Famous Footwear 2007 Annual Report Download - page 13

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The Franco Sarto brand reects the passion of the talented
artist whose name it bears, and the condence of the women
who wear it. Franco Sarto designs shoes that are perfect for the
career-focused woman’s demanding and multi-faceted life and
complement her elevated fashion sensibility.
Franco personally understands a woman’s passion for footwear
and how the allure of the perfect pair of shoes can create desire
and inspire self-expression. With this sensibility, Franco touches
every shoe, intuitively blending design, color, material, texture, and
interesting ornamentation as he creates compelling footwear for
every occasion, from boardroom to concert hall to café, ensuring
women feel condent and beautiful.
Understanding the needs of the career woman inspires the
Franco Sarto team to exceed her expectations. In 2007, changes
in production further improved product quality and comfort to
provide her with an elevated value proposition while reinforcing
her commitment to the brand. Exclusive products with select
retailers will provide excitement in 2008, as will the expansion of
the successful casual product line. And the iconic Franco Sarto
stretch product will become a year-round option as it moves
beyond fall boots to include unique styles for spring and summer.
Recognizing the talent, passion and
creativity of renowned artists like
Franco Sarto, Brown Shoe is driving a
focus on design to achieve its vision
of being the leading fashion footwear
marketer. Across the enterprise, Brown
Shoe has attracted top-ight product
design talent and has established a
design internship program, enjoying
great partnerships with fashion schools
such as the Fashion Institute of Design
and Merchandising in Los Angeles, the
Fashion Institute of Technology of New
York, and Parsons School of Design. This
program has infused key design talent
into the company and illustrates Brown
Shoe’s dedication and commitment to
creating the fashion sensibility that
consumers demand.
At the heart of our success is Brown
Shoe’s in-house design team and
collaborations with a growing
network of external designers, creating
compelling product from our design
studios in New York, St. Louis, Italy and
China. Uniquely positioned to access
trends and fashion inuences, attend
runway shows in Europe, style-watch all
over the globe, and talk directly to our
customers to understand their needs and
desires, Brown Shoe goes to the origins
of inspiration, melding what we learn
into new designs in a multi-step process
that occurs continuously to bring fresh
product to our portfolio of brands.
Brown Shoe 2007 Annual Report 11
TALENT AND PRODUCT LEADERSHIP
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