Footwear news and archive

Wilson Smith & Tate Kuerbis, and the rise of sneakers as cultural currency

Close your eyes and try to picture this scene. It’s 1986, at Nike head office in Washington County, Oregon and architect Wilson Smith III, who has been working with Nike as a showroom, store and corporate office designer has just been asked if he can come to the back room for a talk. “I went in expecting the worst,” he recalls to FashionUnited...

People

Toms welcomes Jessica Alsing as CEO

Footwear brand Toms, known for its social impact, has appointed footwear industry veteran Jessica Alsing as its new chief executive officer. Alsing, who has been consulting with the company in recent months, brings deep expertise in footwear, digital marketing, and global brand building, along with a shared belief in Toms’ mission to use...

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People

Hoff hires David Tourniaire-Beauciel to lead design and drive international growth

Madrid – A new chapter has begun for Hoff, as the firm, led and co-founded by Fran Marchena, announced the appointment of David Tourniaire-Beauciel as its new design director. The renowned French designer is a key figure in the evolution of footwear lines for revolutionary labels, most notably Balenciaga, where he served as a close collaborator...

Retail

Mallorcan footwear brand Carmina expands internationally with new European and Asian stores

Mallorcan footwear brand Carmina Shoemaker, founded in 1866, continues its international expansion with the opening of three new boutiques in Luxembourg, London and Tokyo during the final quarter of 2025. The first opening will take place on September 30 in Luxembourg, on the central Avenue Porte-Neuve. Two weeks later, on October 15, the...

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Business

Dr. Martens expands into the UAE and Latin America

British footwear brand Dr. Martens is expanding its global presence with a new distribution partnership with Beside Group, marking its entry into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) market for the first time. Additionally, the brand has secured a deal to further its expansion into Latin America through a partnership with Crosby. In a statement, Dr....

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Business

Genesco forms a global retail group to reach more customers

Genesco, the footwear company with more than 1,250 retail stores in North America, the UK and the Republic of Ireland, alongside a portfolio of owned and licensed lifestyle brands, has formed a global retail group uniting its Journeys, Schuh and Little Burgundy brands. The new venture will be called Journeys Global Retail Group and will be led...

Fashion

Jaden Smith at Louboutin stirs fresh 'nepo-baby' fashion debate

French fashion icon Christian Louboutin's decision to name Will Smith's son Jaden as his chief menswear designer is a bold choice that took the industry by surprise -- and stirred up fresh allegations of "nepo-baby" favoritism. When not following in the footsteps of his famous father into acting and rap music, 27-year-old Smith has been a...

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People

Christian Louboutin names Jaden Smith as its first men’s creative director

Luxury footwear brand Christian Louboutin is looking to elevate its menswear offering with the appointment of American rapper and actor Jaden Smith as the brand’s first-ever men’s creative director. In a statement, Christian Louboutin said that Smith would oversee the creation of four collections annually across men’s shoes, leather goods, and...

Fashion

London Sneaker School launches a footwear design platform

London Sneaker School, which has taught more than 200 people the art of shoemaking, is launching a new footwear platform designed to enable creators and communities to bring their ideas to life. The ‘Kickback’ platform aims to empower anyone to design a shoe, launch it and sell it, as the educational institution looks to continue its commitment...

Retail|In Pictures

Vivaia opens debut UK store in London

Footwear brand Vivaia has opened its first UK retail store in Westfield London shopping centre, following the opening of its debut store in New York City, US, in April. In a statement, Vivaia said the strategic opening in the UK comes as London has surpassed New York City as the brand’s top global market in 2024, and the flagship marks the brand...

Fashion|In Pictures

Gymshark launches debut footwear with performance brand R.A.D

Global gym and fitness apparel brand Gymshark has launched its first-ever footwear products in collaboration with British performance footwear brand R.A.D. The collaboration brings together two of the UK’s biggest exports in the performance space and comes in response to calls from the Gymshark community to expand into footwear to complement its...

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Retail

Alohas opens permanent store in Paris and arrives in London

Madrid – Alohas, the Spanish footwear, accessories and on-demand fashion brand, continues to consolidate its global retail network with the opening of a permanent store in Paris. A new point of sale will be added at the end of September: the brand’s first store in the UK. As part of its commitment to physical retail as an "experiential" way to...