Through a partnership with Vibram, Merrell will enter the barefoot category for Spring 2011. Jim Zwiers, president of Wolverine World Wide's Outdoor Group unveiled the collection at Wolverine's showroom in Manhattan as part of the FFANY footwear show.

 

“We look at this category and the excitement around it in the way it provides a choice for the consumer and we feel that it's a perfect Merrell category. So we teamed up with Vibram, which we've had a long-standing partnership with, to take their knowledge of barefoot along with Merrell's knowledge to really turn this into a great category from the ground up.”


He said while Vibram has had success with the Vibram Five Fingers, Merrell will bring the barefoot opportunity to market in a more commercial way for a broader appeal. “Merrell's been good about designing shoes that are capable for a lot of different purposes,” said Zwiers. “We may design a Moab and call it a multi-sport shoe but we know that some consumers will trail run in it and others will use it for variety of purposes – both outdoor and urban.

 

They find their way. And what barefoot is really offering that consumer-is a choice. It’s putting a product out there that is truly minimalist and some may use it to truly train in, some might do yoga in them, some might grocery shop…”


As such, the tagline to the barefoot collection is 'Let Your Feet Lead You.”  It includes a trail running option as well as multi-sport styles. “It’s a natural highly-sensory experience in these shoes and we think our consumers are going to love it and the Vibram partnership is an important backbone for all of this,” said Zwiers.


The line will aim at run specialty and bring the barefoot opportunity to outdoor specialty but Zwiers believes the story has broad appeal. Said Zwiers, “Not only are the shoes high performance but they look amazing. I think we'll be surprised at the channels that want to pick up this product because of the strong aesthetic and the strong lifestyle appeal.”


He added that Merrell had explored toning but felt “it's not necessarily right for our brand.” Barefoot is more closely aligned to Merrell's sensibility. Said Zwiers, “It gets them outdoors, gets them active, gets them feeling the ground and the earth and their environment around them and we think it will encourage much more outdoor participation, so we like that angle a lot better.”


Overall, however, Zwiers believes the convergence around physiological footwear, wrapped around toning and barefoot running, is clearly positive for the footwear market. “The good thing is there's a lot of dialogue where the consumer is thinking about ‘what I put on my feet can improve my body’, and that's an awesome connection,” said Zwiers.
For Spring 2011, a few other notable innovations are expected to be the Bushwack Collection featuring Merrell’s CycleTread technology A Y-shaped flex plate is stiffer in the midfoot for pedaling yet flexible in the forefoot for hiking. Scout is a breathable mesh style with a protective rubber rand for rough terrain and front reflective piping and rear reflectors for visibility at dawn and dusk.  Covert sports a synthetic leather and mesh upper that is DWR treated to repel water and resist stains, and has reflective details for added visibility. 


Mezame is a women's-specific collection of casual walking shoes with a reversible footbed. One side of the footbed supports and cushions on urban jaunts and commutes to work, while the flip side is a massaging footbed that rejuvenates tired muscles. It comes in a sling-back Mary Jane and ballet flat.


Zwiers said the recent strong performance at Merrell, which grew in the double-digits in the first quarter, reflects an effort to “almost double down” on product innovation during the downturn as well as around color stories. “I think it's showing that we reinvested and really kept pushing forward in product innovation,” said Zwiers. “Merrell is just incredibly well positioned in men's women's and kids to capitalize on the appeal of the outdoors and healthy lifestyles and to really capitalize on the trends in performance and style that are so prevalent in the marketplace.”


Regarding other brands, Zwiers said Chaco's first closed-toe offerings launched for Fall 2010 “is being very well received” and the brand will be offering both closed and open-toe styles for the first time in Spring 2011. An expanded women's sandal collection, “with great leather” touches, is being launched to capitalize on lifestyle markets. Chaco kids was re-launched with a small run in Spring 2010 and will be expanded ” in a big way in Fall 10 and even more so in Spring 11.”


Patagonia footwear is seeing “very healthy” backlogs and Zwiers said the collection is benefitting by continued efforts to match the collection even more with Patagonia's customer-not only in their catalogs and retail stores-but also tied to their story lines. “The Patagonia brand is on fire now and we're enjoying the benefits there,” said Zwiers.


But Zwiers believes that while some outdoor stores faced challenges in the downturn, the overall industry has fared well.   “The better retailers are creating really compelling consumer experiences,” said Zwiers. “As tough as it with the economy in the world today, people want those experiences and are looking for those retailers out there supporting their passions. So those outdoor retailers and people in that space have done a great job of connecting people and their passions. And really for $110, you can get a pair of hiking shoes that will last you for years and years. So it's an opportunity to empower the passion that people have to get outdoors, to be active, be healthy and really enjoy life.”