An interview with Mark Klein, check it out:
3 Minute Press Show - Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Featured Company: Skins, Inc. Exchange: OTCBB Ticker: SKNN Interviewee: Mark Klein CEO Back
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.
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...
Always in search of new anagrams to conquer, GSA spent several days - and nights - in Las Vegas last month, attending WSA, the definitive footwear expo. In addition to getting a sneak peak at some spring and fall styles, including the long-awaited next-gen offering from Skins Footwear (it rocks, but you'll see for yourself in mid-April), we got to hang with esteemed designer Frank Zambrelli of Banfi-Zambrelli. The firm is behind the Skins Footwear collections, and while pounding bottled water to rejuvenate after a night of...let's just say gambling, we asked Frank some questions:
GetSkinnedAlive: You're a popular attraction here, and my head is killing me, so I won't take up too much of your time...
Frank Zambrelli: So we work and you play, is that how it works?
GSA: Something like that. Although I think we work and play. But it's hard to do both. Looking around your exhibitor suite, it's easy to see why Skins Footwear would want you designing their collections...
FZ: Thanks.
GSA: When did (Skins Footwear President & CEO) Mark Klein first reach out to you?
FZ: It was about 2 years ago. We were immediately intrigued, because our specialty is designing and developing luxury projects and Skins is much more than that, it's a technology, an innovation. The Bone was light years from its inception but still had a long way to go. Studio Dror had done some really nice work and our assignment was to design around the technology, and create a design structure for the line. We were also involved in the design and campaign aesthetic from a marketing perspective. It was an exciting challenge.
GSA: Was it hard doing a soft launch? There was so much anticipation for the first collection and then the product went back into development...
FZ: As designers, we're always working on the next line even before the first one comes out, and the first line sold well, but we also were prepared for the feedback and next iteration of development. Moving forward is what it's all about - increasing the number of styles, having the identity of the shoe evolve.
GSA: What are some of your personal favorites from the new collection?
FZ: For men, I love the Damian. This sport Skin goes right to the summit of the concept of Skin and Bones. Incredibly lightweight, this is a shoe with a "wrap" sheet... outsole. Bad puns aside, the sole has the slimness of a sneaker made for the track or tae kwon do, but with tremendous abrasion resistance, and all the support of the Bone inside. The Skin itself is a retro running style, with some revised pattern work that makes it feel new, but comfortably familiar. One of my favorites this season, though I'm probably gonna wear it with a suit.
GSA: And we'll likely follow you down that road... How about for women?
FZ: In the Skins style continuum of Sport to Dress, Joni sits smack dab in the gorgeous center. Perfectly casual, this hybrid of a wallaby and a desert boot is cut a little higher than your average shoe, without becoming a bootie. It's especially flattering at a time when most women's casual shoes forget that you're a woman (my apologies if you're in fact, not a woman. Too bad for you). The suedes are pumiced, so the surface of the Skin is remarkably rich looking, and soft. This is the everywhere (or maybe "everywear") shoe.
GSA: There's a lot of buzz at the show, not just about the new line, but about the applications of the Skins technology. As a designer, what's your take on that?
FZ: I look at it this way: this technology can be applied to anything that can be wrapped or clad, and anywhere there is an interaction between that product and a human being. Take furniture, for example. The marriage of design, structure, technology and flexibility lends itself to a couch or a chair that is about comfort and fashion working hand in hand.
GSA: Sounds like the whole process working with Skins is atypical for a footwear line?
FZ: Yes, it's completely atypical. I never had the expectation of this process being "normal", because there is no precedent for something like Skins. This is more engaging than anything we've done before. If you think about it, the shoe industry is pretty archaic, shoes have been made the same way for a long, long time. Until now.
The feeling we all have is that the technology has arrived, so for us as the designers, and for the customers, who in the case of Skins are sharp, bold, and on the edge of fashion and design, the pathway is open...we can all let our imaginations run wild.
GetSkinnedAlive: Naturally, we've got a lot of questions for you, but first, this guacamole is amazing, how did you find this place?
Mark Klein: (laughs) I've been running around a lot the last few years, from country to country and I'm always grabbing stuff on the go. When I find really good Mexican food, I remember it.
GSA: Should we tell the readers what country we're in now?
MK: Let's leave it a mystery.
GSA: Speaking of mystery, what's up with Skins? You've kinda kept quiet for the last month or so.
MK: For one, based on feedback we received from a very successful consumer partnership program and a self- limited soft-launch, and the retail summits that we held, we were able to make substantial improvements to the Skin and Bone. We've changed how the product is packaged, sold, displayed...we radically enhanced the fit of the Bone, all based on feedback from customers and retailers.
GSA: By "self-limited", you mean -
MK: When I say it was self-limited what I'm referring to is the fact that we purposely launched in only 20 locations, even though the initial interest in Skins, the excitement, industry awards, and press were really unheard of for a new shoe. We chose outlets in places from Los Angeles, CA to Richmond, VA, and Pittsburgh... we wanted to get the widest feedback possible, and we did. And through the consumer partnership program, our early adopters, people who came out and bought that first gen product, knew up front that there would be a next gen Bone and that they would get it for free.
GSA: Can you tell us about some of the specific improvements?
MK: Since this is a compartmental technology, customers and salespeople were a little daunted by a shoe that comes in pieces. We now sell Skins in a Combo Box, in which one of the shoes is already put together - the Skin, Bone, and insole; the salesperson can build the other shoe in front of you - it was really important to our customers to have this feature, and we responded.
We've also joined forces with a leading authority on footwear fitting and technology, so we've got a large group of esteemed scientists coming to us to talk about these issues.
We've designed a broad range of new styles for men and women, and have put the new shoes through countless steps in extreme temperatures...we've put our product through that kind of rigorous testing to get to where we are now.
GSA: And where are you now, in terms of launching the next gen?
MK: We're in the middle of production, looking at a launch the first week of March. We're gonna launch in stores countrywide this time, hitting all major markets, many times what we did with our soft launch.
GSA: There's been a lot of chatter out there, good and bad, some of it directed very personally at you, some of it not so nice. How do you deal with that kind of stuff?
MK: To make this product the best it can be, we ran the risk of seeing some negative chatter, some reaction to a lack of availability. But the major concern we will always have is that we're giving the consumer and our retail partners the best product we possibly can. So the risk was acceptable.
This technology has huge long-term potential in terms of applications; when we say something is "Powered by Skins," that reflects our hope that in time you'll be seeing this technology applied in different market segments, to future collaborations with other brands, etc.
If you follow the biz-oriented blogs, you also have to factor in that a lot of the negative messages and criticism come from people playing a short-term game. It's not the game we play as a company or that I play personally.
On a personal level, I gotta tell you, Mark Klein is the single largest shareholder of this company and I have never sold one of my shares, not one. If there's any single pursuit in my life it's the quality and integrity of Skins Footwear - and whatever that means in terms of potshots at me, who cares? The big picture is honoring that commitment, and whenever you're doing something disruptive and revolutionary, you're putting your ass on the line - and at some point, the commitment becomes bigger than your ass. Did that come out right?
GSA: I think so. A while back, we wrote about a video contest you were collaborating on with our buddies at SLAM; our post generated some real excitement, and we hear this is turning into a bigger thing than expected. What's the scoop?
MK: We'll be rolling out more info on the contest very soon. Naturally, the last month or so, we've been focused on the next generation Skin and Bone. Now, we're ready to solicit submissions for the contest. By the way, for Skins this contest is a big deal - we're a young company, we're very into arts and education and supporting voices of originality. You saw that with our event at the MOCA in LA, supporting their Architecture and Design exhibit, and you're about to see it with some new film and video pieces we've done. That's why we're looking for 'inspired' submissions and not 'branded' ones. We're really hoping to get some interesting and adventurous films from this effort.
Our non-traditional marketing efforts are really about message - our audience is creative and discriminating, and - most importantly - once they get their bone on, as I like to say, they're part of the family. And we treat them as such.
On a cool winter evening in LA (read: long-sleeve tee weather), GSA sat down with blogger MondoMouth, and - over lunch and a few premium beers - got some insight into what makes this smooth-talker tick.
GSA: Mondo, first of all, we know you're a busy blogger, so thanks for doing this interview.
MondoMouth: Well, you are springing for lunch at Sizzler so I'll try to give you your $11.95 worth.
GSA: Since you traveled into the Skins Footwear and SLAM orbit this summer, you've written and directed specs spots, inspired a short film contest that's about to launch worldwide, and invaded Latin America. What are you up to now? And what's up with your blog charting so well overseas?
MM: Right now, I'm having conversations about directing a commercial in Chile, shooting a recruiting video for the City of Los Angeles, and developing a music-based idea I had into a reality television show.
GSA: Speaking of being in touch with humanity, one of the reasons we root for the Skins Footwear crew is that they tell it like it is and they're willing to take chances. Do you consider yourself a risk-taker?
MM: Absolutely. I have the bumps and bruises to prove it. I don't buy into that nonsense about the meek inheriting the earth. You've gotta take risks or else be prepared to be a doormat. Personally, the prospect of somebody wiping their muddy boots all over me is not appealing at all. Anything worth doing requires risk, which is why I respect the hell out of Skins for challenging the shoe industry with a revolutionary footwear design - and taking their bumps and bruises with grace.
GSA: In your postings, you talk a lot about subjects ranging from everyday life (see Mondo's postings on plumbing...) to the not-always-so-glam world of major motion picture production...but can you tell us a little about yourself?
MM: I didn't go to film school. I went to work. It just so happens I went to work in the film business. I've been fortunate in that I've crewed on multi-million dollar productions, some great feature films: Bad Boys, Apollo 13, Jade, Armageddon, Crimson Tide, World Trade Center, Lions for Lambs... and television shows like "90210, Melrose Place, 7th Heaven and Everybody Hates Chris. It's impossible not to learn, especially when its Ron Howard, Oliver Stone, Michael Bay, Tony Scott, William Friedken or Robert Redford directing.
GSA: Now that you're a Skins insider, have you had a chance to preview the Spring/Summer 08 line?
MM: Yes! I was blown away by the fashion. It radiates colors, comfort and style. I don't want to sound like Larry King when he reviews movies - "Spectacular!" - I mean, he knows squat about movies, I know roughly the same about shoes... but I think people are gonna dig it. Between the styles and what seem like great strides with the design, I'm feeling safe saying "It's a must have for fashionistas and folks everywhere!" And note that this was an unpaid endorsement. And that it doesn't have to be that way...
GSA: You're getting free food and beer! Hey, can we get a sneak peek at your latest opus, or at least get a hint as to what it's about?
MM: I'm actually co-writing an indie movie, Band on the Run, to be shot next year in the United Kingdom. No, it's not an English costume drama, but there are plenty of British babes in it. Band is the compelling story, inspired by actual events of the late fifties, of a fugitive rock-n-roll singer on the lam from the law and the monarchy. Let's just say the Queen will not be amused when this comes out.
Skins and SLAM Partner in Web Video Contest Inspired by a Footwear Revolution
NEW YORK, NY, October 18, 2007 - Skins Footwear and SLAM, which provides nontraditional creative marketing promotion, advertising production and consulting for select brands, have announced "SKIN & BONES: THE VIDEO CONTEST" (http://www.getskinnedalive.com/contest.htm), an online content competition that will leave some talented, aspiring filmmaker armed with $10,000.00 to make a short film for the brand.
The contest solicits spec Web commercials and film shorts inspired by the revolutionary Skins technology that blazed into stores this past September, and promises the grand prize winner a 10K spot budget, one-of-a-kind custom Skins, and a trip to LA for a screening party at Sportie LA. Other prizes include trips to LA for the screening party, and a Skins 12-Stack - a custom-fitted Bone with a one-year supply of Skins styles.
"We introduced an extremely disruptive and creative technology to the marketplace, and it's only appropriate for Skins Footwear to get behind young artists and aspiring film makers," said Skins Footwear CEO Mark Klein. "We're calling on the creative community, on film & advertising schools...we're challenging them to get involved in a liberating artistic experience."
SLAM Sr. Creative Director Hesh Rephun said the contest idea began brewing when the blogger known as Mondo Mouth published reviews of the product that circulated throughout the blogosphere. Inspired by the brand's concept, Mondo tracked SLAM down and expressed interest in crafting a spec spot for Skins.
SLAM had crafted content and executed events for Skins since
forming an alliance with the brand in March 2007, and created an independent blog for Skins (www.GetSkinnedAlive.com), but the idea of allowing an outside creative team into the mix was a new one.
"He saw the brand as magical and sexy," Rephun recalled of the pitch from Mondo. "I told him, if you can deliver sex and magic for less than I usually pay for it, we've got a deal."
SLAM armed Mondo Mouth with a small budget, and the result was a pair of spots, "Beach" and "Banana", shot in one day on the sundrenched shores of Malibu. "Beach" and "Banana," respectively, delivered magic and sex as promised, and - most importantly - offered audiences an outsider's perspective. "There's a very clean, sensible, corporate story about Skins' innovation and appeal," said Mondo. "But to me, innovation is about Skins being comfortable enough and having the sense of humor to open the creative gates and have a little %&*^in' fun."
In the first spot, the hot sands of a deserted "Beach" inspire a shoe-less sun worshiper to seek refuge under a looming, shady tree guarded by an enormous Samoan with a secret stash of Skins. The processs of casting the Samoan star was a story in itself, and Mondo will soon be publishing The Polynesian Kid Stays in the Picture, a chronicle of his adventures in island casting.
%&*^in' fun, as Mondo calls it, is also evidenced via the suggestive (if not explicit) "Banana," which plays like the teaser of an adult film starring a gorgeous fruit-loving babe - and a dude packing Skins and Bones. "I envisioned the kind of piece that would get written about in Slipitin, my favorite adult fanzine," Mondo recalled. To his amazement, after seeing the spot the mag requested an interview with the film's "director," Barry Bones (a nom de porn Mondo slapped on the titles).
SLAM not only dug the spec spots ("We call it that 
because the budget was literally a spec," laughed Mondo), but the gates have now swung wide open. "As a group of guys who welcome any opportunity to get creative without boundaries, we just want to give people a little purpose and incentive," Rephun explained. "Sometimes, that's the only excuse you need to cut loose." He added that SLAM was about to release its own branding spot for Skins, one much different in tone and style from Mondo's work. "We want prospective contestants to explore their own creative inspiration and our upcoming spot shows the range of work we're open to."
Submissions can be any length, employ any concept, and SLAM does not require or even encourage the use of the Skins product; rather, beyond the official rules - which will soon be made available at http://www.getskinnedalive.com/contest.htm - SLAM encourages entrants to convey the brand's "attitude, spirit, technology, and design."
"SKIN & BONES: THE VIDEO CONTEST" runs through January 2008, with a screening party at Sportie LA - showcasing the winning piece and several runners-up - scheduled for March.
SPOT CREDITS:
Client: Skins Footwear (spec)
Agency: SLAM
Sr. Creative Director: Hesh Rephun
Production Company: Snurb Productions
Spot Title: "Beach"
Writer/Director: Mondo Mouth (aka John Burns)
DP: Chip Bailey
Producer: Vicki Matlin
Editor: Justin Trovato
Original Music: John Burns
Talent: Farren Ray, Kolose (K-9)
Client: Skins Footwear (spec)Agency: SLAM
Sr. Creative Director: Hesh Rephun
Production Company: Snurb Productions
Spot Title: "Banana"
Writer/Director/Editor: Mondo Mouth (aka John Burns)
DP: Chip Bailey
Producer: Vicki Matlin
Original Music: "Banana Skin"
Composer: John Burns
Talent: Farren Ray, John Burns
Following the launch of Skins Footwear, and with its in-store clinics well under way around the country (stay tuned for video & pics), the time has come to bring creatively-inspired types from all over the globe in on the fun.
Recently, a certain blogger blew us away with his take on the Skins brand, and we'll soon be premiering his spec campaign right here on GetSkinnedAlive.com. This will be followed by a Webtest in which you'll be called upon to get down with your creative self and show us what you've got.
Also upcoming are a new SLAM-crafted Skins branding spot...and for the first time, some behind-the-scenes footage chronicling Skins' journey from the drawing board to the sales floor.
Mondo checks out the new Skins and meets CEO Mark Klein of Skins Footwear. These shoes are super comfortable, stylish and fun!
Buy Skins HERE
Klein will be on site all day, training sales staff and demonstrating the patented, two-part
interchangeable footwear structure of Skin and Bones for customers. Having stated early on that building a long-term relationship with the Skins customer is a high priority, Klein has announced that both walk-ins and online purchasers (up to the first 5,000) will receive the first generation Bone ($60 retail) free in exchange for their registration and feedback. They will get a brochure allowing them to register with a unique number to get the next-gen Bone 2.0 in October, also free of charge. The give-away is part of a Consumer Partnership Program that makes consumers part of an ongoing part of the company's internal research, working with designers and engineers to enhance the innovation of Skins and Bones."We are thrilled to introduce the Consumer Partnership Program with the debut of Skins at retail and apologize for some minor logistical delays," said Klein in a statement. "The most valuable part in perfecting the engineering of our product is consumer feedback. Clearly, the launch has been eagerly anticipated, and our management team will be working with our retail partners next week to ensure a tremendously successful rollout of Skins footwear."
SLAM, the media and marketing division of Sportie LA, will be debuting its Skins branding spot, "Flexible", created specifically for the launch. The spot hits the Web this month, on Youtube, Revver, here on the SLAM-powered GetSkinnedAlive, and more, but visitors will be given an exclusive preview at the clinic.
The Skins in-store clinic takes place at Sportie LA's Genesee store, at 7753 Melrose Avenue. Doors open at 11am, and heavy customer traffic is expected.
For more information, please contact hesh@sportiela.com
