the street. It’s one thing to sell cool shoes, it’s another to have a purpose.

Sustainability in another key ingredient. In what ways is MLO ecofriendly? All MLO shoes are shipped in eco-friendly, reusable draw-string gym bags that are not only good for the environment, but good for your wallet! Shoe boxes are expensive and cost a lot for shipping. This means our customers are paying 20 to 30 percent less just by us cutting out the box!

How might being a small startup in a market dominated by con-

glomerates be an advantage? The main advantage is transparency. We want our customers to know who they’re buying from. I couldn’t tell you who the CEOs of the huge conglomerates are, or what they look like, so it’s impossible for me to build a relationship with them. I want to have a relationship with my customers. Another advantage is our ability to pivot at a moment’s notice, if need be.

Where do you envision MLO in five years? As a world-wide brand with a die-hard following. So far, we’ve been crushing every goal, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. In the meantime, my passion has always been to create and inspire others. MLO gives me the opportunity to do both on a large scale, and to move the world! shoes.” Overall, Harrell reports a “better than normal” show. “I opened several new accounts and buyers detailed 50 percent more than normal,” he says, noting he booked twice as many firm appointments than usual, including Von Maur, who usually work the FFANY show. “It was a fantastic show—five stars!” Renee Newman, vice president of footwear sales for Aetrex, gives similar high marks. “Our booth was very busy throughout the show—when customers were ready to leave, others were waiting to come in,” she reports. Newman says popular styles included the Sydney floral and Lexa ivory wedges, adjustable leather strap sandals like the Daisy or Jillian, and its water-friendly sport sandal collection featuring new glossy and shimmery colors as seen in the Maui and Janey styles. “Athleisure continues to be a hot trend as well,” she adds. “We introduced new colors of our popular Carly sneaker, and the pink multi-colorway was a hit.”

Sneakers were also hot on the menu at Rieker, reports Rich Rask, president. Notably the debut of its functional Revolution collection. (See p. 37 for more details.) “Lifestyle athletic is right on trend with our Revolution launch,” he says. “Also, we had a strong response to our sandals and slides.” Overall, Rask gives high marks to the show. “It was definitely a success on several fronts,” he notes. “Getting to work with our retail partners in-person was priceless. In addition, getting our sales team together to work through the collections and just hang out was a blessing.”

Larry Paparo, CEO of Floafers, couldn’t agree more on the show’s camaraderie factor. “Just to be back in the footwear community, hanging out with old friends at the hotel bar, was extremely satisfying—the best networking of the week,” he says. “The retailers, brands and reps who stayed home will certainly be at a great disadvantage.” Paparo notes that while traffic was understandably down compared to normal, the caliber made up for that. “The quality of the buyers we saw was higher than normal, and they were enthusiastic for Floafers,” he says, citing the launch of its Crayola kids’ scented collection as a hit. “Retailers were dropping paper on the spot, as well as reordering for us to deliver ASAP.”

Frank Cammarata, CEO of the Enjoiya Group, agrees that there was plenty of business to be had in Atlanta. He reports traffic was strong throughout, and while many retailers were strategic in their buys, the overall outlook was positive. “Retailers are expecting a productive fall and hoping to see sizable increases for Spring ’22,” he says. Cammarata expects casual comfort in basics and bright colors to lead the way. “Enjoiya’s active casuals and sport sandal collections were well-received, and midcovered wedges and mini-lug series with memory foam cushioning in Soft Comfort remain popular,” he says. “And buyers were drawn to Secret Celebrity’s Honeycomb series, a collection of embellished flat sandals in fashion-forward colors.” —Greg Dutter

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Hotlanta: Aetrex’s Carly knit sneaker was a TASM hit. Better days ahead? Ron White reported a strong response to its dress styles.