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TODAY,S ALTERNATIVE WOMEN'S WESTERN OFFERS RETAIL MAGIC IN ALL THE

( fft. BY SUSAN LANIER.GRAHAM 1 i I DOROTHY CLICKED THE HEELS OF HER RUBY THREE TIMES HERSELF AND FOUND I back in Kansas. These days, you're likely to find more than ruby slippers in ;r.) 'l t Kansas. The women's western market is all about rubies-and shiny studs, Austrian crystals and color. Plenty of color. In fact, according to Patty Melnikoff rj of Ariat International, color is driving the western shoe market today

Two years ago, the women's western-footwear Promotional material from Double-H market was in a slump. Men's westem boos out- says their styles are available in every color of sold women's boots by three to one. Alternative the westem sunset. It's one wild sunset. "The types of footrvear cropped up to replace falling sales. hotter the colors, the better," says Double-H's In fact, according to Tony Benattar, owner of Lib- Barbara McFarland. This same trend is seen in erty Company, alternative footwear kept some the lines of every major westem shoe manu- bootsellers in business during the lean years. Over facturer. Western now come in colors the past six months, boot sales have increased dra- that cowgirls of yesterday could only have matically Bootmakers are busier than ever. dreamed of. Lucchese has boots in purple, tangerine, red, turquoise, salmon, pink, Cobt,a,?aryv white, yellow, lime green and blue. Those Today's westem-footwear market for women is hot same shades are cropping up in all styles and the big seller is color. The excitement rurs the and from all manufacturers. You can even gamut of westem footwear categories, from tradi- pick up a pair of pink . tional profiles to fashionisu boos with Yolo Tarut of Old Gringo Boots wel- spike heels, and all the mules, , slides, shoe comes the change. "The westem market boos, botins and moccasins in benveen. Altemative had gotten boring," she says. Then along categories in westem foomrear for women continue came Madonna. Her cowgirl-themed to impact the market in a big way There's something concert tour a couple years back gave the afoot for everyone, from cowgirls to cowgrrls. industry the kick it needed. Close on Footwear with color andpuzazzis in big demand. Madonn"a's heels, supermodel Naomi Camp- "lt's all about the details," saysJustin Boos' Lisa bell sported a pair of high-top Minnetonka [-ankes. More is better-more color, more overlays, moccasins and the altemative westem footwear more detailing. Walk down the aisles of any boot market skFrocketed. retailer in the country and you'll find a rainbow of Noq you'll even find top-of-theJine, hand- colors. Today's shoes all but pop off the shelves and tooled women's westem boots and an array of scream fashion s[atement. westem-style shoes on New York fashion runways. -6-

48 . WrstnN Ltrrsnu Rrratrn . Fe.u 2005 GLIry, COLORFUL DETAILS.

high, staded from Old Gdngo arc comfortable and stylish. Tony Enra roughouts (centel) have a and detailed sole. High-top -booBfrom Minnetonka Mocosin (right) are available in sevenl high-fashion color.

Fet2005 . WesrenNl-resru-r Rrrnu-rn ' 49 Roper's Belkowski sees a similar trend in women's alter- native westem footwear at his companlz "The women's Fancy overlays Iine is our biggest in seven years, and our altemative boots and top stitding are increasingly popular," he notes. going are tctrc-westem "We're for the look thatare hot more nontraditional with a westem upper and fashion/com- hot hot.IheseTony fort outsoles." He adds that the 2005-2006 FallAilinter line LamacowboybooB offers even more deuil-more appliqu€s, inlays and over- have solloped and lqrs-+nd combines a European toe and heelwithaWestem stitded overlaid influence. The best-selling Ricochet line and the Perfor- toes, and butterfly- mance Chunks both include styles with rhinestones. nitchtops. Minnetonka Moccasin also is seeing increased popularity in its san&l lines. Introduced in 2000, the grow in popularity each year. Jackie Granus, Minnetonka's senior vice president of sales and marketing, notes tlut popularity t is tied directly to design and detailing. "We have a recog- nizable jewels, lookwith omamentationwomen like: beads, tsI conchas." While the new line will introduce more patterns E and even more colors, Minnetonka will hold onto the E. classic, recognizable look it's known for industry-wide. er Many manufacturers, including Double-H and Justin E) t Boots, are experimenting with unique and deuiled J\ soles, literally carrying the demand for details to 8r 5tr every spot on the shoe. Double-H Boots' Sonora Er Collection puts a colorful cactus that matches H] 2\ the outsole on the bottom of each shoe in Er the line. Boots, Justin along with omate zB) 5r:l ,l 9r Tarut says Old Gringo is defrnitely benefiting from the \ "The market today is full of excitement; people are looking at western boots," she says. "We offer bright, bold colors that are even found in high-end boutiques in New York." Dewayne Belkowski, vice president of footwear at Roper, says pull tabs and intricate overlays, Roper Boots sees color a bit differently He believes color, while added floral-embossed soles. popular with fringe buyers, isn t as important as detailing. Colors Roper is carrying its popular hair- are selling at Roper, but old-school leathers are increasingly pop- on-hide detailing to its Ricochet crepe- ular, as are the details found in today's popular styles. sole boot line, which debuts in the Per- Nevena Christi of Rocketbuster Boots, which sells to small formance Chunks this fall. "Our focus retailers in addition to a thriving custom business, agrees that in many of these new and updated color isn t everything. She sap the focus is definitely on the deuils. styles is on women's flashion," says Aside from color, consumers want glitz. Rocketbuster uses crys- Belkowsh. If itworksin the uaditional tals in many of its designs. A new short boot is popular with boot lines, he believes it'll work in the women who want the look of a boot without the feel of a full boot. altemative shoe lines. Christi says one recent short boot at Rocketbusters, the Ruby Tres Outlaws Boot Company, Red, features three difierentshades of redAustrian cr),stals. Another long known for quality hand- style has large crystals embedded in the heels. "Anything is pos- tooling and artistic inlays, sible," she says. "Your shoes can be your ultimate dream." Double-H Boots is finding a feminine touch popular, especially women's western sandals. "Everything is more feminine," says McFarland. "More feminine boots, more feminine shoes rather than traditional western styles. That's the future of the industry in women's footwear." Double-H offers sandals in the same vibrant colors ofostrich-print leathers it uses in its boots. Sandals feature tassels, flowers and other deuiling. The company also offers a ovedap kick retro-westem Iine of clogs that combine multiple elements: round toe, vibrant style up a notch. Justin offiers a star- colors, exotic leather, studs and western detailing. fi lled cosmos for cosmo

50 . Wesrrnr.r Lrrsryu Rrrerun . Feu- 2005 also is reacting to consumer demand for the same attention to ChicAesthe exoti(teatment deuil in shoes as in boots. AII of the new women's shoes at Tres with snakeskin Outlaws, particularly the mules and shoe boots, have more detail ovedays on a tall than ever, says owner, Scott Emmerich. fashion boot Ariat lntemational, which still has strongsales inworkboos, has fiomOldGdngo. seen enonnous rise in sales of is gliuy Fatbaby line. Thae funky short boos look part western boot and part 1970s-era snow boot with a flexible foqged rubber sole and round toe. Origrnally popular with teenage guls, the boots now are popularwith women of all ages' Ariat's mainstream lines are beginning to duplicate the style. A version, known as the Haybaby, offers the rubber sole with the same bright gator print designs. Of course, both the Fatbaby and Haybaby feature rhinestone deuiling. Yolo Tarut o[ Old Gringo says that alternative western footwear for women-botins, mules, and shoe boots-is characterized by \- inricate, hand-tooled designs and colors ranging from a serious \g black andbrown to bright shades oforange' turquoise, purple, E rt F pink, red and white. The company reports an increased demand \i for more floral and feminine desrgns' rO r8 z ,E emative westem foonvear market is \i indusox but the moccasin. The moccasin isnt new in the footwear !8 in more *r:an 20 yean' rO its enormors mass appeal is-for the first time ts Moccasins were traditionally a skin shoe wom ,H Americans. Hard-soled versions were 2 by Native while soft-soled E used in the East and Southeast, u Native Ameri- F stvles were popular on the Plains' ' with por- o .rk aecorated their moccasirs cupine quills, glass beads and other items to make them unique' That tra- dition has been a factor in the sig- nature stYle o[Minnetonka Moc- casin for nearlY 60 Years'

fr.*--i"i"ttt. nap.a catapult Minnetonka Moccasin casirs were launched back into public eye, the women's fashion APril 2004 the craze' the public eYe in industry is' in large part, drivinB when actresses Drew Barry- ;'wo-* rt pairingmoccasinswith today's Hudson more and Kate styles," she appearednPeoPleWe1hlY clothingPoP wearing Minnetonka lookis everywhere' with York City, women arewearingmoccasins broornstick skirs"' to tuto.*i* rre a timeless classic' according the Gr;;;;, but with a twist reminiscent of American ver- deuiling of the tradidonal Native trrt* riaryt moccasins include beads' sequins ever' Like the com- and more ornamentauon *un uP line, mo a racy fashion heel to sPice pany's sandal Victorian sensibilities. awide range of colon' accessory" sala Granus' and match moccasirs oair at retail, women can mix with outfits, bels and jewelry-o'

Ltrrsru; Rrreun 51 F.qu- 2005 ' WesrrnN ' l- Liberty Boot's Benattar stretses that his company makes quality boots. "Our boots don't just look good," he says. "They're made traditionally out of the finest materials available. The pars of the 7 boot you don't see are as spectacular as the parts you do see."

footwear in the women's westem market varies by manufacturer. While ftott Emmerich still finds that ankle boots, mules and peewees account for nearly Gsualandhip 40 percent of overall sales at Tres Outlaws, that Minnetonka numberis dramatically lower at Oak Tree moccasins display Farms, where owner Tony Sugden sap dassicthunderiid boos make up 99 percent of thewom- beadwo*. en's shoe market for his compaqr Most of the boot companies estimate *ut l0 to 15 percent of their overall sales are C*u.*Corr,trut for altemative westem foowear. *r Roper's Belkowski says tr Despite the fashionable that the 8. froth, none of the manufacrurers sacri- insease in sales ofwomenb boots hasnt impacted altemative foonvear br fice utility or comforr for flamboyance. Styles Er will change, but sales at his company In fact, both ,,We,re U, many manufacturers r.. ui rt Roper. a com_ want consumers to remember the 5. comfort. panywith neui fresh, innovative ideas,,,he sap. ,,We Barbara McFarland of Double-H think outside 8r Boos points to her company,s the you z\ ,,We box. Women like that. cant wear boots everywhere, dedication to comfort. are product and 8l innovators, and our women love to buyshoes." E\ patented technologies fr provide urtimate comfort without com- ?r promising-style. tst we give the consumer what she wants

fu with ahemativefootwear, coloris a big story inthewestern-boot ,retro" industry. Manufacturers refer to a feel in the cunent boot CutolB add westem flairto thong market Such bold colors are coming full circle. sandakfiom DoubleH by Colorful footwear was firct popular gg0s. H.H. Brown. Sandals in the l When Buffalo Billtook his Wild WestShowon featurc propdetary the roa4 western apparelblended with comfortcon- the entertainment industryforthe firsttime. Boots and other struction and apparel offered vibnnt colo6 fringe, tassels and beadwork Woodsteam This trend continued into the pattemed I 920s, popularized by Tom Mix and othersilverscreen soles. icons. Hollywood cowboys leda lurgence in the 1 950s. Dale Evans and Roy Rogers sported boots witf, intri- cate design, inlays and plenty of color. Westem boots were popular again after John Tarctab $& Urfun Cor,r6oy hit_tren fre industry went flat. Today, the industry is anything but. Boot sales are sky_ rocketing, and theret a mainstream buz about the western_ footwear industry in particular. fu Liberty Boot ,No owner Tony Benattar says, . one! ashamed of what we do today.lt3 good to bea bootmaker.,

52 . Wesrenr.r LrFEsryr.-E Fererun . Fau 2005 RETAILER RESOURCES

Alht lntcmrtlonrl, lnc" llontrm lootlhnhusr Tooled and hand-palnted Union Clty, Calf, Henrletta, Texas mules from Old Grlngo offer 800-899-81 41 ; www.ariat.com 800-533-1934 Drn Po* Boot(0. www.montana.()m.mx Clarksvllle, Ienn, (hlTlrrFrms 800-447-3533 Grplnteda,Gllf. DoubleH Bootr, H.H. Btown lnc 805-68+6248 lebanon, Pa. www.oahreefarms.com 800-438-7026; www.h hbrown.com 0HOlngo BooE& B.}rCo. Durango Boots Chula Vlsta, Glif. Franklin, Tenn. 619-575-2810 800-848-9452 www.oldgrlngobooB.com www.durangoboot,com trye Bootr Bodntbustcr Boots Great Neck, N.Y. El Paso, Tercs 800-826-3793 915-541-'.t300 www.fryeboots.com www.rocketbuster.com J.B.Hill Eoot(0. Xody0utdoor Gear tun$6unkyshort- El Paso, Texas Nelsonvillg 0hio topped booB are a 915-599-1551 80G8,08-9452 hitwith the younger .l wwwjbhillboot.com www,rockyboots.com set. ilewGem Baby '8 Justin Boot Co. topcr Apparel & toofi,Ear from Adatt Fatbaby Fort Worth, Texas (ollection .a Aurcra, Colo. adds 81 7-118-2042; wwwjustinboos.com pdnts 800-825-6555 exotic and .i libe]ty Boot (0. spalkling crystals o www.roPerusa.(0m Toronto,0ntario tothe look. z Il€s 0nthws Bootco. \8 416-588-50 13 El Paso, Telos www, libertybootco.com \t 915-5+2727 Lucdrese lnc o www,tnsoutlaws.com I El Paso, Texas z 800{37-6888; www. lucchese.com Tonylama Booa \? 6 ilinnetonta Moccasin Co. FoftWofth, Tcras E r> Minneapolis, Minn. 866-240-8854 s \5 61 2-331-8493 www.tonylama.com I .Z L

With the colors, styles and designs of today's western footwea! Cascades offiinge interest and it seems like it could be one heck of a concert. GE add movement to tall moc-boo8from Susn Inrier-Graham is a w iter baed in Aizoru She t'ree-lmce Minnetonka contibutes gennal-interest and travel artrcle*with an emphasrs Mocasin. on the Westem United States-to nntional and regtronol p"tblications.

Eurc sensibilitles get a llttlewestem swlng ln rugged leather \

Corrfurt and style come together ln the new DelMarshoefromAdafs Santa Cruz Colleclon. Shoe has exduslve ATS Technology constructlon for comfort and stablllty.

Fnu 2005 . Wrsrrnn Ltrusrtr Rrrxr-rn . 53