NUTHIN' BUT A SHE THANG!

Given the sneaker explosion has turned the footwear industry into a $19 billion dollar marketplace – has the women’s market become an afterthought for the industry’s key players? According to the NPD Group, a market researcher, women are clearly buying more footwear than ever before with women’s sales up almost 35% from 1999 to 2005. But are sneaker companies doing enough to tap this consumer? Are the right styles, colors, fabrics and products being specifically designed with females like me in mind?

According to Lori, “companies are getting better at under-standing the level of knowledge of the female consumer, our attention to detail. They’re also realizing that ‘shrinking and pinking’ is not enough. Pink has been so overplayed that I feel fond of just about any women’s sneaker that gets away from it! I think the new Nike Dunk capoeira is beautiful.”

Erica Young, the women’s buyer for the online shopping site Denimandsole.com is quick to point out that, “our voices are finally starting to get heard. There’s tons of blogs about female heads and campaigns are popping up to get women’s attention from different sneaker brands. It’s only going to get better.”

We’ve come a long way from 1982 when Reebok’s white leather Freestyle was seen as the greatest footwear ever made for ladies. While Reebok may have been the first to break into the market, they’ve actually fallen behind as Nike in particular, has stepped up to the plate and appears to be giving us ladies what we want.