Skechers USA, Inc. was named Footwear Brand of the Year and Fashion Footwear Brand of the Year at The Footwear Industry Awards. Skechers was also highly commended in the Sports Brand of the Year category.
This achievement follows a year when Skechers won multiple top industry awards in the United States, including Company of the Year from both Footwear News and Footwear Plus.
“We are incredibly honored to have been recognized as Footwear Brand of the Year. This marks the first Footwear Industry Awards win for Skechers in the top category along with our second straight Fashion Brand of the Year win,” commented Peter Youell, Managing Director of Skechers UK and Ireland. “It’s a privilege to receive this recognition amongst such notable brands that were shortlisted in our categories. These awards are a testament to the strength of the Skechers brand in the UK and the ongoing support from our retail partners to reaffirm and elevate Skechers as a leading lifestyle and fashion footwear brand.”
“Awards like this illustrate how our brand and product are resonating with more consumers than ever before,” said David Weinberg, Skechers chief operating officer and chief financial officer. “In 2014, Skechers experienced over 50 percent year-over-year annual net sales growth within our UK subsidiary, where we shipped more than 2.7 million pairs and surpassed $100 million in sales through wholesale and Company-owned retail stores. We believe our success in the UK will continue thanks to our in-demand product and great retail partners. Building on this momentum, we expect our international sales to become 50 percent of our total business in the next 3 to 4 years.”
The annual awards event was held on Sunday, February 15, during the Moda Footwear Show and organized by Datateam Business Media with the support of the British Footwear Association (BFA), Independent Footwear Retailers Association (IFRA), The Society of Shoe Fitters and Footwear Today.
The Footwear Industry Awards recognize excellence at every level, and Skechers won over a strong competitive field that included Clarks, Rieker, Fly London and Gabor. Skechers’ previous Footwear Industry Awards honors include Fashion Brand of the Year and Sports Brand of the Year in 2014, and the Company was highly commended in the Comfort and Wellness category for 2014 as well.
Skechers offers two distinct footwear categories: a lifestyle division which offers comfort-focused trend-right product for men, women and kids including Relaxed Fit®, Skechers Memory Foam footwear and the philanthropic line BOBS from Skechers, and the Skechers Performance Division which includes Skechers GOrun and Skechers GOwalk footwear.
Celebrity product endorsees for Skechers' collections include legendary drummer Ringo Starr, multi-platinum recording artist Demi Lovato, as well as model and actress Kelly Brook. In addition, elite marathon champion and Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi represents the Skechers Performance Division.
