Footwear Plus

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Reebok Classic Leather sneaker and to celebrate, the brand is collaborating with 12 of the world's preeminent graffiti artists on a limited edition collection of swaggy kicks inspired by their hometowns. Among the artists chosen by renowned street artist Stash are Wane (NYC), Eklips (L.A.), Pose (Chicago), Tati (Miami) and Totem (Atlanta). The sneakers hit stores on July 1. 

When country singer Miranda Lambert invited Gary Rich, co-founder of Rich Footwear Group, to one of her shows last year to hang backstage, he knew the decision to launch two labels, inspired and designed by Lambert, had the making of being chart toppers. "When I saw her for the first time [in concert] I was quite impressed with her fan base and the age range," he says.

Since its inception in 2003, Restricted Footwear has focused on grassroots efforts to stand out in the marketplace. Today, with nearly 22,000 'likes,' Restricted Footwear has one of the fastest growing Facebook fanpages among its peers. Julianna Barker of SnL Communications dishes on what it takes to make an impression. 

Footwear Plus: How important is it to connect with your target audience through social media?

Officials in Houston, TX, say a 44-year-old woman stabbed her 59-year-old boyfriend to death with a stiletto heel during an argument on Sunday morning. Ana Trujillo was arrested and charged with murder after her boyfriend was found dead inside a highrise apartment in Houston's Museum District. The man had suffered multiple stab wounds to the head and police say they believe Trujillo used her own shoe as the weapon.

Discount footwear chain DSW was one of the sponsors at Kidstock, an annual music and art festival held this year at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, CA, on June 2. The retailer kicked off the fun with custom Converse hi-tops and airbrush artists were on hand to personalize designs. One-hundred percent of the profits went to One Voice Scholars Program, which aims to place lower-income L.A. students in colleges throughout the U.S. Among the famous faces on the day was celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis who attended the festivities with her 5-year-old daughter, Jade.

Known for its hybrid outdoor performance products and a signature toe bump design, Keen has recently been busy venturing into other off-road activities: It currently ranks No. 1 among fashion labels on Pinterest. We spoke to Social Media Manager Eric King about what it takes to make tracks on the photo sharing site. 

Footwear Plus: How important is it to connect with your target audience through social media sites such as Pinterest?

Storied Italian fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo is marking the 35th year of its iconic Vara flat by allowing fans of the bow-topped, mid-heeled shoe to customize their own. Here's how the DIY process works: select a base color, add a bow color and then choose between gold or silver hardware. You can even get your initials carved on a metal plate fitted to the sole.

Ecco may be based in Denmark but it's expanding accessories collection is establishing the brand beyond its comfort and sports shoe roots stateside. "Over the past two to three years our expansion from shoe leathers into leather goods has been a huge priority for the organization," says Lindsay Campbell, head of Ecco's accessories division. In fact, she notes that much of its leather--nearly half--is sold to external customers beyond shoes. "The thought was that if we can sell these great leathers to great brands around the world then we must be doing something really unique ourselves."

Brazilian flip-flop company Ipanema has inked a three-year sponsorship deal with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim in Miami Beach, FL. As a brand with beach at its sole (it's named after one of the most famous stretches of sand in the world) Ipanema describes the collaboration as "the marriage between an event and brand that share in fashion, novelty, beauty, glamour and summer." From July 18 to 22, the brand will host a poolside cabana, which will offer a sneak peek at the Spring '14 collection, and sponsor a selection of designer runways shows. 

When Pope Benedict XVI stepped down in February--the first to do so in 600 years--everyone wanted to know the answer to one burning question: What would replace his infamous red Prada loafers? And since a Vatican spokesperson revealed that the retiring pope would be holy rolling in pair of handmade brown loafers gifted to him in Mexico, business below the border has shot up.