Footwear News

Nike‘s biggest competitor is picking up wins as the Swoosh struggles to regain momentum. In a Friday note to investors, Wedbush analyst Tom Nikic, CFA said that Nike’s recent pitfalls “could be a major opportunity for adidas,” which has only recently started recovering from its own challenges after the fallout of its Yeezy business in 2022.

Del Toro Shoes is kicking off summer with an expanded product offering as the luxury footwear brand looks to widen its assortment. According to Del Toro owner and chief executive officer Brady Perrigo, the made-in-Italy shoe brand has launched a new collection consisting of 12 new silhouettes and 49 new colorways, including nine new silhouettes for women. This collection includes the debut of unisex sandals and boat shoes in time for summer.

Dream Pairs is expanding its brick-and-mortar presence. The women‘s shoe brand, which sells sneakers, sandals, heels, flats, boots and more, on Wednesday announced that it recently opened its second retail store in New Jersey’s Bergen Town Center. According to a release from the brand, the new store has already “received an enthusiastic response from shoppers” that have come to browse the brand’s collection of shoes while taking advantage of special promotions.

With the emphasis on sustainability growing alongside consumer awareness, greenwashing—or making false or misleading claims about the positive environmental impact of a product—has become rampant. According to recent data compiled by Zippia, 72 percent of North American and 58 percent of global companies admit to embellishing their ecological performance for commercial gain.

TOD'S first communication campaign under creative director Matteo Tamburini is perfectly in sync with the brand’s history of shining the light on Italian lifestyle, but there is a twist. For fall, the brand is launching the Italian Stories campaign as if it were a series, with real Italian families, their homes and their stories at its core. The first of the series emphasizes the Businaro family, their 17th century residence, Villa Il Palazzetto, and father-and-son architects Carlo and Tobia Scarpa.

Super shoes remain a priority among leading running brands, and On has just revealed its latest marathon-ready model. Arriving before month’s end is the On Cloudboom Strike, a shoe the brand teased on social media leading up to Friday’s reveal. On described the new model as a “striking fast racing shoe” and proclaimed it “revolutionizes the fast-running experience.”

Skechers is continuing its push into the soccer category and adding another a global sensation to its growing roster of athletes in the sport. The brand announced Thursday that it has signed West Ham United and Ghana National Team winger Mohammed Kudus as a Skechers athlete. Kudus, who has already been wearing the Skechers Razor, will be featured as a brand ambassador in a multi-platform marketing campaign.

What time do you wake up in the morning? CEOs and top execs from leading footwear brands tell us what time they start their days.

What’s the fallout from the Saks Fifth Avenue-Neiman Marcus Group combination? After a years-long pursuit, and endless speculation, Richard Baker’s Hudson’s Bay Co. is said to have reached a definitive agreement to buy Neiman Marcus Group for about $2.65 billion, bringing the luxury department store together with Saks Fifth Avenue, according to sources familiar with the transaction. In a digital age twist, Amazon is an investor in the deal, as are private equity giants Apollo and Salesforce. 

Retail theft is increasingly a concern for some major chains and elected officials in different parts of the country. And the varying degrees of penalties for shoplifting in different states continue to be a contentious issue. A recent social media post of a phony sign that appeared to be outside of the Louis Vuitton store in downtown San Francisco has further stoked that debate. Designed to resemble a municipal-issued street sign, it read, “NOTICE: Stolen goods must remain under $950.” The sign appeared to mock California’s retail theft law, which is considered a misdemeanor if the value of the stolen goods is less than $950.