Footwear Plus Magazine | October/November 2025

MADE FOR EVERY STEP

FEATURES

8 Now Hear This!

Neal Taylor, president, Ecco Americas, on what is being done to fix and reinvigorate the Euro comfort brand. By

Greg Dutter

14 Fashion Fest

Spring/Summer ’26 trends spotted at MICAM. By

Noelle Heffernan

18 Walk This Way

Clarks introduces Pace, its first-ever performance shoe. By

Greg Dutter

24 Dream Weavers

Hand-tooled woven details create a homespun aesthetic in step with a craving for craftsmanship.

By Kiernan McCormick

DEPARTMENTS

4 Editor’s Note

6 This Just In: Paris

19 Trend Spotting: Men’s Loafers

20 Trend Spotting: Shades of Green

21 A Note to My Younger Self

22 Love Stores

23 Trend Spotting: Hues for Men

36 What’s Selling: Modern Shoe

37 What’s Selling: Peterson Shoes

38 Trend Spotting: Twine Details

40 Last Shot

On the cover: Rieker woven leather slingback mules with Antistress technology for lightweight flexibility, shock absorption, and roomy fit.

Photography: Trevett McCandliss; styling: Mariah Walker/Art Department; fashion editor: Kiernan McCormick; models: Kate Vasilyeva and Polina Sus/Fenton Model Mgmt.; hair and makeup: Nevio Ragazzini/ Next Artists; photo and styling assistant: Jamie Wtorkowski.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

2025

EDITORIAL

Greg Dutter

Editorial Director

Nancy Campbell

Trevett McCandliss

Creative Directors

Kiernan McCormick

Fashion Editor

Rosemary O’Connell

Art Director

Kathy Passero Editor at Large

Mariah Walker Style Director

Darby Dutter Contributing Editor

Melodie Jeng

Marcy Swingle Contributing Photographers

ADVERTISING

Noelle Heffernan

Publisher

Laurie Guptill Production Manager

Kathy Wenzler Circulation Director

Maria Martucci Office Manager

Mike Hoff Digital Director

WAINSCOT MEDIA

Carroll Dowden Chairman

Mark Dowden President & CEO

Steven J. Resnick Vice President & CFO

Lizette Chin SVP/Group Publisher

OFFICES

ADVERTISING/EDITORIAL

One Maynard Drive Park Ridge, NJ 07656

Tel: (201) 571-2244

Ads: Noelle.Heffernan@ Wainscotmedia.com

From top: Twisted X slip-on moc with woven leather vamp and elastic gore panels; Bos. & Co. woven leather sandal with adjustable ankle strap; woven leather Mary Jane ballet flat by Clarks

Editorial: Greg.Dutter@ Wainscotmedia.com

CIRCULATION

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for love of the game

FOR THE PAST 30 years I’ve wrapped up thousands of interviews with one question. What do you love most about your job? The responses usually provide a feel-good ending to an in-depth discussion of the challenges, hard choices, and general blood, sweat, and tears required to stay in this game of footwear. Exacerbating the stress for most of the people I interview is the knowledge that their jobs aren’t the only ones at stake. The strategies they implement and the decisions they make can have tremendous financial repercussions for their employees and their families. It doesn’t matter if they oversee a staff of thousands or a close-knit handful. The pressure can hang over one’s head like the sword of Damocles. Yet this weighty responsibility is often the reason that execs who could retire comfortably stay in their posts. Like conscientious parents, their sense of responsibility never ends.

I’ve long adhered to the wisdom of Ecclesiastes, who said, “There is nothing better for men [and women] than that they should be happy in their work, for that is what they are here for, and no one can bring them back to life to enjoy what will be in the future, so let them enjoy it now.” Hear! Hear! If at all possible, do what you love for a living.

Just about everyone I’ve come across in this great melting pot of an industry—wholesalers, retailers, designers, and sales reps—exemplifies Ecclesiastes’ advice. No matter how difficult and stressful their jobs are, their underlying love—passion, really—for their work shines through. That love spans people, product, and purpose. It’s an overall love of the game that keeps them swinging away.

Take Neal Taylor, new president of Ecco Americas and the subject of our Q&A (p. 8). Few would take on the tremendous turnaround challenge facing the brand in North America. A lot of damage has been done. Plenty of retail relationships are bruised, battered, and, in some cases, severed. A ton of repair work is required, and a rough road lies ahead with no guarantee of success. The odds are stacked against Taylor, and if the brand fails to rebound, that goes on his resume.

Yet none of these obstacles have dampened Taylor’s enthusiasm. He loves his new Ecco teammates, the great product, and, perhaps most of all, the opportunity to build a winner. Having most recently overseen the divestitures of Reebok out of Adidas followed by Champion out of Hanes, Taylor is excited to build a business again. He recently sent his coworkers a link to the famous “inch by inch” locker room speech from Any Given Sunday. In it, coach Tony D’Amato (Al Pacino) inspires his players with a pep talk about how teamwork, dedication, and fighting for every inch can snowball into greater success. Taylor is gung-ho to lead Ecco back to cornerstone comfort brand status, inch by inch. The game is definitely on!

For comfort specialty retailers Modern Shoe and Peterson Shoes, the game is in year 85 and counting. Our What’s Selling profiles (p. 36-37) of the Utah- and Minnesota-based stores reflect a genuine love of helping customers relieve foot-related aches and pains. It’s almost as if getting paid is a bonus. And despite the many odds stacked against these one-store enterprises, both are sticking with their sit-and-fit playbooks. It is a way to stand out from the competition, but it’s also a purpose-driven format that is about much more than commerce. These two stores are one-of-a-kind, each deeply entwined in the local community. The staffs love their jobs, and it shows.

That brings me to our new department, Love Stores (p. 22). The open letter format is an ode to all-time favorite stores, no matter the category. Retail is retail, be it an amazing shoe store or an incredible restaurant. I welcome anyone to contribute their favorites.

In our first installment, contributing writer Kathy Passero takes you on a vivid “Go Ask Alice” trip back to Boogie Records, a fixture in downtown Kalamazoo, MI, during the ’70s and ’80s. Boogie wasn’t just a store. It was a portal into a world of rebellion, mystery, music, and counterculture—all stuffed into a rolling paper. Those were also for sale in this record shop/head shop/ concert ticket emporium. The column is an inspiring and joyous reminder that a retail store can represent much more than the products it sells.

Consider Love Stores a locker room pep talk to take your businesses to champion status. If you truly love what you do, consumers will likely respond. You gotta love when that happens.

Greg Dutter Editorial Director

Plié Pleasing

THE ORIGINAL STANDARD OF COMFORT.

Q&A

BY GREG DUTTER

NOW HEAR THIS!

Neal Taylor, president of Ecco Americas, is brutally honest about the recent mistakes and what is being done to fix and reinvigorate the Euro comfort brand.

OVER THE PAST SEVERAL years, Ecco’s business in North America flew off the rails. If the division could do something wrong, it did—often spectacularly. Those miscues included leadership turnover, repeatedly undercutting pricing on its DTC channels, late and incomplete deliveries, and too many design misfires, to cite a few. To say it was exasperating, and insulting to long-time retail partners, would be an understatement. Many cut back significantly on overall buys; others broke up with Ecco entirely.

Still, those decisions weren’t easy to make. Ecco has been a cornerstone brand with strong margins, one many retailers have relied on for decades. Retailers can’t just plug in a similar-looking brand and capture lost Ecco business. It takes time to introduce a new brand to customers. There’s trial and error. It doesn’t always work. Thus, the industry consensus was that many current and former Ecco retailers would be happy to see the brand get back on track.

That’s where Neal Taylor comes into the story. The veteran brand exec was named president of Ecco Americas this past March. (His previous stops have included Adidas/Reebok, Hanes/Champion, and Red Bull.) Taylor has been tapped to lead Ecco back onto a course of stability and growth in North America. It’s no easy task, but it’s one Taylor firmly believes is achievable—and it starts with the ace up Ecco’s sleeve: its reputation for quality product. Even though the brand had been missing the mark aesthetically of late, its products are still considered some of the bestmade and most-comfortable on the market. Ecco’s reputation as master shoemakers remains as solid as it was during the decades when founder Karl Toosbuy, the ultimate product guy, led the business.

To confirm that Ecco shoes still lived up to that reputation, Taylor did a little focus group of his own this summer. To celebrate his 50th birthday, he invited friends to play a few rounds of golf—wearing new Ecco shoes. “None of them had worn the brand before, and they were amazed at how comfortable and how well our shoes performed,” Taylor

says. “We’ve got to get people into our product, because it won’t fail.”

That starts with fixing what Ecco had been failing at. Namely, business fundamentals. It involves a top-down change in strategy. The company had been trying to grow by making huge investments—in its Brooklyn design studio and Soho store, for example—and brand calling its way out of trouble, Taylor says. “That only works if you catch lightning in a bottle, which is a possibility but very hard to do. Even so, if you don’t have the fundamentals in place, it won’t work.” Taylor’s new roadmap for success “is as simple and complicated as understanding the consumer, having the right products, storytelling against the brand, and being really good operationally.”

It will take time to win back retailer confidence—one pair, one collection, and one season at a time, Taylor says. The good news is that Ecco is already making progress. The feedback at the recent round of shows was positive, especially for the BIOM 720 walking shoe, which will debut in November at Dillard’s; the latest evolution of the Soft casual collection; and the 20th anniversary of the Offroad Yucatan sandal. “The upcoming season has a number of key retailers giving us a shot, albeit with limited volumes,” Taylor reports. “But that’s ok. We’ve got to sell through and prove ourselves.”

Indeed, Taylor has his work cut out for him. It’s hard enough to do what he describes as a “brand

Q&A

relaunch in North America.” Layer on higher tariffs and general geopolitical chaos, and it’s exponentially more challenging. Retailers are being cautious and conservative in their buys. Fortunately for Ecco, being privately held and owning factories provides some breathing room. “We’re not beholden to hitting a certain quarterly number,” Taylor says. “It’s about making the right decisions for the business, because we’re in this for the long term. We want to build a profitable, sustainable business in North America, and if that’s smaller in topline scale in the short term, that’s ok.”

To drive the turnaround, Ecco brought in new Global CEO Thomas Gøgsig. “We had to change the overall brand trajectory,” Taylor says, noting that he wouldn’t have accepted the job otherwise. The interview process involved fresh and frank conversations. The Ecco board was ruthlessly honest about the many mistakes that had been made. “I really gravitated to that honesty because that’s a big first step to getting a business back on track,” says Taylor.

That’s the Ecco story so far. Many more chapters are to be written. Taylor is crafting a long story complete with a Hollywood ending. Having worked most recently on the divestitures of Reebok out of Adidas followed by Champion out of Hanes, he’s also happy to be working under a different managerial mandate. He didn’t want to be pigeonholed as a divestiture expert. “While those jobs can be lucrative, they’re soul-destroying because you’re

OFF THE CUFF

What are you reading? The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett. The biggest takeaway so far: You can’t change what you’re thinking, but you can learn new information that influences your thoughts.

What was the last series you watched? Game of Thrones, second time around. I’m enjoying it even more because I’m more into the details and foreshadowing.

Who is inspiring you now? My daughter, who is a nursing major on the children’s oncology ward at Boston Children’s Hospital. As she likes to tell me, her job

really matters, and she’s right.

Who has had the greatest influence on you? My wife, who has been with me since college. She’s seen the ups and downs and my evolvement.

What keeps you awake at night? Doing my best for the team at Ecco. I don’t take it lightly that people’s livelihoods and careers are somewhat entrusted to me. So, I’m constantly asking myself if I’m leading them in the right direction.

What are you most hopeful for? That the U.S. can find its way back from being so divided. It troubles me on so many

breaking up companies,” Taylor says. “I want to build something again, like I did at Red Bull. And I believe we have a great opportunity to do just that at Ecco. I’m excited.”

What did you deem the biggest issue at Ecco Americas upon your arrival? That our damage had nearly all been self-inflicted, which is unlike a lot of other scenarios where macro trends and/ or competitors knock a brand off course. That’s not the Ecco story at all; it’s just been one shot after another into our feet. That included late or incomplete deliveries, undercutting price on our DTC channels, missing the mark aesthetically on our designs…We were messing up on the fundamentals. That led to our DTC platforms becoming wildly promotional. Retailers who’d been good partners for decades weren’t being treated well or ignored entirely. Then we started chasing the young kid buying sneakers at Foot Locker. But that kid isn’t what Ecco is about. Plus, we made huge investments, like the Brooklyn design studio and the Soho store. None of it connected to the DNA of our brand.

So, what have been your first orders of business? It’s not rocket science in that we were all over the place and no longer understood who our North American consumer was. When you don’t know that your product line becomes very disconnected. We had also stopped investing in

levels. We moved here in 2011, and it feels like a different country now.

If you could live in another time, when would it be? Being a Game of Thrones fan and a big history nerd, I’d go back to 1500s or 1600s Europe and the dueling royal families. It was just as divided, but maybe if I could understand that, I could bring some value back here.

What was your first-ever paying job?

My friend and I started a landscaping business, which was disastrous. We chopped a tree down and it landed atop someone’s new shed. It was a short-lived commercial experience.

What is your favorite hometown memory? I grew up in suburban London, and it’s of finding the ice cream truck once I heard its jingle. You’ll still find me doing that when I visit.

What might people be surprised to know about you? That I’m not Australian. I’d say eight out of 10 Americans think my accent is.

What’s on your to do list for today?

This morning, we had our monthly Ecco Americas town hall and updated the team on where we’re at. And next week, we’ve got 26 budget meetings set, so I’m prepping for that.

What would be the title of your life story, and who would play you in the film adaptation? Chris Pratt and it would be Any Given Monday. Last week, I sent my team a video link of Al Pacino’s “inches” locker room speech in Any Given Sunday. That teamwork sentiment still has tons of relevance.

What is your motto? Winners are made, not born.

the core of who we are from a product perspec tive. Then, from a supply chain standpoint, an end-to-end value chain is only an advantage if you’re clear about your priorities. So, while other parts of the world were delivering greater margins for Ecco, our region took a back seat on getting proper attention and service. As I always say, wholesalers have a choice. If every 10 shoes ordered and only five show up on time…that isn’t good enough, no matter how good the product is. So, we’ve been working on putting the funda mentals in place and making sure that we have a leadership team that can deliver it all. That’s where the recent hiring of Matt Feiner as Chief Commercial Officer comes into play.

What does Matt bring to the team?

Deep industry experience from outside Ecco. I need someone with a fresh perspective and a track record of building winning business plans and can establish strong partnerships with key accounts. It’s about putting a plan together that’s truly a partnership where we win together. Matt’s been around the block many times with Reebok, Stride Rite, and, the last eight years, as CEO of SG Companies. He’s got 30 years’ worth of experience. Sales is his primary task, but he’s also got a great eye for product, which get us in the right voice when working with our global counterparts within Ecco. Because we still design most of our product out of Denmark, so we’re only going to be as good as our global product colleagues. But our designers and product managers are spending a ton of time in this market, meeting with our team, our key accounts, and with consumers. I’m confident that we’ll put together the right offering much sooner than later.

That will take a couple of seasons to prove?

From

with respect, which had been a particular criticism of the previous leadership for this region. At the Atlanta show, we had breakfast and dinner meetings with some of those offended accounts, a few of which had been partners for decades. A testament to those relationships is that they’re still sitting at the table with us and willing to give us another chance. Because it would be really easy for them to say they’re done, and I don’t blame them. I also think that this frustration was magnified because Ecco historically has been a leader in product and margins. Retailers have been telling us that we’ve got to be better and that we need you. It was very personal, especially with some independents, who really felt let down by what we walked away from.

Ecco’s DTC policies seem to have been a particular sore point.

Plenty of Euro comfort brands have lost their way when it comes to dealing with the U.S. market properly. It’s a cliché, really.

Yes, unless we catch lightening in a bottle. But our plan doesn’t call for that. This is about building steady, profitable, and sustainable growth. I have a mandate from our board to make the right decisions in terms of managing the marketplace that allows all boats to rise together. And let’s not forget that it wasn’t long ago that Ecco’s business was much bigger in North America than currently, which means there’s a lot of fertile territory for us to feed on.

How would you grade Ecco’s performance following the recent round of shows?

B or B+, which is a lot better than recently. I think retailers appreciated our transparency of where we’re at and where we’re trying to go. A bright spot was that some of our new products got a strong reaction, which had been a particular struggle of late. But, at the end of the day, sell-through talks.

What also speaks volumes is just treating retailers

Our pricing was crazy promotional. Selling an item at the same price as the wholesale price…you don’t build partnerships doing that. We’ve cleaned most of it up and view wholesale as a big part of our future. I’m a big believer in wholesale because the consumer gets to vote. So, for example, the consumer has voted and likes shopping on Amazon. And some like shopping at Nordstrom and there’s a community that likes shopping in independents. I want Ecco to be a part of all those communities and grow together. I also want Ecco to win on those walls. While DTC has a role, you can get myopic if it’s too much of a focus. We need to be in front of our consumers wherever they prefer to shop. But we must put the right value proposition in front of them. It requires discipline. We still have the occasional blip, which is frustrating, but for the most part, we’ve established pricing discipline. Next is getting the right product. Retailers need to see more relevant newness from us. It’s not a quality issue; it’s design DNA and aesthetics.

For sure. Being a big brand worldwide can create a mindset of: What do you mean I have to explain who we are and what we’re about to American retailers and consumers? The good news is there’s a humbleness now coming from our management team in that we must reconnect with retailers and consumers here because they don’t really know us. That’s why I considered Ecco a start-up in North America, really. More good news is that we’re a start-up that knows how to make great shoes and already has good connections into many great retailers. We’re not starting from scratch. It’s not like consumers have a bad taste in their mouths about Ecco. We’ve just become almost invisible to them. Our job is to get Ecco back in front of our core consumers, which means investing in product and showing up in the right places with the right presentations. And we must do it consistently and repeatedly. If there’s one thing I learned at Red Bull, which was a brand-driven company at the time, was to be ruthlessly consistent. They didn’t allow any margin for interpretation, which enabled consumers to understand who the brand was. That’s what we have to do with Ecco. We have to be clear on our story and invest against it so consumers can make a choice in the stores that they shop.

So, what is Ecco in a nutshell?

Comfort, quality, made for walking. That’s the hill that we aim to stand on, which is grounded in craftsmanship. Of course, there are layers to that—like our Danish DNA, our sustainability angle, and performance innovation. Some of that will also involve reintroducing successful concepts with a modern twist. Receptor will be one. We did a lot of things right that we walked

Q&A

“We’ve already done a lot of work, and I believe we have a great shot at getting Ecco back on track in North America. I’m excited.”

away from. Overall, we’re still known as great shoemakers. Despite all the internal and external noise, we know how to build great product, be it dress, athletic, and casual styes. And we’ll never compromise on comfort and quality.

What do you think are Ecco’s biggest growth opportunities near-term?

Over the next two years, it’s women’s just because we lost our way there the most and golf. We had been the number three brand in golf not that long ago and have since dropped a ways down. Our reputation with golfers is still strong, though. We just need to put the right product in front of them.

How is the tariffs situation impacting your efforts to get the business back on track?

The reality is none of us know where this is landing. I sat with a major account of ours recently and they think it’s a tsunami and we’re not wet yet.

That’s a scary analogy! In the meantime, consumer prices are rising across the board, which begs the question: How many will put off shoe shopping?

Two aspects are really hard for us right now. One: How do you plan anything? While it’s great that Ecco is an end-to-end value chain model and has probably more sourcing flexibility than a lot of other brands, especially one our size in North America, we are still struggling where is the best sourcing option. Because it’s like Whack-a-Mole of late. Oh, Vietnam looks good. Suddenly, it’s not looking good. Thailand. Same thing. It makes planning incredibly hard. Second: We’re trying to earn back the trust of retailers. In a thriving market, some would be more likely to throw us a bone. But there just aren’t many bones to be thrown because, understandably, retailers are being really cautious with their open-to-buys right now. A lot of accounts

Happy 20th anniversary to Ecco’s Offroad Yucatan sandal in 2026! Expect plenty of fanfare and special collections.

are saying they have an open-to-buy if things pick up. That makes sense, but it’s hard for us to know how much inventory to carry.

Do you envision any return to normalcy any time soon?

I’m not sure we’ll ever get back to normal again. I think the people who will win will be the ones that remain agile. The world is just so complicated now. It’s tariffs and everything else going on geopolitically, and when you’re an international company, that affects you even more. Having said that, it was encouraging to see at the recent shows the resiliency of our industry. While there might have understandably been a little less traffic overall, brand meetings were still happening, and retailers were still writing business. What’s more, people were being really collaborative. Like with some other brands I spoke with, it’s all about working on partnerships as we’re all trying to figure this out together. It doesn’t work if one side is trying to screw the other side into the ground. There’s this piece where we’re all just trying

to get to the other side of it. I actually felt pretty encouraged about that.

What are your primary goals for next year?

To be a reliable brand for our wholesale partners, to be clear in our messaging to consumers, and get better sell-throughs. The reality is that we’re not that far away from what we need. It’s tweaks. But it’s going to take a few seasons. If we’re selling through and connecting with consumers, then we’ll get more orders. It’s on us getting it to work. We’ve already done a lot of work, and I believe we have a great shot at getting Ecco back on track in North America. I’m fired up. We’ve got an opportunity to do something really special over the next three to four years.

What do you love most about your job?

It goes back to where we started in this interview. We have some incredible human beings working at Ecco. I love learning their stories and being part of the team. I’m lucky. •

Januar y 13, 2026

The IR Show at the Horseshoe Event Center

To Recognize Excellence in Design & Retail Of ficial Awards Ballots Coming Soon

Fashion Fest

The buzz heard and trends seen in the halls of MICAM in Milan, Italy.

MICAM CELEBRATED its 100th edition in September complete with a commemorative stamp, issued by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, and the exhibition, “100 Steps into the Future,” that retraced the show’s journey from 1931, in Vigevano, considered the cradle of Italian shoemaking, to today. More than 1,000 brands also joined the party, showcasing their Spring/Summer ’26 collections to 20,000-plus attendees from 126 countries.

Indeed, the shoe industry has come a long way over the past 50 years. The difference most noted at this edition by AI’s growing impact. The Trends and Materials section featured an AI-based Buyer Guide designed to support purchasing decisions and reduce unsold stock. Also, the Future of Retail Space exhibit included Wov Labs, makers of a digital product passport powered by blockchain and advanced smart tags, making the interaction between producer and consumer more transparent and direct; SizeWise and its AI-based size recommendations that give accurate predictions via smartphones that help reduce returns and increase sales; and 1956 Individuals, creators of AI characters able to interact with customers in real time, delivering personalized shopping experiences that build brand loyalty and optimize the in-store shopping experience.

Of course, none of that digital aggregating power matters without shoes in the offering. On that note, MICAM once again delivered on its mission to showcase the latest trends from established brands to up-and-coming designers. And despite a what continues to be a highly disruptive and challenging market worldwide, there was plenty of newness for buyers to feast upon. Here are some trend menu highlights.

Hide & Seek

Sweet Spot

Cherry red bursts with mouthwatering style.

Textural Messaging

Suede adds luxe appeal to classic men’s loafers.

Knit Picks

Beat the heat in lightweight and breathable knit fabric uppers.

Rad Dads

Retro joggers attain closet staple status.

Powder Room

Pale blue: a subtle seasonal neutral to navy.

Palette Pleasing

Multi-colored uppers paint a pretty picture.

Delicate Balance

Florals for Spring

The groundbreaking embellishment is in full bloom.

Walk This Way

Clarks introduces Pace, its first-ever performance shoe.

By Greg Dutter

CLARKS IS A SO-CALLED “brown shoe” brand, a.k.a. a Euro comfort brand, and has been for 200 years. So, it may come as a surprise to some that the British-based company marked its bicentennial with the introduction of its first-ever performance shoe. But lest you assume this is a “white shoe” (a.k.a. athletic brand) leap, understand that Clarks’ Pace walking shoe is no stretch at all.

“Clarks has been making shoes for 200 years, and walking in comfort is at the heart of everything we do,” says Gary Champion, president of Clarks Americas. “Whether it’s walking for fitness, traveling to a new city, shopping, or simply walking the dog, Americans are walking more, and who better to address this growing consumer category than a brand that spent the past 200 years perfecting comfort?”

Walk-friendly styles grounded in innovation include Clarks’ lightweight and responsive crepesole Desert Boot (1950) and Wallabee (1975) as well as its Unstructured collection (2007), which features ventilation holes in the midsoles to support air circulation. “We’ve always pushed the boundaries on innovation to deliver comfort footwear that blends craftsmanship, style, and all-day wearability,” Champion says.

Pace is no exception. The shoe is scientifically engineered with features that support every step of the walking cycle. Those include Infinity Energy Capsules in the sole to compress and rebound with each step and propel the wearer forward; a multi-layer sole with Clarks’ proprietary C360 super-critical EVA foam, providing cushioning, stability, and a responsive bounce-back feel; the S-curve TPU molded heel counter that delivers a secure fit and reduces pressure on the Achilles; breathable, friction-free knit uppers that promote circulation and flexibility; and C-Tread rubber outsoles for traction on a variety of surfaces. Pace is APMA-approved for encouraging healthy foot function and movement. SRP is $140.

Exactly how is Pace a better-designed walking shoe than various other running shoes? Champion says running and walking are fundamentally different movements with distinct gait cycles, from where the foot strikes to how the body absorbs impact. “Running shoes are engineered for running, not walking,” he says. “Pace is designed to help wearers

walk farther, for longer.” Hence, the Pace tagline: “Because walking is different to running—your shoes should be too.”

Of course, wearing is believing. And Clarks is helping people do just that. The brand started with a launch event in New York this summer. A Clarks Pace truck popped up—with branded ice pops, water bottles, discount codes, and free pairs of Clarks Pace—in Midtown Manhattan at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, steps from Central Park. The goal was to spark conversation, surprise passersby, offer try-ons, and ask the question: “Are you wearing the right shoes for walking?” Special guests Dr. Sarah Haller, a well-known, New York–based podiatrist; comedian and social media personality Veronika Slowikowska; and the Clarks Pace Patrol team engaged with more than 1,500 people. That was followed by a partnership with Strava on the “Set Your Pace with Clarks” challenge, which invited people to walk 12.5 miles between Aug. 9 and 22 and earn exclusive rewards as well as a chance to win a year’s supply of Clarks shoes. The challenge drew more than 120,000 participants worldwide. Clarks also held a walking event in partnership with Schuler Shoes and Twin Cities Live in September. “We’ve been investing in awareness and activations to make sure Pace stands out,” says Champion, noting that there’s more to come.

There’s an enormous potential audience for Pace. It starts with more than 150 million Americans who walk regularly for fitness. Then there’s the

much larger population that walks in their dayto-day lives. In addition, studies indicate that 74 percent of people who buy running shoes, the biggest athletic category for years, use them for walking. All of these are potential Pace customers. “The gap we’ve identified is real,” Champion says. “The consumers’ interest in walking is real, and it’s growing. And Pace is a fresh, technical story that works and helps us establish Clarks as a serious player in the category.”

To that end, Champion says Clarks is competing directly with athletic companies for this market. Having strong relationships with many specialty comfort retailers, where Pace is being introduced first, presents an in, especially considering the Dear John letters many retailers have received from leading athletic brands in recent years. “That’s another gap in the market that creates an opportunity,” Champion says. “We’ve built a solid foundation of trust with our independent retailers, and they’ve given us permission to enter this category—one that’s right in our wheelhouse. This tier also has the trust of consumers and the knowledge to explain the technology. They’re the best marketing platform we have.”

So far, so good. Champion reports that the Pace launch has been well-received. “We’ve been excited and encouraged by how eager people are to engage with us about walking,” he reports. “We love seeing the smiling faces of consumers experiencing the Pace difference. Pace is the next chapter in our long-running, comfort walking story. We’re just getting started.” •

POWER PREPS

SOAK IT IN

Ross Weber, director of USA sales for Pajar, looks back on a career dripping in opportunities and rewards.

DEAR 24-YEAR-OLD ROSS…Be a sponge—always be a sponge. There’s so much to absorb in this world, and that learning process never gets fully saturated. So keep listening. I mean really listening, especially before jumping into conversations. Stay curious. Take educated risks. Embrace change. Take leaps. Most of all, bet on yourself.

These tenets are the building blocks to a successful career, no matter what profession you choose. Growing up in Queens, NY, it was dreams of becoming an astronaut. Then, attending Queens College and majoring in Sociology, you pondered becoming a renowned attorney. Little did you know then that a fruitful and exciting career in shoe sales awaited.

It all starts with your first part-time job at a Fayva Shoes while in high school. You fall in love with the biz from the get-go and make what become life-long friends. One is Danny Livingston, who you speak with almost daily to this day. The job evolves into full-time during the summers where you help cover for assistant managers. After college and not quite ready to leap into law school, you become a Fayva manager. Then, one day, Danny’s sister hears from her friend, Bibianna Famolare, that her dad, Joe Famolare, needs someone to run the Famolare flagship in Midtown Manhattan. It’s the first of many important leaps in life. You’re off and running in your shoe industry career.

Life is good, but you want more. That’s when you learn that the Famolare sales rep job covering New England is open. You bet on yourself and ask the general manager for a shot at “going on the road.” He bets on you. Alas, it’s not a jackpot. While the brand had a significant following out west, as well as with tourists who shopped the New York store, you soon discover that New England had moved onto other brands. The job soon falls through, but you learn a lot, and it changes your life for the better. Just trust the process.

celebrate 37 years of marriage. That’s your greatest leap in life and has been worth every moment since.

At Eastland, you quickly learn that one great product, the Camp Moc, can drive explosive growth. But an item doesn’t a brand make. That’s when you leap, in June 1988, to Sperry as a women’s key account executive. Two weeks in, however, you realize that corporate environment isn’t for you. You try to return to Eastland, but the role had been filled. Life tip: You don’t stick the landing on every leap, but they’re all learning processes. Like your next leap to L.A. Gear as a New York metro area rep. You dive into the fastpaced sneaker business. It’s fun and exciting, but your heart is still at Eastland. Like any good rep, staying in touch can pay dividends. As Eastland continues to grow, they ask you back in a new role as GMM. You leap at the opportunity. You, your incredible wife, and your amazing two-year-old son, Harrison, move to Maine.

Over the next nearly 30 years you climb Eastland’s corporate ladder to VP, SVP, and EVP. You gain experience spanning sales management, product, marketing, customer relations, finance, branding, contracts, and merchandising, among others. You work alongside incredible mentors/industry giants Dick Hartman, Jonas and Jim Klein, and Bernie Kazon. You lead teams and help steer the company through its biggest pivot: moving production overseas. In 1999, you make your first factories visit to China. It’s the first of 50 such trips over the next 20 years! Brazil, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and Europe are also on the itinerary. You shape products and forge many strong relationships around the world. The cherry on top: working alongside David Polansky and Danny, brothers from different mothers. All is well.

Because, at the June 1985 FFANY show, you bump into the person you replaced at Famolare. He’s now the national sales manager for Eastland Shoe Corp. He offers you the opportunity to become the company’s first dedicated rep. (You must have done something right at Famolare.) You accept and pick up right where your burgeoning wholesale sales career left off—listening, learning, and soaking up everything.

Steadily, you make contacts, grow sales, and build a solid reputation. Enough so that Timberland reaches out about possibly replacing its legendary New York rep. You take the interview, but don’t get the job because “you’re too young.” Still, there’s a serendipitous lining. In preparing for that interview, a colleague suggests that you call Patrice Alberman, who had recently interviewed with Timberland for another position and might give tips on how the process went. The conversation about Timberland lasts 10 minutes. The conversation about life lasts four hours. A week later comes your first date. On November 19th, 2025, you’ll

Then comes 2020. You turn 60 as a killer virus sweeps the globe. The world is upside down. It’s time for another leap. You join the outdoor/ work brand Keen to manage its lifestyle division. Working under Rory Feurst, one of the industry’s most passionate founders, is a thrill. Over the next five years, you learn how to work with cross functional teams to accomplish shared goals, how to use data-driven insights to make informed decisions, and how to source from multiple countries using sustainable materials. Last but not least, you learn about the needs and nuances of the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia markets.

Then, in mid 2025, it’s time for another leap. You join Pajar Canada and its passionate leaders, the Golbert family and VP of Sales Greg Nicoghsian. You’re selling iconic and authentic styles by Pajar, Cougar, Ipanema, Zaxy, Cartago, and Rider. It’s a year-round portfolio. Leveraging your diverse background, you’re excited to open new doors, explore underserved channels, and help the brands connect with more U.S. consumers than ever before. You’re listening, learning, and absorbing. The journey continues. Soak it all in.

ALMOST FAMOUS

A love letter to Boogie Records, the stuff of rock ’n roll dreams.

By Kathy Passero

Boogie Records occupied a triangular peninsula that pointed like an arrow head into the intersection of Stadium Drive and West Michigan Avenue, two wide and busy roads at the bottom of the hilly neighborhood where I grew up near Kalamazoo College. Like the parcel of land it sat on, the store resembled an isosceles triangle or, perhaps more fitting, the planchette for a Ouija board. The entrance was at the narrow point. Beyond it lay the stuff of rock ’n roll dreams.

To me, Boogie was a landbound Bermuda Triangle. Shrouded in mystery, vaguely dangerous, it held a cache of untold treasures, none of which I was allowed to explore because I was a kid, and my parents regarded the place with deep suspicion.

Boogie was universally acknowledged in Kalamazoo in the 1970s and 1980s as a counterculture mecca. Its mascot was Robert Crumb’s Keep on Truckin’ dude, its slogan “boogie on in…boogie on out.” Its bubble-letter Boogie logo was embellished with bulgingeye pupils in the Os. Cartoon dancing hippies flanked the stickercovered glass door—another nod to R. Crumb and Cheap Thrills if you were old enough to remember Big Brother and the Holding Company, which I wasn’t. I figured the graphics were inspired by

Simply put, the store itself looked stoned. You could almost imagine it exhaling a cloud of fragrant weed through its front door. The pothead vibe clashed violently with the architecture of the building that housed it—a whimsical English Tudor with a steeply pitched roof over brown-and-white half-timbering and red brick. Built in the 1920s, it had served as a pharmacy and a soda shop before Boogie Records shambled in and took up residence like a tie-dyed squatter.

I loved the incongruity. It reinforced the shop’s mystical allure. Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland meets Jefferson Airplane’s “Go Ask Alice.” Part charm. Part trip. Total fancy. Boogie seemed to embody every aspect of teen culture that lay beyond my experience, hovering just out of reach. Not only could you buy albums there, you could buy . I’d never been to a concert, though I listened to WLAV and WGRD religiously. It was also rumored that you could buy drug paraphernalia there. (True. You could.) Hearing

this cemented the store as Wonderland in my mind. I half expected to find a six-foot caterpillar smoking a hookah on a giant mushroom when at last I turned 14, scraped together enough money from my crappy summer fast food job to buy some vinyl, and worked up the courage to cross the Rubicon and boogie on in

Too many rites of passage loom large in the imagination and let you down in life. But Boogie Records was every bit the Aladdin’s Cave I had envisioned. It felt alive and pulsing with the spirits of countless musicians whose songs blasted from speakers in the corners. It smelled of incense and old cardboard, like a used bookshop. Broad swaths of the polished hardwood flooring were worn pale and rough by browsing music fans. Hanging plants hovered like spiders on draglines above a long glass counter that held all manner of smoking devices, from bongs to one-hitters. Not that I knew what any of that gear was for. I’d never even heard the term head shop. Infinitely more important, there were wooden bins upon bins upon bins of albums. White plastic dividers bore label-maker strips with artists’ names, some festooned with colorful Sharpie drawings of band logos and mascots.

I don’t remember the first album I bought, but I was a Led head and Boogie helped me build my library of Zeppelin, a band whose arcane album titles (or lack thereof) felt like the perfect purchase, a secret language I could finally speak. In high school, I bought My Aim Is True, The Game, Escape, Exodus, War, Back in Black, The River, Making Movies, One More From the Road, and many more albums that I played so many times they crackled and popped like Rice Krispies in milk.

I bought concert tickets there, too—for bands from April Wine at local Wings Stadium to a triple bill of Iggy Pop, Santana, and The Rolling Stones at the Pontiac Silverdome.

Some people said it was the beginning of the end when Boogie started carrying cassette tapes. Others prophesied its doom when the business expanded to a chain of stores. They were right. By the late 1990s, Boogie Records was long gone from Kalamazoo, and so was I.

Today my albums belong to my daughter. At 23, she loves vinyl as much as I did, though she can’t understand why I cringe when she puts my beloved rock classics on her plaid retro suitcase of a record player. It’s comforting to know that a few mementos of Boogie Records rock on, even without the Technics turntable and Bose speakers I coveted back in the 1980s. Watching her makes me think Neil Young might be right after all. Maybe rock ’n roll will never die. She pulls her latest favorite out of its sleeve and places the needle at the beginning of side one, old school. I swear, I can almost smell the incense.

COFFEE & CREAM

The soothing blend goes down smooth for guys.

Photography: Trevett McCandliss; styling: Mariah Walker/Art Department; fashion editor: Kiernan McCormick; models: Kate Vasilyeva and Polina Sus/Fenton Model Mgmt.; hair and makeup: Nevio Ragazzini/Next Artists; photo and styling assistant: Jamie Wtorkowski.

Modern Shoe

Provo, UT

MODERN SHOE OPENED as a repair shop in downtown Provo 85 years ago and quickly became synonymous with quality and service. Over the ensuing decades, the store evolved to carry a variety of items, including fishing equipment and western goods at one point. When new owner Tony Thomas took charge in the late ’80s the format shifted to a sit-and-fit destination. Modern Shoe then added work/safety styles and has since become the leading provider in Utah County backed also by its shoemobile (featuring more than 2,000 pairs from 60-plus brands) making stops at job sites throughout the state. In 2021, David Grill took the ownership baton, proudly leading the state’s oldest, privately owned shoe store into the future.

The selection spans athletic, casual, combat, tactical, outdoor, hunting, work, and therapeutic. Brands include Aetrex, Dansko, Rocky, Ariat, Born, Brooks, Chaco, Keen, and Red Wing. “Our work selection has doubled in selection over the last four years, and that’s due to customers wanting our help to get through a 40-hour work week pain-free,” says Will Nettleton, manager. He cites the skilled staff as a key to Modern Shoe’s success. “When customers let us fit them, we see a drastic reduction in returns and an increase in five-star reviews.”

Top-selling brands? Since our expansions in 2021 and 2023, our selection has doubled and led to new best sellers such as Blundstone and Darn Tough socks. Dansko, Keen, Pikolinos, Aetrex, Birkenstock, and Ecco continue to perform year-over-year, too.

Best new brand added recently? Blundstone. Our work selection has also benefited greatly from expanded selections from Keen, Reebok Work, DC Work, and Hytest.

Top-selling accessories? Darn Tough socks and Aetrex orthotics. Providing free foot scans with the Aetrex Albert 2 Pro foot scanner enables our customers to be professionally analyzed by our fitters.

What do you attribute Modern Shoe’s staying power to most? Providing the best quality product and service possible. In an age where AI and Google “prescribe” what’s best by answering just

a basic question, our expert fitters are the reason why we’ve survived and thrived for this long.

What can customers experience here that they likely won’t elsewhere? Hands-on, traditional sit-and-fit values adapted to a modern age. We still use Brannock devices, but we go above and beyond that to ensure fit and comfort every time. One of our motto is: “We are fitters, not getters.” It’s a key point of differentiation and keeps customers coming back. Because feet change a lot over time, and having a professional fitter trained to help stay comfortable is the difference.

What’s your fastest growing customer segment? Utah ranks among the top 10 states for manufacturing. That’s significantly grown our work sales for both men and women.

Are you drawing younger customers? Over the past decade, we’ve seen our average customer age steadily decrease, and in the last four years it has accelerated. High school and college students are coming in for brands like Blundstone, Teva, and Birkenstock. What surprises us is how open they are to our fitting process. They trust our team to guide them. We’ve also seen steady growth in young professionals—post-college graduates through late 30s. Having the right inventory draws these customers in, and our service keeps them coming back.

Anything unique about the Provo customer? Customers develop strong loyalty to select brands. Dansko and Keen are great examples. Dansko’s Mary Janes and Keen’s Targhee collection never go out of style with them. Another unique preference: demand for wide-width sizing. We’ve expanded that selection for both men and women, and the response has been great. Some of our brands now see 40 to 50 percent of their sales in those sizes.

How’s business this year? Stable and steady. Everyone has felt the impact of tariffs. Brands have increased prices, and no one knows if they’ll change again. It’s like we’re all just riding the wave and seeing where we land and then course correct if necessary.

What are your goals for the rest of 2025? One: to continue meeting and exceeding the expectations of our long-standing accounts while also supporting

new accounts in achieving their objectives. We’re also expanding our services beyond footwear, offering on-site training, health fairs, and other employee-focused events. These events have allow our accounts to enhance engagement and success. These initiatives strengthen relationships and demonstrate our commitment to service, not just sales.

What’s the biggest challenge facing your business? Managing growth while making sure we avoid missteps that could create problems down the road. We value steady, sustainable growth, punctuated by occasional bursts of rapid success.

Advice for independents? Keep your eye on the horizon for growth but know what got you to where you are today. With AI, it’s easy to get sucked up in a new marketing plan, but recognizing what got you to where you are will not steer you wrong.

What does your staff mean to you? The success of an organization starts at the bottom. Our efforts to build and maintain this foundation have produced great returns. Our five-star reviews tell the story of how our employees made a difference in customers’ lives.

What are you most proud of about Modern Shoe? That we’re an 85-year-old, privately-owned business. Let that sink in: 85 years of history. That legacy is rare today. We take great pride in that.

Peterson Shoes

Anoka, MN

ETERSON SHOES’ RICH history dates back to the late 19th century, when it was Gillespie Shoes. The shop was known as the first shoe store in downtown Anoka. In 1940, Mel Peterson, the son of a shoemaker at Gillespie’s, and his wife Estelle, purchased the business. The couple’s daughter, Sandra, grew up in the renamed Peterson Shoes and even met her husband, Jack Purtle, through the store. Sandra and Jack eventually took over and, in 1982, moved the store across the street. That’s when their daughter, Michelle, joined the team. Today, Sandra and Michelle run the shop with the help of their all-women staff and fourth-generation cobbler, Bill Oestreicher, who runs the shoe repair division.

Leading brands include Aetrex, Birkenstock, Remonte, and Vionic, along with New Balance, Brooks, and Hoka. It’s all about providing the right fit and relieving pain. That mission is led by certified pedorthists Sandra and Michelle and their knowledgeable staff. In fact, Dawn Purtle, manager and daughter-in-law of Sandra, says helping customers feel better is the greatest reward. “Putting customers in the right footwear truly changes people’s lives,” she says. That work is recognized by the community as Peterson Shoes has been named Minnesota’s “Best Shoe Store” by the Star Tribune for five years straight!

Top-selling brands? Brooks, New Balance, and Hoka.

Best new brand added to the mix recently? Kizik. Customers love the hands-free feature.

Top-selling accessories? OS1st socks, especially the Wicked Comfort style.

What do you attribute Peterson Shoes’ staying power to most? We take the time to listen to each customer to assist with their footwear needs and help alleviate any pain. Families have shopped here for generations, and many drive long distances. In addition to our customer service, our curated selection resonates with customers. That includes women’s handbags, apparel, and other accessories that make our store even more worth visiting.

What can customers experience here that they likely won’t elsewhere? One-on-one service. Customers are greeted and given individual attention. We listen to what’s going on and assess and measure their feet, watch them walk, and make sure they’re in footwear that will benefit them. We have a trained and experienced staff. We know exactly what to do. Doctors refer patients to us. Whereas in most big-box stores, you’re grabbing shoes and hoping you’ve figured out what you need all on your own.

How important is shoe repair aspect? It’s fabulous. It brings in a lot of new customers who stay and shop. It’s a good symbiotic relationship. Our cobbler not only repairs shoes, he also does alterations for people with foot issues.

Who is your core customer? Thirty-five and older and has a little more expendable income, values comfort, and wants to purchase items that are going to benefit them, as opposed to chasing trends.

Rank in order of importance when it comes to your customers’ buying decisions: price, brand, comfort, style. Comfort, style, price, brand.

Are you trying to attract younger consumers? To a certain degree, but they’re not our main focus. We’re staying true to what has always made us strong: shoes that are problem-solvers. Sometimes, a younger customer doesn’t always appreciate that until they need it. So we’re not actively chasing that market.

How’s business this year? Good but tariffs have softened it a bit. People are trying to be wise with their decisions and dollars. Some are opting not to purchase some things or buy that second item. Vendors communicate about pricing, but it’s not like we have much choice. Although, a few times we’ve opted not to purchase something because the price with the tariff was out of reach for our customer.

What’s the smartest business decision you’ve made this year? Reorganizing our sales floor. Athletic is our strongest category, so we moved that section to the front. Before, our men’s and women’s sections were separated, and now they’re combined.

What are your goals for the rest of 2025? Exceed our sales goals and get product turning at a faster rate.

What’s the biggest challenge facing your business? Sometimes just getting people in the door. Going back to tariffs, there are less people shopping and more are coming in to look just for fun. So we’re working with Omni Digital Group on social media advertising. We’re doing targeted ads to bring in customers looking for specific types of footwear. For example, we’re running some ads that are geared towards people planning trips. We’re also trying to increase our visibility, because being located in a small town, not everybody knows we exist. Plus, there are many other options out there.

Where do you envision Peterson Shoes in five years? Still going strong. We’ve been through world wars and Covid. I don’t think tariffs will knock us out.

What are you most proud of regarding your business? The legacy that we’ve built.

Advice for fellow independents? How you treat your customer really affects your business. So treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve. Treat them like family.

What does your staff mean to you? Our staff is family and a huge driver of everything in our business. Our sales staff is also all women, so it’s a sisterhood. We’re there for each other and work well together. We don’t work on commission, so everyone helps each other. I think customers know we’re not just trying to sell them something for our benefit. We’re there to help them.

FIBER OPTICS

Zoom in on rope details for textural appeal.

Footwear Plus (USPS 00069750) Published 10 times/year by Wainscot Media, 1 Maynard Drive, Suite 2104, Park Ridge, NJ 07656. Publisher; Noelle Heffernan, Wainscot Media, 1 Maynard Drive, Suite 2104, Park Ridge, NJ 07656, Editor; Greg Dutter, Wainscot Media, 1 Maynard Drive, Suite 2104, Park Ridge, NJ 07656. Subscription Price: $48.00 US. Filing Date: 9/23/25; Owner: Carroll V. Dowden, 13 Cameron Road, Saddle River, NJ 07458; Mark Dowden, 180 Washington Valley Rd., Morristown, NJ 07960; Lebhar Friedman, Inc., 241 Central Park West, New York, NY, 10024. Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None. Issue Date for Circulation Data: September 2025. Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months: Total # of copies: 7,945; Outside County paid/requested mail subscriptions: 4,829; In- County paid/ requested mail subscriptions: 0; Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales, and other paid or requested distribution outside USPS: 0; Requested copies distributed by other mail classes through the USPS : 4. Total paid and/or requested circulation: 4,833; Outside County nonrequested copies: 2,806; In- County nonrequested copies: 0; Nonrequested copies distributed through the USPS by other classes of mail: 0; Nonrequested copies distributed outside the mail: 52. Total nonrequested distribution: 2,858; Total distribution: 7,691; Copies not distributed: 254; Total: 7,945; Percent paid and/ or requested circulation: 62.8%; Electronic copy distribution: a. requested and paid electronic copies: 666; Total requested and paid print copies + requested/paid electronic copies: 5,499; Total requested copy distribution + requested/paid electronic copies: 8,357; Percent paid and/or requested circulation (both print & electronic copies): 65.79%. No. Copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: Total # of copies: 7,297; Outside County paid/requested mail subscriptions: 3,439; In-County paid/requested mail subscriptions: 0; Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales, and other paid or requested distribution outside USPS: 0; Requested copies distributed by other mail classes through the USPS: 3; Total paid and/ or requested circulation: 3,442; Outside County nonrequested copies: 3,658; In-County nonrequested copies: 0; Nonrequested copies distributed through the USPS by other classes of mail: 0; Nonrequested copies distributed outside the mail: 0. Total nonrequested distribution: 3,658; Total distribution: 7,100; Copies not distributed: 197 Total: 7,297; Percent paid and/or requested circulation: 48.5%. Electronic copy distribution: requested and paid electronic copies: 566; Total requested and paid print copies + requested/paid electronic copies: 4,008; Total requested copy distribution + requested/paid electronic copies:7,666; Percent paid and/or requested circulation (both print & electronic copies): 52.28% I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions and/or civil sanctions. Mark V. Dowden, Owner, 9/22/25

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