Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1443813
10 • Footwear Insight ~ January / February 2022 footwearinsight.com THE FOOTWEAR EYE H eritage athletic brand Etonic will have a range of new sneaker styles at retail this year courtesy of a new deal with the Licensed Brands division of Nashville-based Genesco, which also operates the Journeys retail chain. Genesco has secured an exclusive three-year agreement for the 145-year- old brand with Etonic Holdings Inc. Two three-year renewal options could extend the Etonic-Genesco partnership until Jan. 31, 2030. Genesco will design and manufacture Etonic-branded footwear, with retail prices ranging from $50-110, for men, women, and children. e first line will be available in sport and shoe specialty stores for the Fall 2022 season. Etonic's brand heritage includes its heyday in running, golf and basketball, when it had affiliations with sports legends such as Arnold Palmer, Bill Rodgers, and Hakeem Olajuwon. e new line will aim to build off this "foundation for lifestyle footwear built on the brand's performance heritage but designed for today's consumer," according to Andy Gilbert, president of Genesco Licensed Brands. With the addition of the Etonic label, Genesco expands its retro/heritage branded footwear space. e company already produces and distributes footwear for the Levi's, Dockers, and Starter brands. —Bob McGee B razilian lifestyle footwear maker Alpargatas, owner of the Havaianas brand, is making a strategic in- vestment in Rothy's Inc., a digital-first, sustainable footwear brand based in San Francisco. Under terms of the two-step transaction, Alpargatas will acquire 49.9 percent of Rothy's through a $200 million capital investment followed by an offering to purchase approximately $275 million in Rothy's share from current stockholders. Rothy's intends to use the capital infusion to fuel its global growth, to expand vertically integrated operations, and to further drive its sustainable innovation. Co-founders Stephen Hawthornthwaite and Roth Martin, who began the company in 2012, will continue to oversee the company's operations and maintain significant equity stake in the business. e Alpargatas-Rothy's partnership unites two firms with international manufacturing capacity and a share commitment to social and environmental responsibility. Alpargatas owns and operates six factories in Brazil, while Rothy's owns and operates a 300,000-sq.-. factory in Dongguan, China. —Bob McGee Genesco Inks Etonic Deal Alpargatas Takes Stake in Sustainable Footwear Brand Rothy's LICENSING SUSTAINABILITY BIZ Rothy's slip-on sneakers. An archive shot of Etonic's Hakeem Olajuwon basketball shoe.