Page 48 - wfjulaug2012

WF FOOTPRINTS HAPPENINGS, PEOPLE AND PLACES
VIBRAM BOSS STEPS DOWN
Tony Post, head of Vibram USA, is
handing over to current COO Mike
Gionfriddo taking the helm. It is not yet
clear what his next step will be.
"I’ve really enjoyed working for
Vibram and leading such a dedicated and
hardworking team, and I’m so proud of
all we accomplished over the last 11
years,” said Mr Post. "I am deeply grateful
to the entire Vibram organisation and to
the retailers and customers throughout
North America who have supported our
brand and helped Vibram develop and
broaden the category of minimalist
footwear. We could not have
experienced such growth, or received
such broad recognition as an industry
pioneer, without belief from our staff,
retailers and the dedicated advocates of
the brand."
Mr Gionfriddo commented: "Tony not
only expanded and invigorated the
Vibram sole business but he also, at a
time when few believed in Vibram
FiveFingers for fitness and running,
articulated a vision, created belief and
empowered a team to build a successful
industry-changing business and
category.”
Vibram USA is a subsidiary of Italian
brand Vibram SpA, best known for its
high performance soles for outdoor,
recreational, work and fashion
footwear.
JOB CUTS AHEAD AT
TIMBERLAND
Outdoor footwear and apparel
company Timberland has confirmed it
is to restructure, resulting in an
unspecified number of job losses.
According to director of corporate
communications, Robin Giampa,
employees at Timberland’s Stratham,
New Hampton, facility will be let go,
with some relocating to other company
locations.
Mr Giampa said the job losses would
only affect a small number of workers,
but didn’t specify whether
manufacturing, administrative or both
sectors would be subject to the
restructuring measures.
"Our focus is building a sustainable
business model to support our long-
term growth capabilities," he said.
"Over time, growing the business and
adding new capabilities should actually
result in more Timberland jobs being
added in the coming years."
GAP FOUNDERS ACQUIRE
ARIAT BRAND
Outdoor footwear and apparel brand
Ariat International is to be sold to an
existing shareholder, the Fisher family
of San Francisco that founded the Gap
brand. Ariat primarily produces
Western and English boots, but has
diversified into related footwear and
added denim, apparel and accessories
to its product range.
Beth Cross, chief executive officer
and co-founder of Ariat, said: "We are
thrilled to be expanding our partnership
with the Fisher family, who share our
passion for the company and the Ariat
brand. Their deep experience as
business leaders will provide a strong
strategic foundation for the company's
long term growth opportunities."
John Fisher, who will serve on the
Ariat board, said: "For almost 20 years,
we have been partners with Beth and
her management team as they built
Ariat into a world-class company and
brand. We are excited to continue that
partnership and support the next phase
of Ariat's global growth plans."
KANYE WEST SHOES GO FOR
$90,000 ON EBAY
Commentators in the US expressed
surprise that a pair of Nike Air Yeezy 2
basketball shoes sold for $90,000 on
eBay a few days before the official
launch date in early June. Other pairs
were available for on the online auction
site, but for a comparatively cheap
$3,000 per pair.
Rap artist Kanye West is reputed to
have had a hand in designing the Air
Yeezy 2 shoes, which Nike describes as
having “anaconda-style leather uppers,
pink lining and glow-in-the-dark
outsoles”. The official retail price for
the limited-edition shoes is $245.
INVESTORS’ EVENT
FOR VANS
VF Corporation hosted an investor
meeting highlighting its Vans footwear
brand in June to provide investors with
an overview of Vans’ long-term growth
strategy to deliver sustainable,
profitable growth.
Steve Rendle, VF Group president of
outdoor and action sports Americas,
joined Kevin Bailey, president of Vans,
and other members of VF’s senior
management to host the meeting at the
House of Vans event space in Brooklyn,
New York.
46 WORLD FOOTWEAR | JULY/AUGUST 2012
Footprints
CUSTOMISED STINGRAY
SHOES TO COST $1,800
Rayfish Footwear is to charge
$1,800 for its sneakers, made from
‘genetically engineered’ stingray
skin. Its bio-customisation
technique allows customers to
design their own transgenic shoes.
Visitors to the company’s website
can choose from 29 different styles
of stingray leather, combining up to
nine different patterns for each pair.
The DNA from each pattern is
then combined and used to create a
new stingray that is reared to
maturity before being harvested to
make the sneakers.
"Rayfish Footwear has been in
operation for over a decade, raising
stingrays in our Thai aquaculture
facility," says a company
spokesperson. "We are a family-run
company with a long organic
tradition in creating handcrafted
shoes from stingray leather. In 2011,
we successfully engineered our first
fully bio-customised stingray. Each
shoe is crafted according to our 'one
fish, one shoe' principle."
Customisable stingray leather shoes.
CREDIT: RAYFISH FOOTWEAR
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