Sneaker Freaker

I really like some of the current shoes. Is it the ZX700 Boat some sort of hybrid?
It’s actually a reinterpreted design. More and more you have two different consumer groups, you have the consumer that is a little more mature who knows a lot of the real shoes from the day and loves them. Then you have the younger consumer who is really interested in history, but wasn’t around when it was originally there and who loves colour, materials, execution and the packaging.

Can you keep both of them happy?

We’re trying to – they all shop in the same spot, but with different visions.

How far ahead are you working on stuff?
I would say we have very different calendars for very different collections, but we are already working on Spring 2009, and we are just about to start the next Consortium range for Fall/Winter 2008. The ranges are on very short tracks, about a third of the normal process.

I guess that allows you to keep an eye on what’s happening?
Our goal is to stay as close as possible to what’s happening to make sure we bring a range to market that’s relevant. Yet we want to make our own statements. It’s a balance – part of the range is the message of the season we want to present and sometimes, if there is a hot trend, then obviously we want to be presented inside of that.