The Substance of Style - Technology matters, but shoe companies are increasingly cultivating new sales approaches driven by fashion and comfort ...
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TennisIndustry
D I S T I N G U I S H E D F A FCOI LOI TT W
Y-EOAFR- T H E -Y E A R A W A R D S
C O U RSTH OC EO NTSRTERNUDCST I O N
The Substance of Style
Technology matters, but shoe companies
are increasingly cultivating new sales approaches
driven by fashion and comfort.
By Kent Oswald
30 TennisIndustry June 2018 www.tennisindustrymag.com
In a marketplace that swings between a focus on
form and a focus on function, the pendulum currently
veers far from how shoes perform.
sport alone,” he says, “I think you will
see the product change.”
Lightness and Comfort
While journeying to the same destina-
tion, shoe brands are not following the
same path as they try to represent that
coveted emotion and attitude. Accord-
ing to Antoine Oui, a footwear and
apparel category line senior manager
for Wilson at the French Annecy Design
hile manufacturers are improving dura- Center, the company is focused on
bility, reducing weight and enhancing “long-lasting comfort” as a key feature
stability and support for their high- of its shoes in 2018.
performance tennis footwear, custom- “Clearly lightness and comfort are
ers are shopping as if unaware and the main aspects expected by consum-
unimpressed by the latest technological ers as long as performance and support
advances. It could be that because shoes are not understated,” he says. “There is
don’t touch the ball, players feel there no more space for heavy ‘brick’ shoes
is nothing else they need to consider anymore. Players are looking for no-
about what is on their feet except for its distraction, stylish footwear.”
comfort and style. It is in this spirit in which the Wilson
Perhaps that leans too far to the Kaos 2.0 SFT was developed. Research
hyperbolic, but it is the rare customer for the shoe included interviews with
who auditions shoes like they would a juniors spending 10 to 20 hours a week
new racquet, narrowing five or six pos- on court and focused on creating a
sibilities down to the eventual one they lighter, more flexible ride—yet still
choose based on how they handle on durable enough for their games—that
the court. In a marketplace that swings will leave them with “no pain, whatever
between a focus on form and a focus on the number of hours spent on court.”
function, the pendulum currently veers In the same vein, says Yonex USA The Axilus Energized
far from how shoes perform. Marketing Manager Alyssa Yoneyama, debuted in March and
helped Fila showcase
D’Wayne Edwards, who started at “We focused more on ‘comfort’ with footwear in both the
LA Gear before serving as Nike’s lead Sonicage”—the shoe they introduced sport and style arenas.
designer for Air Jordan—and, more this year. While the company’s Eclip-
recently, as a founder of the Pensole sion shoe continues as its flagship for
Footwear Design Academy in Portland, competitive players whose primary According to Lauren Mallon, Fila’s
Ore.—encourages students interested in requirement is stability, a goal of the director of marketing and strategic
designing tennis shoes to play the sport new Sonicage was to give it more of a partnerships for tennis, a selling point
to understand player needs. “casual, lifestyle” appeal. for the signature Fila silhouette from
“Tennis shoes require a lot of func- Cultivating a fashion-forward style as the Heritage Category is that it reflects
tional solutions to help aid players a sales driver is also a significant aspect “the brand’s rich history in tennis,
to move, stop and plant themselves of Fila’s strategy. Fila launched limited- while embracing current trends.” It
more than any other shoe for any other edition shoes at the BNP Paribas Open also paired well with the other shoe
sport,” he says. Today’s athlete, from for the second year in a row. premiering at the BNP Paribas Open,
lowliest amateur to highest profes- Building on a partnership with the like the Axilus Energized, designed for
sional, has “a better sense of self and tournament, in which Fila dresses aggressive players.
individualism,” adds Edwards. on- and off-court staff, the company “Combined with the collaborative
“If the brands can just design tennis expanded its on-site product offerings releases, we were able to showcase our
shoes that represent the emotion and with the Fila x BNP Paribas Open footwear offerings in both the sport and
attitude of their players and not the Original Tennis 2.0 Knit shoe. style spaces,” explains Mallon.
www.tennisindustrymag.com June 2018 TennisIndustry 31
TennisIndustry
D I S T I N G U I S H E D F A FCOI LOI TT W
Y-EOAFR- T H E -Y E A R A W A R D S
C O U RSTH OC EO NTSRTERNUDCST I O N
K-Swiss designed the
Ultrashot (women's at top,
men's below) to appeal to
the younger competitive
player, counting on brand
loyalty for the long run.
companies are employing that should
soon bring new styles between the lines.
Adidas recently introduced a lifestyle
shoe, the Deerupt, that was designed
in part with a particular profile based
on how people show off their kicks on
Instagram. Adidas is also investing in
“speed factories,” which use digital
designs and robot labor to let players
receive personalized shoes within days
of them doing their own design work
based on digital templates.
Even as he emphasizes the impor-
Whether the focus is on style or performance, tance of technology and function,
success for shoe sales depends on sending a message that Pensole’s Edwards believes advances in
style are just as significant.
the target audience wants to receive. “The collision between art and design
is going to grow,” he says. “I say ‘art’
because art is a very personal expres-
Sending the Right Message with products that are lightweight, have sion that you don’t care if someone
Whether the focus is on style or perfor- a modern design and with material likes, which means it has no rules.
mance, success for shoe sales depends stories as well.” Design has rules and it is usually cre-
on sending a message that the target The example he highlights is the ated for someone else. I look forward to
audience wants to receive. company’s new Ultrashot, designed seeing what artists do with design—and
For K-Swiss, that means—accord- to appeal to the younger competitive what designers do with art.”
ing to Global Director for Tennis Mike player with whom brand loyalty should Form. Function. The pendulum of
Miringoff—offering shoes that provide yield long-term payoffs. customer attention swings one way, and
“innovative technologies that can be ap- While not yet specific to the tennis one day will swing back to the other. But
plied for on-court play and off the court, category, there are other strategies shoe for now, style and comfort rule.
32 TennisIndustry June 2018 www.tennisindustrymag.com
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