New Balance, Nine West Pair To Make Athletic-Fashion Shoes
Nine West and New Balance are "collaborating on a new line of stylish-yet-casual shoes" in an attempt to "gain toehold in the lucrative market for shoes that straddle the line between athletic and fashion footwear," according to Rachel Dodes of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The deal is the "latest partnership between athletic and fashion footwear makers to produce so-called lifestyle shoes, the market's fastest-growing niche." Market researcher NPD Group said that sales of lifestyle shoes last year "grew 11[%], compared with 2[%] growth for the U.S. footwear market as a whole." The newest line is set to be called "New Balance for Nine West" and will launch next spring with "about 20 styles priced between [$70-100]." The line will debut at around 50 Nine West stores and at several New Balance stores, and also "at the two boutiques owned by the high-fashion label DDC Lab, founded by Savania Davies-Kieller and Roberto Crivello." Davies-Kieller and Crivello serve as New Balance creative directors and "designed the new line in collaboration" with Nine West designer Fred Allard. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Nine West parent company Jones Apparel Group CEO Wesley Card said that "each side will pay royalties to the other and will manufacture different components of the shoes" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/29). In Boston, Elizabeth Campbell reports New Balance for Nine West will include "lace-up sneakers, sandals, and slip-ons combining nonathletic material such as T-shirt jerseys with traditional athletic silhouettes." Campbell notes the line will debut in March (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/29).
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