NEW BALANCE GOES NEXT LEVEL / SNEAKERS GET RETRO / SUMMER SANDALS SIZZLE SOLE SEARCHING FOOTWEAR STYLE FROM THE BOTTOM UP PERMIT # 191 # PERMIT ITHACA, NY ITHACA, PAID US POSTAGE US RR STD PRSRT FOOTWEARINSIGHT.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2016 Full length5(=25%platform Rubber pods set in a bed of5(=25% The Power of 2 Introducing the Devotion Plus 2 with 2 layers of RE-ZORB® A consumer favorite walking shoe with a fresh new look! For more information contact Debbie Krivelow: [email protected] • 314-854-2827 FOOTWEARINSIGHT.COM Editor in Chief Mark Sullivan [email protected] 646-319-7878 Managing Editor Cara Griffin Senior Editor Bob McGee Contributing Editor Jennifer Ernst Beaudry Art Director MARCHAPRIL16 Francis Klaess Associate Art Director Mary McGann Contributors Nancy Ruhling Michael Jacobsen Suzanne Blecher Publisher Jeff Nott [email protected] 516-305-4711 Advertising Beth Gordon [email protected] 949-293-1378 Jeff Gruenhut [email protected] 404-849-4156 Troy Leonard [email protected] 352-624-1561 Katie O’Donohue [email protected] 828-244-3043 Sam Selvaggio [email protected] 212-398-5021 Production Brandon Christie 516-305-4712 [email protected] Business Manager Marianna Rukhvarger 516-305-4709 [email protected] Subscriptions store.formula4media.com PO Box 23-1318 Great Neck, NY 11023 Phone: 516-305-4710 Fax: 516-441-5692 www.formula4media.com Formula4 Media Publications Sports Insight Footwear Insight Inside Insight Outdoor Insight Team Insight Textile Insight Trend Insight Running Insight Footwear Insight® is a trademark of Formula4 Media, LLC, Great Neck, New York. ©2016 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 6 16 18 26 30 34 may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher. THE FOOTWEAR EYE NB’S NEXT LEVEL SOLE SEARCHING GOING RETRO BRANCHING OUT LINES WE LIKE Footwear Insight is published bi-monthly: Bluprint strives for CEO Rob DeMartini Forget uppers. It’s It’s a footwear Beck’s branches On-trend for summer, Jan/Feb; Mar/Apr; May/Jun; Jul/Aug; Sep/ a West Coast casual has venerable all about the sole fast-forward as out beyond the box women’s sandals fuse Oct; and Nov/Dec by Formula4 Media LLC. aesthetic; Minnetonka athletic brand New nowadays as brands brands get retro with with new women’s an outdoor vibe with Subscriptions: one year, $24.00 (U.S. Funds) mans up; Spenco Balance poised for a focus on new modern twists on concept store Sko. style and comfort. in the United States. All other countries, $54.00 creates new memories. transformation. designs underfoot. classic sneaker styles. (U.S. Funds) for surface mail. Postmaster: Send address changes to Footwear Insight, P.O. Box 23-1318, Great Neck, NY 11023 On the cover: Skechers. Above: Bernie Mev. Photography by Frank James. ™ TIMEOUT | MARK SULLIVAN NO RISK MASHED choice POTATOES MY MOM IS A TERRIBLE COOK. She never had much interest and also worked to feed five kids in the era when food companies were marketing “instant and easy” for busy moms. On no-meat Fridays, she would make us Bumble Bee tuna and canned spaghetti. Most other nights, we’d get Swanson’s frozen dinners or Hamburger Helper. But the absolute worst thing she would feed us was powdered mashed potatoes from a box. They were bland, boring and totally uninteresting. Unfortunately that same description can be applied to the merchandise mix of many shoe stores I visit. Like my mom, many of these shoe store owners are doing their best under difficult circumstances. They, too, have many mouths to feed and not a lot of resources. But while their customer base is crying out for WHILE THEIR gourmet creations, these shoe stores are serving CUSTOMER BASE up mashed potatoes from a box. Intellectually, I understand why this is healthy IS CRYING OUT happening. Retailers, especially the bigger stores, FOR GOURMET are afraid of risk. They are playing it safe, afraid CREATIONS, THESE to make mistakes. The result is a no pain, no gain SHOE STORES strategy that takes virtually no risks and yields very few rewards for the store or the consumer. ARE SERVING UP An industry veteran I know who got his start as a MASHED POTATOES buyer for a New York department store remembers his boss telling him: “If you’re not making mistakes, the FROM A BOX. you are not doing your job.” The counsel was simple. Try things, take a few risks and show our shoppers something they haven’t seen yet. It was great advice that my friend still remembers today. Unfortunately, young buyers today are not getting that same advice. They are most likely told “make a mistake and you’re gone. We’ll promote that kid from housewares who makes such beautiful spreadsheets.” There is an old axiom that no stockbroker ever got fired for buying IBM. That stock was considered a safe- risk free buy. But that’s when IBM was considered a state-of-the-art technology stock. Before Dell. Before Apple and before the Internet. The world is changing every day and many shoe stores look the same. I’m not suggesting that stores go crazy. I’m suggesting they play to win. Internet retailers win by offering color and depth of assortment. Shoe stores that carry the same styles as everyone else in town are setting themselves up to lose. I took my mom to Trader Joe’s recently. It was like being on a trip to the jungle with an anthropology student. What was typically a 30 minute visit for me turned into an hour and a half with my mom. She was fascinated by the selection and the all the choices. We bought frozen Indian food that can be heated in boiling water. I spoke to her the next day and she said she loved it. I hope my mom’s culinary adventure can be an inspiration to everyone. Bon Appetit. www.aetrex.com being blue never felt so good! the healthiest shoes you’ll ever wear® Featuring Lynco® orthotic support and memory foam cushioning for superior comfort. THEFOOTWEAREYE LIFESTYLE Bluprint for Comfort Bluprint strives for a West Coast casual aesthetic. hen Dave Ortley joined DJO to help develop a premium be confident selling the shoes because they know the fit will be reliable comfort line, he had three goals. and consistent.” First, he wanted to create a product that had its own Bluprint will also strive for a “West Coast casual” aesthetic in its design, point of view and looked different from other brands according to Ortley. The initial collection for both men and women fea- on the market. “We didn’t want to be a ‘me, too’ brand,” tures simple pattern shapes, premium materials, discreet branding and the he says. Secondly, he wanted to develop a meaningful absence of adornments. Ortley says the shoes offer a generous fit in both Wcomfort technology that was easy to explain. And finally, he wanted to build height and width and a lower profile design. The Bluprint collection uses a line that would appeal to independent footwear specialty retailers. “We full grain leather, Nubuck, medium nap suede and waxed canvas for upper want long-term partners and believe the independents are well-positioned to materials. The goal, says Ortley, is to have the uppers hug and conform to handle new brands and shoes like the ones we set out to create.” enhance support. The result of DJO’s efforts can be seen in Bluprint, the men’s and The insoles are made from a molded polyurethane base and have an women’s comfort brand it introduced earlier this year. Ortley says the enhanced heel cup. On top of that is four millimeters of memory foam that collection is built around an anatomical last built by Jones & Vining. “It’s Ortley says will offer personalized fit in addition to cushioning. “The shoes a single last that will allow us to develop a consistency in our fit whether are comfortable, but also offer great fit and sure footedness.” it’s a shoe, a boot or a sandal,” he says. “The consistent fit will allow the Retail prices range from $79 for sandals to $239 for boots, with an average sales associates on the retail floor to develop faith in the shoes. They will price of $140. The first shoes are set to ship to retail in July. O KNEED FOOTWEAR New Insole Brand Launch onathan Koops and Karen Henry, who worked together at Sole and are currently the Canadian distributors for Addaday, are launch- ing Kneed Footwear with a line of insoles that they say will be sold only through independently owned running and footwear stores. The Kneed insole line features two main products: The Kneed2Run is a full-length insole designed to replace the foot bed that comes Jwith branded running shoes and The Kneed2Be is a three-quarter length insole for use in casual and every day footwear. The Kneed2Run insoles will sell for $49; The Need2Be series will retail for $29. Koops says of independent retail- ers, “We want to support them and believe we can build a business doing so.” The Kneed Insoles feature a biomechanically shaped moldable base that Koops Caption text. Equibus experspel enit, says ensures support from heel to ball of the foot. All products use Poron, Kneed insoles feature a biomechanically shaped moldable base. which Koop says is “the best performance cushioning for impact absorption.” O 6 • Footwear Insight ~ March/April 2016 footwearinsight.com THEFOOTWEAREYE REVAMPED COMFORT Minnetonka Spenco Creates Mans Up New Memories Spenco Memory Foam sandals.