Dr Martens – Making a Come Back
by JULIA
I have to be honest… I am a fan of Dr. Martens and probably always will be. Maybe it’s because I loved them prior to high school back in the early nineties, but as I was shopping through Ebay (I am a little addicted to vintage shopping on Ebay) I stumbled upon a vintage pair of black classics and I had to buy them! I am seeing that Dr Martens are making a comeback… more and more ads are featuring the lo…
shoebizness.com LinkedIn Group!
by JULIA
Our LinkedIn group Footwear Professional Network/Shoebizness.com has more than 2200 members and is growing daily! I highly suggest if you already are not a member that you become one. It is a great way to network and connect with other industry people! Please see below for this last weeks updates!! http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=103836 Updates: This Week
Matisse Sheena’s Weekly Rant-Networking at Tradeshows
by Matisse Sheena
You might remember Sheena from a posting last week. We got a kick out of her stinging wit and decided that we wanted her to be a weekly contributor on Shoebizness! What’s fun is that we will pick a subject, any subject, and just let her “rant”. The disclaimer reads: “Sheena’s Weekly Rant is meant for entertainment purposes only and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of all Shoebi…
5 Sustainable Brands Worth Checking Out..Now!
by JULIA
Take a gander at the following 5 Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Footwear brands – all making a huge footprint in the industry! 1. TOMS Shoes – www.TOMSshoes.com – Wonderful brand with a great philosophy: buy a pair and they donate to a person in need. Vegan options available! 2. Melissa Plastic Dreams – www.melissaplasticdreams.com – Their chosen medium is plastic, which immedia…
Argentinian Invasion! Ferraro makes its U.S. debut…
by JULIA
Jose Cruzado, whom I wrote about earlier, told me that I needed to go visit the Argentinian brand Ferraro and I’m glad that I did! After 50 years in the footwear industry, Ferraro decided to make its US debut. Fabian Ferraro represents the second generation of family members running the company, which began by catering to a more traditional woman. When Fabian and his brother took over the company, the…
Joe Emick of Charles David
by JULIA
Joe Emick is the Territory Rep for Charles David covering all the Southeast and New Orleans. Joe is based out of Miami, so hopefully I will run into him every now and then! He has a realistic and true outlook on the industry which to me is always refreshing. I asked him to give me the top five ways to sell to the Southern woman. Being from Charlotte, NC. I was curious what he had to say!! 1. Present more feminine footwear -I a…
Nicholas Keenan from Kelsi Dagger
by JULIA
I met Nicholas yesterday at the SMOTA show and we had a great time chatting. Kelsi Dagger is a new line launching this season. Their goal is to offer high quality fashion to the masses. I asked Nicholas what he thought the pros of launching in the current economy were and he said “business sucks so it is a good time to do things differently”. Well put! Nicholas went on to say, “Last year retail prices…
The Daily 5-All about the Good News!
by JULIA
1. Spring is selling, so I hear from Jenifer Cleary – who would not lie 2. Deckers posted healthy gains for the 4th quarter according to Footwear News 3. Steve Madden also had a strong 4th quarter. The success is partially contributed to by the fact that they are “good at delivering what they promise”. Not a bad practice!! – Footwear News 4. Jimlar has an ad the back of Footwear News tha…
Jose from Brown Shoe Needs a Raise and a Promotion!
by JULIA
I was wandering around SMOTA today wondering who I would meet and find interesting. Since I have friends at Brown Shoe I decided to walk into their booth and check things out. I met Jose which turned out to be a truly delightful experience. Jose is the rep in Latin America for the lines Via Spiga, Franco Sarto and Etienne Aigner. I asked him why he was in the business and he told me it’s because he loves fashion and t…
SMOTA – today and tomorrow
by JULIA
I will be heading to SMOTA at the Miami Convention Center later today to see what’s going on. I always like to stop by for at least a day or so in order to say hello to all the traveling reps since the convention center is literally a couple blocks from the office. I am not sure what to expect this time around since I hear a lot of brands decided not to show, but I will let you all know what I find via a few posts later on!
The Daily 5-All about the good news!!
by JULIA
I read the news every day like most of you and feel the need to take a moment to highlight the GOOD news, since it seems there is less and less of it being presented in mainstream media these days. ->Please do me a favor and send me your good news to make my job a little easier! Send ANYTHING positive to julia@shoebizness.com. So here’s today good news: 1. People are still buying shoes! 2. People still walk wit…
Independent Retail: Surviving and Thriving in 2009-contributed by John Licata, VP of Sales for Stride Rite
by John Licata
John is a veteran of the industry with more than 20 years experience on both the wholesale and retail side. “A man of great wisdom and advice” is what I would call him! He is also a very nice guy which a bonus. After all these years, he still loves what he does, and it shows. Thanks for the contribution John! There is some great advice here, I hope it helps some of you; be sure to read it all the way through! IND…
