FDRA Staff get on to talk about the big stories and issues of 2022 and what they hope and expect for 2023! With special guests: Team FDRA

Explore Milan's Technology Fair for the latest innovations and sustainable solutions within the footwear industry. With special guest: Alice Vago, Secretary General and Project Manager at PISIE, The International Polytechnic for Industrial and Economic Development

We surveyed footwear professionals across the industry on their sustainability efforts and opinions. We found some great insights and some somber facts as well. Join us as we review where we are at and what we need to do to get better!

Laws now require companies to map their supply chains. But how do we ensure we can map out multiple factories and material suppliers to comply? Glad you asked - this episode features one of the leading minds to help us understand what's happening and strategy to comply! With special guest: Rick Horwitch, Chief of Supply Chain & Sustainability Strategy - Bureau Veritas

As FFANY Market Week kicks off, Wolverine Worldwide Lifestyle Brands Group President Katherine Cousins stops by the show to discuss her new role overseeing Sperry, Keds, and Hush Puppies. Charting a course for these iconic footwear heritage brands is top of mind for Katherine as she explores her plans for product, purpose, and creative collabs for each brand in the coming year. With special guest: Katherine Cousins, Group President, Lifestyle brands: Sperry, Keds, Hush Puppies

Matt and Andy are back with the results of FDRA’s 2022 Holiday Shoe Sales Forecast. Listen in as they unpack consumer sentiment for footwear this holiday season. Hosted by: Matt Priest, President & CEO, FDRA and Andy Polk, Senior Vice President, FDRA

Footwear retail execs extraordinaire Marisa Kinney of Red Wing and Alper Aydemir of Volumental stop by Shoe-In to explore Red Wing's wholistic approach to the ultimate fit experience. With a hyper focus on the customer experience, reducing returns, and driving more sustainability, Marisa and Alper have partnered to provide Volumental's FitTech solution to Red Wing shoppers across the country. Learn all about it on this episode. With special guests: Marisa Kinney, Sr. Director, Global Retail, Red Wing Brands of America, Inc. and Alper Aydemir, CEO & Co-Founder, Volumental

Designer, educator, critical thinker, advocate, entrepreneur, leader, author, and all around great guy Jason Mayden joins Shoe-In Show to explain what drove him into sneaker design at such a young age. Fresh from the amazing Black Footwear Forum in Detroit, Jason also drops his wisdom on how to empower more black creatives across all industries and unveils which critical comic book character inspired him to greatness. Pick-up a copy of Jason's design book for kids here.  With special guest: Jason Mayden, CEO + Founder, Trillicon Valley, LLC

Nicole Porpiglia, Senior Manager in the Trade & Customs Practice at KPMG joins Matt and Thomas this week to discuss critical tools and partners trade compliance professionals need to navigate such challenging times. Get up out of the fetal position, off the floor, and empower yourself to tackle issues head-on, all the while listening to this great episode. With special guest: Nicole Porpiglia, Senior Manager in the Trade & Customs Practice, KPMG

Sneaker historian, podcaster, trailblazer, teacher, curator, host, father (you get the picture, Renaissance man) Sean Williams joins Matt and Sandi to explore his love of all things sneaker culture. From his start in Brooklyn to his days now helping support the amazing work of Pensole Lewis College, Sean is working all angles in support of this industry we love. Oh, and he launched a shoe podcast (Obsessive Sneaker Disorder) way back in 2007, so you have Sean to thank for inspiring Shoe-In. With special guest: Sean Williams, Engagement Manager, Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design

FDRA's newest amazing employee Jolie Gracia stops by Shoe-In to discuss with Matt and Sabria her recent arrival to the organization and to share some key insights into her background. As you can imagine, we're all excited Jolie is here! With special guest: Jolie Gracia, Marketing and Events Assistant, FDRA

Industry veteran Greg Tunney is back, this time at the helm of the iconic Canadian brand Manitobah Mukluks. Joining Greg is Daman Morissette, Director of Social Impact, as they explore the rich and proud history of their brand's partnership with indigenous artisans and peoples making amazing footwear. With special guests: Greg Tunney, Chief Executive Officer, President and Member of the Board of Directors at Manitobah Mukluks and Daman Morissette, Director of Social Impact at Manitobah Mukluks

First Insight CEO Greg Petro joins to discuss holiday and 2023 retail outlook, strategy and consumer trends. We get into great discussions on retail strategy including price, inventory and how consumers are shifting. We also discuss how First Insight is helping their partners move old inventory strategically! With special guest: Greg Petro, CEO, First Insight

Team FDRA covers some of our latest data and analysis looking at the footwear marketplace - especially related to record imports against already high inventory levels and what that means for pricing. With special guests: Team FDRA

Matt, Thomas, and Andy gather to discuss the recent deal to avoid a rail shutdown and the importance of footwear workers getting involved in the political process this mid term election. FDRA is back with it’s critical shoevoter.info website, empowering American footwear workers to register to vote, find their polling location, understand key voting deadlines, and more! With special guests: TEAM FDRA

Footwear industry veteran Kristin Burrows joins Sandi and Matt to reminisce about her storied career in the shoe industry and unveil the many ways in which OrthoLite is helping footwear companies chart a sustainability course. With special guest: Kristin Burrows, Chief Brand Officer, OrthoLite

Footwear sales have been going well for much of the year, but as summer ends and families have to pay off those vacation bills what does that mean for sales this fall? Team FDRA jumps in to discuss different factors that are impacting consumer income and spending power. A must-listen episode to ensure you prepare for Fall Sales 2022!

Live from a taped discussion at the New York Stock Exchange, listen in as a panel of footwear sourcing experts explore a variety of critical topics impacting shoe sourcing and supply chains in 2022. Wolverine Worldwide's own Jim Zwiers hosts Jung Yoon, Ronnie Robinson, and Tom Iredale for a fascinating discussion you have to hear to believe. With special guests: Jim Zwiers, EVP, Wolverine Worldwide, Jung Yoon, Divisional Vice President of Production and Sourcing, Michael Kors, Ronnie Robinson, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Designer Brands, and Tom Iredale​, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Jones & Vining

Factory compliance and social audit expert James McMichael drops by Shoe-In to discuss the ever-changing compliance landscape facing shoe companies today. With increased regulatory initiatives taking shape and more and more jurisdictions requiring enhanced ESG reporting and supply chain visibility, James' company Mosaic is here to help drive better due diligence and informed compliance for FDRA member companies. With special guest: James McMichael, Founder & Managing Partner, MOSAIC Responsible Supplier Resource

Sneaker Impact CEO Moe Hachem and shoe industry veteran John Licata join Andy and Sandi to talk about their amazing shoe stories and how they drive critical environmental change through Sneaker Impact. Check out sneakerimpact.com to learn more about how to change the world one pair of sneakers at a time. With special guests: Moe Hachem, CEO, Sneaker Impact and John Licata, Founder & President, 360 Consulting Solutions

From Nordstrom to DSW to Sunrise Brands, Michele Love's shoe story is like none other. Join Matt and Andy as they sit back and take in the many epic stories Michele has to offer. And something tells us that in spite of the many years she has already served in the footwear industry, Michele is just getting started. With special guest: Michele Love, CEO, Sunsrise Brands - Footwear & Accessories Division

Industry analyst Sam Poser stops by Shoe-In to discuss what Wall Street's expectations are for the increased inventory levels seen across many consumer goods industries including footwear. Listen in as the boys discuss the difficult nature of demand and product planning during such unprecedented times. With special guest: Sam Poser, Equity Analyst, Williams Trading

Crocs president and shoe industry leader Michelle Poole joins Matt and Sandi as they discuss Michelle's vision and plan to drive Crocs to even greater heights. Listen in as the gang discusses Crocs' ongoing phenomenal success, how Michelle brought relevancy to the iconic brand over the past few years, and her amazing plans to ensure consumers of all stripes keep reaching for a pair when they shop for shoes. Oh, and learn more about Crocs' amazing collaborations from Balenciaga to Post Malone to KFC and even Cinnamon Toast Crunch! With special guest: Michelle Poole, President, Crocs

Matt and Thomas welcome Joel Boff and Arvi Kaur of CohnReznick to explore top savings and risk mitigation methods for footwear companies. This includes the understanding of Pass-Through Entity Taxes (PTET) and discovering the impact nexus studies have on ecommerce sales in various states. Listen to this critical episode and learn more at https://www.cohnreznick.com. With special guests: Joel Boff, Partner, CohnReznick and Arvi Kaur, State & Local Senior Tax Manager, CohnReznick

Wolverine Worldwide President & CEO Brendan Hoffman checks-in with Matt and Andy to discuss his plans to transform the iconic footwear company in the months and weeks ahead. With a strong team and an innovative vision, Brendan shows why he is well-suited to lead Wolverine to new heights. With special guest: Brendan Hoffman, President & CEO, Wolverine Worldwide

Live from New York we have a recording of Team FDRA as they download on all the latest trends and intel from the June FFANY Market Week. Catch up with Matt, Andy, Sandi and Sabria as they explore the many different themes they heard from footwear companies and executives. With special guests: Matt Priest, Andy Polk, Sandi Mines, Sabria Butler

Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero joins Matt and Thomas on Shoe-In to discuss the ongoing labor negotiations between the PMA and the ILWU as the current contract between the two sides expires. Mario also discusses lessons learned during the COVID supply chain crisis, important investments being made for the future movement of goods at the port, and that time the leader of the free world mispronounced his name and it went viral. With special guest: Mario Cordero, Executive Director, Port of Long Beach

Ecomm returns are margin killers, but there is a solution for brands and retailers! This episode explores how Aetrex's technology is helping increase consumer confidence in fit and comfort - boosting sales without returns! With special guests: Matt Schwartz, Chief Revenue Officer, Aetrex, Inc. and Jeff Stern, Senior Vice President, Brand GM at Rocky Brands, Inc.

Rack Room Shoes' fearless leader Mark Lardie joins Shoe-In to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the iconic family footwear retailer. The gang also discusses the multiple once-in-a-generation challenges currently hitting the footwear industry and how Mark's bullish plans for retail, inventory, and personnel are driving the company towards growth. With special guest: Mark Lardie, President & CEO, Rack Room Shoes

The Athlete's Foot's very own Darius Billings, the Sr. Director of Product & Marketing joins Matt and Sabria to discuss his shoe story and the great work that TAF has done to increase African-American representation and ownership in the footwear industry. With special guest: Darius Billings, Sr Director, Product & Marketing, The Athlete's Foot

One of footwear's most active and involved families, the Muskats, stop by Shoe-In to unveil their future company plans as they continue to innovatively transform and evolve Deer Stags in service to their employees, their customers and their industry. A third generation shoe family, Michael, Rick, Danny, Jeni and Jake reveal the many different ways the company is working to pass the torch from one generation to the next...all within the family. With special guests: Michael Muskat, CEO, Rick Muskat, President, Danny Muskat, Senior Vice President, Strategic Business Development and Jake Muskat, Vice President, Sales & Digital Marketing

Sabria and Matt preview all the exciting changes taking place at the Black Footwear Forum in 2022, from the establishment of an experienced Advisory Committee to the regional meet-ups in Boston, Atlanta, New York, Columbus, and Portland to the national event in Detroit. You won't want to miss this! Check out more at blackfootwearforum.com. With special guests: Matt Priest, President & CEO, FDRA and Sabria Butler, Marketing & Events Manager, FDRA

Taken from a fantastic webinar, this episode features Rothy's COO talking about operations, supply chain management and sustainability innovation. The conversation was powered by Centric, who provides the top class PLM for footwear companies. With special guests: Heather Howard, COO, Rothy's and Colleen Grass, Centric Software

Shoe retailers continue to struggle with complex ordering systems and inventory management. But software company Fitted, whose team have a lot of shoe experience, has new tools to help streamline brand and retailer processes, mobilize distribution and optimize relationships. Listen to this great conversation on how retailers are changing how they do business to succeed in this new environment! With special guest: Jennifer Hazard, Director of Sales, Fitted

Salina Ferretti and Rob Perschino stopped by Shoe-in Show to talk about new trends and what's to come at JUNE FFANY in NY. With special guests: Salina Ferretti, CEO, Falc USA and Rob Perschino, GM, Falc USA

Brooks' fearless leader Jim Weber stops by Shoe-In Show to discuss his new book "Running with Purpose" and his inspiring journey as head of one of the world's premier running shoe companies. Join us as Jim shares fascinating stories along his journey from his one-page strategy approach to turning Brooks around to that time he let a voicemail from Warren Buffett go unanswered for five days!! And make sure you buy the book! All book profits will be donated to the Brooks Booster Club to provide performance running footwear, apparel, and funding to under-resourced high school cross country and track teams. Pick it up on the Brooks site or Amazon. With special guest: Jim Weber, CEO, Brooks

There are many pieces to the new economic and business puzzle the footwear industry and shoe professionals are trying to understand to make better decisions. Team FDRA works to fill in some gaps on how inflation, demand, war, inventory and consumer shifts are impacting the shoe business. We also share what we think is coming and how to prepare. With special guest: Gary Raines, Chief Economist, FDRA

Footwear materials are innovating at breakneck speed, but shoes still contain a lot of plastics. Why is that and how is that changing? Ahead of Earth Day we wanted to have a robust discussion on the state of shoe material innovations with Natural Fiber Welding's Alan Lugo and Dr. Stephen Taylor (a soil scientist working on shoe issues!). You'll gain some great insights and wisdom on how to rethink shoe materials and brand sustainability strategy. With special guests: Alan Lugo, Product Strategy Manager, Natural Fiber Welding and Dr. Stephen Taylor, Soil Scientist & Circularity Engineer, Natural Fiber Welding

Dave Powers joins us on this important episode to talk about the great behind the scenes work being done at Deckers Brands on sustainability. More than buzz words, Dave talks about the importance of how authentic leadership and culture ensures success on ESG issues. We also discuss how important purpose is to a strong workforce willing to innovate. Another must-listen episode!

Wolverine's own Tom Kennedy stops by Shoe-In Show to check in with Sandi and Matt on all the latest work boot trends and his approach to diversifying his brands in order to serve a more diverse consumer base.

FDRA's "Supply Chain in Crisis" webinar had some of the industry's top thought leaders discussing what you must be watching as we continue to deal with supply chain headaches. It was so good we had to broadcast it out on Shoe-In to make sure everyone had a chance to listen!

The old world of Excel is crumbling. Data that sits is useless. A new system is being built for a more sustainable future that helps teams visualize, understand data and make better choices at the start. We talk with Material Exchange in this episode about their new updated platform and how it's changing the game for good!

Is inflation the new four-letter word? In this episode, we discuss the many issues and challenges inflation poses to our industry and the economy, with dashes of other random observations and comments on human nature. Yes, this is the latest footwear philosophy episode not to be missed!!!

Industry analyst and sneaker industry expert Chris Burns joins Shoe-In Show again in an attempt to kick-off March Madness in style. As you'll hear, we never really get around to talking basketball as Matt, Andy and Chris explore a plethora of other topics around DTC, e-commerce, NFTs, StockX, brand strategies, and even shoe conspiracies appropriately coined "Shoe-anon." You need a footwear analyst focused on all the right metrics? Chris is your guy.

On this episode we chat with Converse Directors, Tamara Odom and Brodrick Foster and get the inside scoop on what it's like to work at Converse. During this conversation, you'll learn how Converse is committed to diversity and empowering its employees to reach new heights and be their best selves. We also get to hear about the cool projects they're working on, some even featuring NBA superstars! This is a thoughtful and super fun episode that you don't want to miss!

Jazerai Allen-Lord, Founder of True to Size stops by Shoe-In to discuss her latest work and how companies can be greater agents of change to provide safe and fair spaces for workers of color.

The Shoe-In Show BHM '22 series rolls on as Dr. D'Wayne Edwards joins Matt and Sabria to talk about the opening of the Pensole Lewis School of Business & Design in Detroit, his calling to empower black design students in all industries, and his continuation of the amazing and iconic legacy of Dr. Violet Lewis.

Converse executive and FDRA board member Brandis Russell stops by Shoe-In Show to kick off our BHM '22 series by sharing her own shoe story and to talk about the important changes taking place at the newly reimagined Black Footwear Forum.