The success story of Skechers shoes continues

Skechers is an American footwear brand founded by CEO Robert Greenberg. He launched the Skechers brand out of the LA Gear sportswear and footwear brand in 1992, a brand he helped build and which was successful. Initially, the Skechers brand began as a distributor for Doc Martins, but they soon launched their own brand of footwear in hopes of capitalizing on a niche market for men’s casual street shoes. The brand was lucky or had researched the market well because no shoe brand had cornered the street casual shoe market. Nike had not yet fully diversified and was still focused on sportswear. Skechers found a niche in the market and avoided direct competition with an established brand.

Early Skechers products included chunky, functionally designed utility boots and skateboard shoes. The brand’s first successful launch was the launch of the ‘Chrome Dome’ sneaker. It was 1993 and the Seattle grunge music scene had burst onto the scene and the band Nirvana were dominating the charts with every subsequent release. The Chrome Dome shoe was made to look worn. The heels looked worn and the shoes looked well worn. Chrome Domes were grunge at their core and quickly became popular and sought after. Appealing to both genders, the shoe was an urban street boot that reflected the growing popularity of the ‘grunge’ look among younger consumers and paired perfectly with a pair of faded jeans and a plaid shirt.

Skechers was able to capitalize on the popularity it was receiving with the Chrome Dome and establish itself as a brand that appealed to image-conscious young music fans. By 1998, the brand was well established and expanding rapidly, poised to expand into the athletic shoe market dominated by sportswear brands such as Nike and Adidas. The expansion was well timed as athletic brands began to move from the track to the street. At that time, sports shoes were commonly used as everyday shoes. Skechers USA got its first big break under its own label in 1993, with the introduction of a design known as the ‘Chrome Dome’. Appealing to both genders, this shoe was an urban street boot reflecting the growing popularity of the ‘grunge’ look among younger consumers:

The brand has always been image conscious and makes a concerted effort to appear hip, modern and stylish, even if the shoe designs are not particularly original and often resemble competitor designs with a twist. of Skechers image in recent years, such as Tone Ups and Shape Ups. they are mere copies of existing shoes released by other brands, but it still exemplifies Skechers’ ability to read the market and keep up with consumer demand. The Shape Ups range closely resembles Karl Muller’s MBT design. Masia Barefoot Technology was the brainchild of Karl Muller. He simply noted that if a person walks barefoot on soft, natural surfaces like the ground, he is forced to make small adjustments in balance with each step.

Basically this can be understood as similar in principle to resistance training, each step becomes more than just a step but a mini workout or that is how Skechers has tried to market the technology in the Shape Up shoe ranges. and Tone Up. Muller also noted that they would have to balance themselves with each step, but what really inspired Muller to develop MBT was the fact that he frequently suffered from back pain that could be temporarily relieved by walking barefoot on soft surfaces like rice paddies while I was in Africa. .

The Tone Ups and Shape Ups launched by Skechers continue the aggressive niche marketing used by the brand thus far and although there has been controversy and lawsuits along the way, it appears that the Skechers footwear brand is now well established and will continue to having success. in the future.