Guardians of Grail

cheapbag214s · Posted: Sat 5:05, 31 Aug 2013 Post subject: Stepping out in style

Stepping out in style
After dabbling in a series of businesses, Robert Greenberg gets moving with Skechers.
ARE you the kind who can't sit still? Well, guess what, there's a popular brand of footwear named after you. According to Michael Leung, president of Skechers South-East Asia Limited and Hong Kong Limited, the Greenberg family who started the label in Los Angeles was looking for a unique name and settled on "skechers."
Robert Greenberg started out selling wigs in Boston and then moved on to importing designer jeans. In the late 1970s,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], he relocated to Los Angeles, where he founded a chain of roller skate stores. on shoelaces. The following year,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], under its own label Skechers USA, the company introduced the grungy-looking urban boot "Chrome Dome" that became a huge success. Later,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the company branched out to also include casual boys' shoes and menswear.
The label finally arrived in South-East Asia in 1998 and was initially sold by various distributors. Last year, a partnership was formed between Skechers USA, and Luen Thai Entreprises (which now markets the label in China) and Onwel Group (for Hong Kong and Macau). Skechers is now also available in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, and the company is looking to expanding to another 13 countries in the Far East.
Skechers first made an appearance in Malaysia four years ago, brought in by agents appointed by Skechers USA. Since then the company has bought back the business and there are currently four Skechers stores locally.
Strolling along in Skechers' sneakers.
Leung noted that it helped that they had reliable vendors in China that produced quality goods on time,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]. Skechers' strength lies in its promotions and marketing as over US$100mil (RM343mil) out of its turnover of US$1.44bil (RM4.94bil) last year was spent on marketing.
In the United States, some 17 million pairs of shoes are sold by 350 shops and other outlets. The label now has eight lines, namely, Skechers USA,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Skechers Sport,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Skechers Kids, Skechers Active, Shape-ups, Skechers for Work, Skechers Cali and Cali Gear.
"We have set up our concept stores so that the whole family can have something from Skechers. There are separate sections for women, men and children. We always display the latest lifestyle shoes that is in demand and in trend, and our latest spokesperson - either a singer or a star - is often prominently shown."
They have had a multitude of female pop stars to promote the brand in the United States, among them Brandy, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, The Spice Girls, Ashlee Simpson,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Gwen Stefani and Carrie Underwood. This is because the women's range accounts for 45% of sales, while the men's make up 32% and the kids, 23%.
Colourful strappy sandals
American Idol 2008 winner David Cooke became one of the few men to sign up as the face of Skechers (till the end of this year).
In China,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the celebrity endorsers for two seasons have been the singing twins from Singapore, BY2. Our Cali Gear range, casual sandals that emphasise on fashion design and colours, sell well in South-East Asia. Six months ago, we came up with Shape-ups,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], that looks like a pair of casual sports shoes except that it has a sole curved like a boat," explained Leung.
The label claims that one's weight can be reduced, and muscle strength from the ankle to the hip increased by 40% just by wearing the shoes. And, it's also supposed to help with posture. According to Leung, currently the demand for Shape-ups exceeds supply. Only the women's range is available now but this month, the men's range will be brought in.
Preparations for a new line called Tune Up are in place. It's supposed to be a combination of the Cali Gear and Shape-up concepts with more casual wear like sandals.
"Skechers is about shoes for daily living. If you get sports shoes from Skechers, it's only for the aesthetics, not for the function so don't expect to play basketball in them,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," he said.
Hi-cut shoes for the guys.
Their most popular items are the Mary Janes and this season,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], there are more colours and prints to choose from. Leung said that since there are so many styles,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the price range is also varied,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], ranging from RM150 to more than RM700. This gives them the advantage of fitting into any country with the right product and price.
For this year's fall collection, expect to see the urban street look with girly Mary Janes trimmed with sleek crystals and metallic active shoes. The hottest buy this season is metallic and patent platform sneakers.
For men, it's all about comfort,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], whereby you get a mix and match of different textures and colour tones as well as fine stitching that defines the trends. Hi-cut sneakers are the hot street fashion item for the season.
For little girls,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], there are canvas shoes with colourful-graphics embellished with glittering stones. The boys can look forward to the Hot-Lights collection.
相关的主题文章：

[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]

[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]

[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]

[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]

[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]

[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]

[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]

[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]

[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]

[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]