Vida Shoes International, a licensee of fashion footwear brands including Baby Phat, Phat Farm, Esprit and Osh Kosh, has acquired the Andre Assous company. Assous will work with Solomon Dabah, President
of Vida Shoes International, and other members of the Vida
management team to strategically grow the business and broaden its
market penetration.
Assous, known to many in the footwear industry as the “King of
Espadrilles,” will continue in his role as creative
visionary/designer. He is also a member of the board of directors of the
Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY) and Footwear News Hall
of Fame, into which he was inducted in 2003.
According to Dabah,
“Andre Assous is more than just a brand name, he is a real person
successfully designing and producing designer shoes that are timeless,
classic fashion statements. Vida Shoes International, Inc. looks forward
to establishing a long term global retail and marketing alliance with
Andre Assous.”
“The international presence my brand will now
receive affords me the opportunity to focus my creative passion on what
I do best, designing shoes. This is the life-long dream I have had for
my company,” says Assous.
Dabah adds, “Andre Assous has established brand equity built up
over the years and we look forward to reaching even more retailers and
consumers with this relationship.”
Andre Assous will headquarter
at Vida Shoes International, Inc.’s New York office on 56th Street with a
showroom on the first floor. The brand will also maintain its current
showroom on 57th Street in Manhattan.
