Footwear Insight

16 • Footwear Insight ~ July/August 2018 footwearinsight.com Outdoor Education By Jennifer Ernst Beaudry I n the run-up to the Outdoor Retailer trade show, out- door retailers are mixing it up across categories to give consumers what they want. And for footwear, that means personalized options and water-friendly, trail-to-tavern styles. "People want something that can go on the trail but can also paddle and then also go out to lunch," Kate Westphal of Rutabaga Paddlesports in Madison, WI, says. Astral has been a critical brand in that space, she says, making sneakers with rugged outsoles and drainage and an expanded hike collection of styles that "go from trail to water to dinner pretty effortlessly." The $140 TR1 Merge boot from the Asheville, NC-based brand is a great example, Westphal says. A grippy rubber outsole with aggres- sive lugs and stabilizing heel counter perform on the trail, but the drainage ports and quick-drying canvas upper keep it water-friendly. While the store initially brought it in for customers planning trips with plenty of portages, Westphal says it's been embraced by a much broader selection of people who want a lightweight summer boot. Jake Crowe, buyer for Okemos, MI-based Playmakers, agrees: "We're really looking at very functional summer travel styles," he says. "Our customer is very casual and laid-back. They might go on a river-rafting excursion on vaca- tion, but they're not necessarily river rafters. They want a shoe that can do a little bit of everything." Crowe says the store was impressed by the update to Salomon's $110 Techamphibian style. The Techamphibian 4 has a sleeker, more sneaker-y design that aims to make it both more trail and more street appropriate. But the quick- dry meshes and the brand's Contagrip rubber on the outsole should keep wear- ers ultra-stable on both slippery rock and on the trails. And product personalization contin- ues to appeal, retailers say, and styles that seamlessly incorporate a custom element are top of mind. Pine Needle Mountaineering, in Durango, CO, will be bringing in Italian brand Tecnica's new Plasma boot, an outgrowth of the customizable Forge collection introduced this year. The low-cut style for men and women ($150; $180 for a Gore-Tex version) has a mold- able insole and upper that can be fit and finalized in-shop in about 20 minutes. And the personalized fit story really res- onates, Pine Needle owner Jeremy Dakan says. It also lets him carry fewer SKUs. "There are only so many brown boots that we're willing to stock on the wall — they aren't selling like they used to," he says. "This is something with a nice fit out of the box and custom molding is a process our staff is used to doing all winter for ski boots." And customers appreciate it, he says. "It's going the extra mile. We're super happy with the program." North Carolina-based Townsend Bertram and Co.'s Betsy Bertram says the $300 Alta Bunion Boot by Swedish firm Hanwag has been a surprisingly robust seller. "We have a ton of people who come in, and they all say, 'Oh, my foot is so weird.' And we say, 'You and every other person.'" The boot, designed to provide a comfortable fit for hikers with bunions, has been a revelation, Bertram says, in a space where footwear designed to accommodate the relatively common foot condition is lacking. The reaction from patrons has convinced her that there's a market for footwear that truly caters to the diverse realities of peo- ple's feet. "That success has been really nice to see," she adds. O Getting Personal and Versatile is the Name of the Game for Spring '19. THE FOOTWEAR EYE RETAIL REPORT "There are only so many brown boots that we're willing to stock on the wall — they aren't sell- ing like they used to." Jeremy Dakan, Pine Needle Mountaineering "We're really looking at very functional summer travel styles. Our customer is very casual and laid- back." Jake Crowe, Playmakers Hanwag's Alta Bunion Boot differentiates itself by providing comfort for hikers with bunions. Salomon's Techamphibia 4 is quick-drying and crosses over to the street or trail.

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