11 BIG ISSUES EVERYONE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT IN 2011 eXcluSiVe! SAleS dAtA From tHe nSrA buSineSS PerFormAnce BOOTS rePort ARE NOW MANDATORY FALL 2011 STYLES FOR eVERy mAn, WOMAn & cHILd RETAilinG’S LUCKy TOWn tHe BOOT BOoK PERMIT # 191 # PERMIT ITHACA, NY ITHACA, PAID US POSTAGE US RR STD PRSRT A FormulA4 mediA PublicAtion / JAnuAry/FebruAry 2011 Editor in Chief Mark Sullivan [email protected] 646-319-7878 Editor at Large January/February 2011 Cara Griffin Art Director Francis Klaess THE FOOTWEAR EYE......................................................................................... 8 ASICS Adds To Its Campaign; Acorn Acquired; Royal Vegan Treat Contributors Michael Jacobsen SOCKS: A TALL ORDER....................................................................................14 Mike Kennedy Longer lengths and creative textiles take hosiery to new heights. Nancy Ruhling Tim Sitek OFF & RUNNING................................................................................................18 Emma Johnson Spmething “old” and something new. A sneak peek at Fall 2011 trail running footwear lines reveals a continued focus on minimal design, Publisher Jeff Nott Doctors in thE House................................................................................22 [email protected] 12 A Best Selling Author and a Trusted Name from the past are front and center with 516-305-4711 two new shoe lines. Advertising 2011 Outlook.................................................................................................26 Beth Gordon The 11 big issues everybody will be talking about in 2011. [email protected] 949-293-1378 Jeff Gruenhut [email protected] Sanita Ditzel 404-467-9980 Troy Leonard [email protected] 352-624-1561 44 Sam Selvaggio [email protected] 212-398-5021 Production Michael Jacobsen 201-396-7005 [email protected] The BooT BooK..............................................................................................33 Subscriptions A Special Supplement to Footwear Insight. store.formula4media.com FALL 2011 PREVIEW.........................................................................................44 Wicked Woody 58 For those of you who thought the boot trend had run its course, think again. Boots will be back for at least one more go-round. GAINING TRACTION..........................................................................................50 Wellness, Barefoot and Minimalism are all buzzwords. But brands are defying classification with shoes that make customers feel better. Lucky ChaRm.................................................................................................52 PO Box 23-1318 A family-owned chain in Ohio lives up to its name. Great Neck, NY 11023 Phone: 516-305-4710 2010 SURVEY REFLECTS THE ‘NEW NORmAL’..............................................54 Fax: 516-305-4712 Chapter excerpt from the NSRA Business Performance Report 2010 www.formula4media.com WhaT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN............................................................................58 Formula4 Media Publications A cable TV series about the old days is inspiring new shoe collections. Sports Insight Footwear Insight On the cover: Alegria’s short black boot epitomizes the boot trend, which continues strong through Fall 2011 collections. Photo by Frank James Outdoor Insight Team Insight Textile Insight Running Insight Soccer Insight Footwear Insight® is a trademark of Formula4 Media, LLC, Great Neck, New York. ©2011 All rights reserved. The opinions expressed by authors and contributors to Footwear Insight are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers. Footwear Insight is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Articles appearing in Footwear Insight may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher. Footwear Insight is published bi-monthly: Jan/Feb; Mar/Apr; May/Jun; Jul/Aug; Sep/Oct; and Nov/Dec by Formula4 Media LLC. Subscriptions: one year, $24.00 (U.S. Funds) in the United States. All other countries, $54.00 (U.S. Funds) for surface mail. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Footwear Insight, P.O. Box 23-1318, Great Neck, NY 11023 TImE OUT | mARK SULLIVAN comparison Shopping like to make comparisons between different types of businesses, especially retailers. For example, what does a shoe store have in common with a restaurant, a hardware store or even a music store? I Here are a few thoughts on the subject. The restaurant business is close to my heart as my dad was a food service entrepreneur for many years. And my brother and I and our three sisters all washed a few dishes and waited tables to help out. Today when I visit a restaurant, I’m very aware of the service. I try not to be overly critical, but rather overly appreciative when it’s good. My family had a meal in Washington over the Christmas holiday that was memorable not for its food, but for the service. It was my eight-year-old daughter’s birthday and the staff fussed over her like she was the Queen of England. We walked out of their feeling special, even though the food was just okay. Like good retail salespeople, good waiters and waitresses let their personalities shine through. In New York City, many of the best restaurant servers are actors. They have the ability to turn on the charm, play a role and are really good at smiling when customers get out of line. Also, the best waiters know the experience is about you, the customer, and not them the struggling actor. With retail sales associates, it should be the same way. It’s a huge compliment when a customer shows up at a restaurant and asks if there are seats in “Fred’s section.” Your store will be very successful if shoppers are building “preferred” relationships with your sales staff. As for shopping hardware stores, I’m not handy at all. As an apartment dweller for most of my adult life, my idea of home repair was to call the super and give him a $20 bill when the work was done. Now, as a homeowner, I often find myself in hardware stores with an acute need and very little knowledge. The folks in my local hardware store have become valuable to me (and I expect me to them). They sell me tools just like a good shoe store sells tools to solve problems with troubled feet. For my local Glen Rock Hardware, it’s paint, rock salt and hammers. For shoe stores, it’s orthotics, compression socks and scaphoid pads. My neighborhood hardware store sees himself as a convenient problem solver. Good shoe stores, especially in the pedorthic category, are the same breed. My 11-year-old son has become increasingly Question: What does a shoe store have serious about the guitar. I love going into the in common with a restaurant, a music store with him because it’s all cool rock hardware store or even a music store? ’n’ roll dudes hanging out, talking about music and guitars. Most of the time, it’s great. Other times, not so much. There are times when these dudes are a little too cool for school and my son and I are interruptions to their banter and jam sessions. Sometimes, the same thing happens when I walk into a running store and the staff immediately sizes me up as a middle-aged fitness runner and not a sub-three-hour marathoner. That means I am ignored or they send the junior associate out to take care of me, while they discuss their splits, their training routines and favorite new shoes amongst themselves. Now I love going into music stores, outdoor specialty retailers and running shops because the staffs are so into their respective activities. But I want them to share that passion with me, not exclude me. If your staff does that with customers even once, shame on them. They are there to be guides to the wonderful products and services in your shop, not gatekeepers. I’m not the only one who compares experiences across retail. Consultants and analysts say it is a major trend right now. Your customers are comparing your store, not just to other shoe shopping experiences, but to what they encounter in The Apple Store, at American Girl store and the luxury store in the mall. Here’s hoping you do more than measure up. Here’s hoping you win the comparisons every time. THE FOOTWEAR EYE Acorn Acquired ASICS.Adds.to.its.Campaign. totes»ISOTONER Corp. has acquired SICS new ad campaign, acronym for the ASICS brand Acorn, the Maine- which hits magazines and name — “Anima Sana In Corpore based slipper and A TV screens this month, Sano,” which is Latin for “A Sound comfort-footwear is notable in that it features vol- Mind in a Sound Body.” company. leyball, tennis and other fitness Visually, the campaign shows activities, quite a change for the sound mind sound body negative words such as “stress,” The acquisition powerhouse running brand. “fear, doubt, and anxiety” shed- now makes The company says its largest ding off the body during exercise, totes»ISOTONER campaign to date an attempt to exemplifying the power of sport a full-fledged sport releases more than just sweat expand “beyond just running asics.com on the human spirit. The ads accessory brand into all areas of sport and incor- seek to make an emotional con- with umbrellas, hats, porates footwear, accessories and apparel into one nection with consumers by creating a feeling that the united effort.” minute the heart quickens whether engaging in running, gloves and shoes. The creative message in the campaign plays on the tennis, volleyball, or another fitness activity, those nega- totes»ISOTONER concept of releasing negative energy and thoughts tive feelings just melt away. claims to be the to overcome obstacles that normally would hold one U.S. Media placements will include campaign ESPN world’s largest back, a theme that was introduced in the 2010 market- and Comedy Central and in print publications such as marketer of ing. It also integrates the founding philosophy and the Men’s Health, Esquire, Fitness and Shape. l umbrellas, gloves, slippers, and other weather-related A.Royal.Vegan.Treat. A.Wicked.Woody accessories. totes»ISOTONER has over 1200 employees and, in addition to Cincinnati, has offices in New York, Minneapolis, Toronto, London, Paris, Hong Kong icked Footwear has introduced a new nature-friendly and Manila.