In its first quarter review of footwear sales and trends, The NPD Group suggests “a seismic shift” in the industry may be beginning with up-and-coming brands and new styles and technologies gaining traction and top, more established footwear brands showing softness.

Smartphone 3D body scanning technology creator NetVirta is working with Wolverine-owned Merrell on the beta version of the brand’s new Merrell Shoe Advisor mobile application. The Boston-based technology company’s Verifyt will allow Merrell consumers to utilize an easy, gamified AR-powered...

Net income for Rocky Brands rose 61 percent to $7,339,000 from $4,492,000 for the period ended March 31 as total sales soared 90.5 percent to $167,025,000 from $87,667,000. But the parent of the Durango and Xtratuf brands, among others, admittedly has work to be done cutting...

Fashion brand Michael Kors is teaming up with heritage sportswear brand ellesse on a ’70s-inspired collab. Launching May 9, the 24-piece ellesse X Michael Kors capsule collection has a luxe, retro athleisure feel, and includes chunky sneakers, logo slides...

Twisted-X is collaborating with artist Olivia Bennett on the Olivia Bennett by Twisted X footwear collection. The line will combine Twisted X’s sustainable materials and manufacturing practices with Bennett’s nature-based art.

An estimated 70 percent of U.S. consumers living in western states and 44 percent of those who live in the south will shop local stores when buying new footwear this spring.

Net income for Skechers jumped 23% to $121,223,000 in the first quarter on 27 percent revenue growth to a record $1,819,594,000 versus $1,434,455,000 for the period ended March 31. Skechers’ top and bottom-line gains were accomplished despite a challenging environment in...

Darn Tough Vermont, manufacturer of performance outdoor and lifestyle socks, has promoted Angelica Taylor to Chief Operating Officer. Taylor, who has over a decade of finance experience, spent the last year as Darn Tough’s Vice President of Finance.

Sock brand Farm to Feet has collaborated with the organization Black Folks Camp Too (BFCT) to create a new sock style promoting BFCT’s mission to “remove fear, add knowledge, and invite ‘more’ Black folks to camp, and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle with any and everyone.”

Under Armour is partnering with University of South Carolina basketball star and NCAA player of the year Aliyah Boston. The partnership includes a commitment to increasing access to sport for youth athletes by growing the game of women’s basketball for athletes in...

A new retail concept from Champs Sports, part of Foot Locker, Inc., will have its grand opening this weekend in Pembroke Pines, FL. The new store, called Champs Sports Homefield, is the brand's first iteration of its new Homefield concept and the largest of any...

OrthoLite has introduced a new insole technology with the work and service footwear market in mind. OrthoLite ESD Shield is the world’s first and only mechanically-bonded electrostatic discharge protection insole technology.

ASICS has released its inaugural global State of Mind Index, which, not surprisingly, confirms that there is a direct positive link between exercise and mental health. The research also indicated that just 15:09 minutes of exercise may be all it can take to begin experiencing a positive uplift...

Etnies, the 36-year-old skateboard brand, led by owner and skateboarder Pierre Andre Senizergues, has planted more than two million trees, and sequestered nearly 200 million pounds of carbon over the last two decades.

U.S. athletic footwear sales, after dipping 4 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020, grew 20.3 percent last year to more than $19.9 billion, according to the 2022 SFIA Manufacturers’ Sales by Category report from the trade group.

The parent of the DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse chain and The Shoe Company banner in Canada last week announced a five-year growth strategy that focuses on brand building and leans heavily on its own footwear brands for significant growth.

Scott Schaefer, who has spent nearly 14 years at Amazon-owned Zappos, was named CEO of the company last week. He had been serving as acting CEO since December following the resignation of Kedar Deshpande.

A new sustainability initiative from Wolverine-owned brand Merrell, called This Is Home, is kicking off with a takeback and resale program called Merrell ReTread. Merrell partnered with ReCircled to implement Merrell ReTread, which the brand says will save 300,000 pairs of footwear from landfills.

As part of its brand mission to “make outside inclusive and accessible to all,” KEEN announced its “Making Waves” partnership with Outdoor Afro, a not-for-profit organization celebrating and inspiring Black connections and leadership in nature...

After years of consumer advocacy, inclusivity — providing equal access for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized — is permeating every aspect of the industry, including not only brands, but also retail, where it impacts internal corporate structures...