Hesh Rephun: April 2008 Archives
Just so you know how hard GSA worked at WSA, we're publishing our interview with Justin Sigal from Littles of Pittsburgh, a top indie retailer and longtime proponent of Skins Footwear. Meeting with Justin in the Skins Suite, we were surrounded by new styles; the setting was perfect for Justin's take on the new evolution of Skin & Bone, and to get some insight into the history of Littles:
GetSkinnedAlive: It's great to meet you, Justin...I don't think I've ever met a fifth-generation shoe bizzer before.
Justin Sigal: Good to meet you too. Yep, it's the family business. Littles has been in our family for 23 years , but it's 100 years old. I've been there five years, and proud to be a part of the legacy.
GSA: That's a lot of math.
JS: (laughs) It is. Fortunately, math isn't as critical to my side of the business as product.
GSA: Moving on to product - the new Skins product is supposedly much-improved from its soft launch. What's your take?
JS: First of all, the new Bone feels great, it's an amazing level of comfort. Stylewise, each collection is a huge improvement on the previous line. Designwise, they've also made huge strides. From a sales point of view, we're really excited about the new presentation and packaging.
GSA: Apparently, the company got a lot of important feedback on the original packaging.
JS: Littles is a full-service store, our salespeople are very informed and interactive. With this packaging, one shoe comes pre-prepared, and the other Bone is right there to be fitted for size. It's a clean, appealing presentation, and easy for salespeople to work with. Our team has always loved the Skins concept and has been excited to talk with customers about it - now, in addition, it is as easy to fit as any other shoe.
GSA: There was a lot of anticipation surrounding the soft launch, is the industry - and the consumer - as excited about Skins' new launch?
JS: We got behind the Skins technology very early on. The product was so innovative; actually, this may sound bold, but Skins Footwear is the first technical innovation we've really seen in our business since rubber soles.
GSA: That does sound bold. But I don't know that I can think of anything to disprove your statement.
JS: Think about it. Reebok Pumps, maybe Nike Air, those were developments but not true technical innovations. This is really a lifestyle change, it changes how people travel, it's pretty radical.
GSA: You have a pretty broad consumer base, mens, womens, kids. How does Skins fit into your demo?
JS: I like to say we have as many styles as you can fit into 20,000 square feet. To be honest, we understood with the soft launch that we weren't getting the number of styles we wanted, and we had to be patient.
GSA: Hopefully the new line is worth the wait.
JS: Look around you. I can say I'm glad we were patient and supportive. Having seen and worn this stuff, I can tell you that this is what we had in mind when Dennis and Mark first pitched us on the idea of Skins Footwear.
GetSkinnedAlive: It's great to meet you, Justin...I don't think I've ever met a fifth-generation shoe bizzer before.
Justin Sigal: Good to meet you too. Yep, it's the family business. Littles has been in our family for 23 years , but it's 100 years old. I've been there five years, and proud to be a part of the legacy.
GSA: That's a lot of math.
JS: (laughs) It is. Fortunately, math isn't as critical to my side of the business as product.
GSA: Moving on to product - the new Skins product is supposedly much-improved from its soft launch. What's your take?
JS: First of all, the new Bone feels great, it's an amazing level of comfort. Stylewise, each collection is a huge improvement on the previous line. Designwise, they've also made huge strides. From a sales point of view, we're really excited about the new presentation and packaging.
GSA: Apparently, the company got a lot of important feedback on the original packaging.
JS: Littles is a full-service store, our salespeople are very informed and interactive. With this packaging, one shoe comes pre-prepared, and the other Bone is right there to be fitted for size. It's a clean, appealing presentation, and easy for salespeople to work with. Our team has always loved the Skins concept and has been excited to talk with customers about it - now, in addition, it is as easy to fit as any other shoe.
GSA: There was a lot of anticipation surrounding the soft launch, is the industry - and the consumer - as excited about Skins' new launch?
JS: We got behind the Skins technology very early on. The product was so innovative; actually, this may sound bold, but Skins Footwear is the first technical innovation we've really seen in our business since rubber soles.
GSA: That does sound bold. But I don't know that I can think of anything to disprove your statement.
JS: Think about it. Reebok Pumps, maybe Nike Air, those were developments but not true technical innovations. This is really a lifestyle change, it changes how people travel, it's pretty radical.
GSA: You have a pretty broad consumer base, mens, womens, kids. How does Skins fit into your demo?
JS: I like to say we have as many styles as you can fit into 20,000 square feet. To be honest, we understood with the soft launch that we weren't getting the number of styles we wanted, and we had to be patient.
GSA: Hopefully the new line is worth the wait.
JS: Look around you. I can say I'm glad we were patient and supportive. Having seen and worn this stuff, I can tell you that this is what we had in mind when Dennis and Mark first pitched us on the idea of Skins Footwear.
From February 21-24, Skins Footwear held court in Las Vegas at The WSA Show - the largest and most comprehensive footwear and related accessories show in the world.
Buyers and footwear fanatics from all over the globe made themselves at home in the Skins suite on the 7th Floor of the Venetian Hotel, checking out the next-gen Skins and Bones to see if they really lived up to expectations. GSA was there, and we were blown away, but don't take our word for it: we interviewed some retailers - the people who have to believe they can sell shoes in order to buy them - and you'll see for yourself what they said as the interviews roll out...
For those of you who haven't been there (read: sneakerheads who prefer to check out styles once they hit stores or the web), WSA's twice-yearly show in Las Vegas pulls in more than 36,000+ participants and nearly 1,600 exhibitors who represent the cream of the footwear manufacturing industry. In short, The WSA Show is the ultimate must-attend market for the multi-billion dollar footwear industry.
The show was celebrating its 59th year, but from where we sat (mostly at Casino Royale's $5 blackjack tables - oh, and the bar at the Hard Rock - the unofficial late night meeting place for the show), the crowd was young and edgy. Some attendees suggested they were too cool to check out Billy Joel's private performance at the Orleans theater, but anyone who knows shows knows the Piano Man never disappoints.
There are other highlights that come to mind, including the Jolly Ranchers at Dos Caminos, but we'll save some stories for another time...
Buyers and footwear fanatics from all over the globe made themselves at home in the Skins suite on the 7th Floor of the Venetian Hotel, checking out the next-gen Skins and Bones to see if they really lived up to expectations. GSA was there, and we were blown away, but don't take our word for it: we interviewed some retailers - the people who have to believe they can sell shoes in order to buy them - and you'll see for yourself what they said as the interviews roll out...
For those of you who haven't been there (read: sneakerheads who prefer to check out styles once they hit stores or the web), WSA's twice-yearly show in Las Vegas pulls in more than 36,000+ participants and nearly 1,600 exhibitors who represent the cream of the footwear manufacturing industry. In short, The WSA Show is the ultimate must-attend market for the multi-billion dollar footwear industry.
The show was celebrating its 59th year, but from where we sat (mostly at Casino Royale's $5 blackjack tables - oh, and the bar at the Hard Rock - the unofficial late night meeting place for the show), the crowd was young and edgy. Some attendees suggested they were too cool to check out Billy Joel's private performance at the Orleans theater, but anyone who knows shows knows the Piano Man never disappoints.
There are other highlights that come to mind, including the Jolly Ranchers at Dos Caminos, but we'll save some stories for another time...
