FN Summit: Leandra Medine

Photo Courtesy of WWD

If you don’t know who Leandra Medine, aka The Man Repeller, is, you must be living under a rock. This girl is a fashion phenom, women adore her, and contrary to the name, so do men, as her upcoming nuptials would imply. The Man Repeller was born only two years ago, and though still in its infancy, is one of the most popular blogs on the planet, garnering an astonishing 2 million views a month. One of Leandra's good friends, Rachel S., told her, in her response to Leandra’s question of why, out of the three guys she was dating, not one would commit (Wait. Dating three guys at once? How’s that man-repelling?) Rachel simply said, “Leandra, you’re a man repeller”. And thus, the blog was born.

Photo Courtesy MR

 She received press very quickly due to her unique approach and point of view, but Leandra didn’t realize she was sitting on a real business until she was ranked the number 1, out of 25, top voice in fashion by Ad Magazine. So she got serious, set up a calendar, and started treating her blog “like a real editorial publication.” She has since collaborated with such brands like Dannijo (they are all best friends though), Del Toro, Rebecca Minkoff (another friend), Saks, Barneys, and has contributed to numerous magazines. Pretty impressive for someone who is just one year out of college.

Photo Courtesy MR

She credits social media for letting her market herself and build up her brand, to the point where people wanted, and still want, a part of it - she has a book coming out in September and wants to create a lifestyle brand to “celebrate women and female intellect, because that’s really what the blog is about.” She gets to learn about her readers, and how most sales she receives commission on happen between 1-5am, because of it. She also credits social media for getting her her engagement-party shoes, a pair of orange, lace up Alaia’s from 2008. She posted about it, a reader found them in a Barney’s Outlet in Honolulu, and they just happened to have her size. Seriously? It's like she lives in a fairytale. Oh, she also got the shoes, originally $1500, or $176. “And that, is the power of social media”.

But what about her wedding shoes? “I’m wearing a pair of Superga sneakers….what, you all asked!”

FN Summit: Vince Camuto

Photo Courtesy of WWD

Leah Robert, Senior VP of Liscensing and Marketing for the Camuto group, which represents such brands as Vince Camuto and Jessica Simpson, also talked about social media advertising during the FN Summit. The Camuto Group did one of their most recent campaigns through facebook, with a college program that featured ten colleges throughout the country, including UCLA, BU, and George Washington. Each college has a brand ambassador and two fashionistas to represent Vince Camuto. The brand wanted to reach the 20-29 age group, and this college campaign seemed perfect. The girls not only did charity projects like a closet cleanse, which raised almost 5,000 pairs of shoes across all ten campuses to donate, they also had trunk shows, contests like inviting girls to show off their closets and win a whole new wardrobe, and events like campus hunts, in which various Vince Camuto items were hidden around each campus, and hints given on the respective campuses facebook pages. One of their most successful activities was Interview Style 101, in which they taught girls how to dress for an interview or first job, and then had an accompanying contest that lasted 14 days and had an end total of 525,000 votes. Because of this campaign there is not only more brand awareness, but also a 3.5% increase in facebook likes.

FN Summit: Rebecca and Uri Minkoff on Social Media

Photo via WWD

Rebecca and Uri Minkoff are a fashion power couple, but not in the traditional way. The brother-sister duo seems to have it down. Rebecca Minkoff, which launched in 2005 as a lifestyle brand with a focus on accessories, has not only grown rapidly, but is also expanding rapidly. Clothing was introduced in 2011, Shoe sales are up 100% this year, and they have a successful marketing strategy using an unusual platform: Instagram. Well, unusual in terms of marketing. Brands normally run ads in magazines, make commercials, or have billboards with the models faces splashed across Times Square. But with the rise of Social Media, brands are finding all kinds of new ways to reach their customer. And the Minkoffs' pride themselves in being “pioneers of the digital space” according to Uri, so it makes sense that they are the first brand to leverage Instagram in such a new way.

Rebecca's Shoe of the Day- via Rebecca Minkoff Twitter

The Minkoff’s Instagram ‘campaign’ started with Rebecca simply posting her shoe of the day or her outfits, and people responded, and copied. She often gets several hundred likes and comments within the first hour of the photo. This is not only a way to reach the consumer in an unstressful social media environment, but it is also a great way to get feedback about their designs. Customers can comment on what they like and don’t like and the Minkoffs’ take all that into consideration, because after all, the more engagement with the customer, the better.

Photo via Rebeca Minkoff Twitter

Of course, this advertising leads to a lot of traffic on their site or partner sites, because an instagrammer will often ask where the product is from, who it is by, etc. The Minkoffs once posted a picture of one of their bracelets that wasn’t selling very well, and the sales instantly went up. Though the Minkoffs have found that solely sales work hasn’t worked, people like to have a human connection, and they like seeing a personal side of Rebecca. The Designer, Mother, and Entrepreneur enjoys showing her followers everyday life, because there is “something nice about seeing something you might do shown by your favorite designer,” she says, “even if it is just a normal thing, people relate to it.”

FN Summit: Let's Talk Shoes

Photo by John Aquino, WWD

Tabitha Simmons, Alessandra Lavin, and Laurence Dacade are three of the most prominent women in footwear today (if only Charlotte Olympia has been there…) and all three of them love luxury.

Photo by John Aquino, WWD

Tabitha Simmons, a former model and a fashion stylist for magazines such as American and Italian Vogue, is making a serious impression on the fashion industry, especially since she just won the CFDA Swarovski award for Emerging Talent in Accessory Design. Since launching in 2009, the brand has grown into quite an impressive luxury business that makes genuinely beautiful yet cool shoes, which are sold at over 6o locations. She is careful to grow her business slowly and “organically...one step at a time.” Her biggest challenges, though, in the business are “production, and getting it into stores on time.” She ultimately would love to have a store, because “then you really connect to your customer.” She loves collaborating with designers, like Creatures of the Wind, for runway shows, as it’s “fun, and a great way to grow with them. You support each other, it’s nice.” Nice indeed, almost nicer than that CFDA award.

Photos Courtesy of Aperlai

Alessandra Lanvin believes that female shoe designers have an advantage over their male counterparts, since men tend to fantasize more about heels, and not take into account a woman’s comfort, while women do. Alessandra founded Aperlai (named for the ancient Lycian city), a luxury accessory line, almost three years ago, though she holds degrees in Political Science and Art History. It is fitting, then, that most of her inspiration comes from Artists; favorites include Picasso, Pollack, and Mondrian. The modern styles of these artists are clearly represented in Ms. Lanvin’s shoe designs- her shoes often include such elements as graphic lines, asymmetries, and contrasts. She often uses exotic skins such as python and pony, and all her shoes are made in Italy. Her main focus will always be on footwear, though she is open to expanding, but just a little bit. “Aperlai is a small brand, and we want to remain as such,” she stated, and added that with all the big luxury shoe companies out there, it is hardly wise to try and compete. 

Photos Courtesy of Laurence Dacade

Laurence Dacade is certainly the envy of most everyone, for she has collaborated with Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. That’s pretty much the ultimate. She likes Karl a lot, and likes that he “knows exactly what he wants, he’s quick, he’s talented, and professional…” she shares in a thick French accent that she actually apologized for, which made her Parisian charm that much charmier, “everyday it’s a great moment (with him).” So though she loves him, and who wouldn’t love working for Chanel? She doesn’t just want to be known for her (amazing) collaborations. She wants to be known for her own line as well, she wants the client to be happy, and she wants to “fight for the idea that you don’t have to fight to wear heels,” that is, they should be comfortable. I’m liking her more and more. She loves designing, loves to work on the heel, the proportion, the fabric, and loves shoes in general. She went into footwear because, plain and simple, she loves shoes, and she gives them everything she’s got.

These three women were so inspiring, they are successful, beautiful, talented, and all around pretty amazing.

FN Summit: TOMS

Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS, is not only philanthropic and giving and all that jazz, he is absolutely adorable. For such a successful guy, he is so down to earth, and so excited about giving, which not only "feels really good," but is also a really great business.

Photo Courtesy of WWD

In case you didn't know, Blake Mycoskie founded TOMS after a trip to Argentina in 2006, where he saw that nearly every child was lacking shoes. Often, in less developed countries, a child needs shoes in order to go to school. Blake told the story of a woman with three sons, who would share one pair of shoes, so each could only go to school every three days. The woman was so excited by the shoes, and that her sons would all be able to get an education. Before that experience, Blake had no idea just how big of a change he was making, he was trying to make a self-sustaining business so he could continue with his software company. Every time you buy a pair or TOMS, a pair is donated to a child in need.

Photos Courtesy of TOMS

       

But today, Blake talked about the business that has skyrocketed since it's inception in 2006. He stressed the importance of a story. The story of TOMS allows the company to differentiate from other shoe companies, and has since the beginning. He told a story of when he was at JFK, and not wearing TOMS. He saw a woman, a total stranger, wearing them, in red, so he asked her about them. Which is something I would totally do too, if I saw my product on someone. What better way to get the truth? Unless you don't want to hear it... When he asked her, she told him, and seemed upset that he wasn't more interested. So she apparently grabbed him and started yelling about how great they were! And why didn't he understand?! Every time someone buys a pair they give a pair away! He told her who he was, probably to get out of her death grip, and she responded by asking why he had cut his hair. The point is, the TOMS story sticks with people, so much so, apparently, they yell about it in airports. Which is actually, pretty cool.

Courtesy of TOMS

Blake also stressed how important it was to see your brand out there, in the stores, with the people, which makes it necessary to have employees who can fend for themselves while the chief sole giver is away on business. He once went on a road trip and made 82 stops in 94 days, so his employees were by themselves for about three months, but 'management by absence' is one of the most important parts of his business.

Though TOMS is extremely successful, they have a had a few things that didn't work. Blake explained that when he first started out, he wanted to be the company that got rid of shoe boxes. He hated them. So he shipped out the first batch of shoes in canvas bags, and he "thought it was brilliant." But then, like all strings do, they got themselves all tangled, and the TOMS were trapped. So the shoe boxes returned.

His super popular white TOMS you paint yourself were also made by accident. He accidentally ordered 15,000 pairs of white TOMS, and "who want's white TOMS?" Umm...Me! So he convinced people that getting white TOMS and decorating them yourself was the collect thing in the world. And it was all just to get rid of them, but they have become one of the most popular sellers, especially for birthday parties.

TOMS Glasses

And, just in case the shoes aren't cool enough, TOMS recently launched eyewear, and have started distributing the shoes on Indian Reservations in North America.

And finally, for your viewing pleasure, here we are- smiling kind of awkwardly...but oh well. Just look at him, he's who this post is about, after all.

FN Summit: Stuart Weitzman

I just want to start with Stuart Weitzman by mentioning that my first heels were Stuart Weitzman, My Prom shoes were Stuart Weitzman (I wore the same pair twice) and I generally love Stuart Weitzman. He has been in business for 25 years now, and is both a businessman and a designer. A perfect combination of right and left brains, which he states is "an advantage, not a challenge" and although "not necessary, it is an asset." He believes that "the first hero every girl meets is a shoe," and the best advice he can give to young designers is that they have to love the business and be passionate about what they do. He visits his factories, all 13 of which are located in Spain, frequently, and enjoys playing ping pong. And he didn't even mean to be in the business.

My 15-year-old self and my 18-year-old feet at various proms

Stuart Weitzman has owned his business since 1986, but he has owned all his factories since 1976. He wasn't going to go into the family production business, but when his father died, he helped run the factory, and loved it. He has been known to be at the trade shows in person, and stay until 10 or 11pm. And it's been that way since he was 21, he's hooked. Yet, he still refers to it as just a hobby.

His designs and shoes, some courtesy of younger designers (probably one of the reasons his shoes are still current) are some of the most popular, and he is always careful to think through the business side of a design. How will it be made? Will it sell? And one of his most important rules is that a shoe must be comfortable, because why not?

Two current faves- the Capsize and the Review

Stuart Weitzman has an international presence, but when he first started selling in other countries, he wasn't even thinking about globalization, because the term hadn't really been invented yet. Weitzman asked his brother, who lived in Spain, to put some of Stuarts' shoes into his (brothers) store, and it grew from there. Weitzman credits his brother with teaching him that the U.S. wasn't the only place to make shoes. He learned what the rest of the world could offer, and he was just trying to improve his brand image, not conquer the world. He does sell the most shoes in London, however, and sees Asia (and the internet) as the biggest places for potential growth, though he seems perplexed by the bought of online shoe shopping- "I just wonder, how can you buy a shoe that fits online?" Well, personally I just ballpark it, and probably waste a lot of money on shipping and returns.

Courtesy of Vogue

Weitzman recently launched his higher end line, SW1,which features more exotic skins and higher heels. Literally just launched a few days ago, so nothing to buy yet, just to dream about. Weitzman stresses that to make a good shoe and sell it, it has to work, it has to fit, and it has to repeat-able. SW1 still adheres to those principles, but with just a few more centimeters or a more cutting edge design. And he's still going.

FN Summit: Kevin Plank, Under Armour

One of the first speakers at the Footwear News Summit today was Kevin Planl, Founder and CEO of Under Armour, who talked about the brands expansion into footwear seven years ago. Under Armour launched their footwear in 2006, 10 years after the brand first started with a simple solution to an Athletes Problem, not being comfortable when working out. They expanded from moisture-wicking T-Shirts to all apparel, then launched their footwear, with the mission to make everyone feel ike they could do more, they could be better, they could be whatever they wanted to be. But why launch footwear? Isn't there enough already? Kevin acknowledged that they had to find a niche, they had to again solve a problem sand make something new. The consumer didn't need anymore footwear choices, but Under Armour gave them something new. And something that has earned them around $200 million in just seven years.

Most of the designers for Under Armour's Footwear were athletes, so they know how to design for athletes, and what their needs are. One product they launched was the Highlight Cleat, a cleat that eliminated the need for tape or spats, therefore saving time and money. This cleat is also 26% lighter from the usual 10-15 oz. of weight a football player might carry on his feet. Though these cleats are only for a small percentage of the population, Kevin stressed how it was important to build up their credibility and reputation before they expand any more. "Nothing happens overnight, but it's coming, and it will be bigger and better next year"

Photo and video courtesy of Under Armour

Shoes for the Summit

(Dog not included)

Ok everyone. I need a little help deciding to which shoes I should wear for the WWD FN Summit in New York on Monday . Since it's all about shoes, my feet obviously have to look their absolute best.

Which of these do you like?

 Julian Louie for Aldo

 Stuart Weitzman

 Miu Miu

 Chanel

Chloe

Or, since the founder of Toms is speaking, should I run out and buy some new Toms? Or some Tabitha Simmons shoes?

A big thanks to Jack Lucas for the pictures!

Hello Again

Hello World! I have returned from the depths of the school work pit, and I have some exciting news!

Next Monday, I will be blogging for the Footwear News WWD Summit! For those of you who don't know, the WWD Summits are like big conferences, and each has a specific purpose. There have been beauty summits, denim summits, and so on. Each has speakers involved in the industry, and to go you have to be working in that specific field.

For this particular summit, the topic is..SHOES! My fave topic, obviously. Speakers include Stuart Weitzman, Rebecca Minkoff, Tabitha Simmons, The Man Repeller, and Blake Mycoskie, Founder of Toms. This is the first time they have invited bloggers to participate, and I will be among an impressive group, including Stylesight, Clyde from Inside the Sneaker Box, Luxury Daily, and The Quest For It.

I will be live blogging, tweeting, maybe facebooking or pinning, all whilst asking questions and basking in the glory of all the awesome attendees, speakers, bloggers, and the like.

I can't wait! Stay tuned!