Voguereports that Sophia Grace, an M.A. candidate in shoe design at Cordwainers at the London College of Fashion, has won the Browns Shoe Competition. The competition was launched in celebration of the launch of Browns' first standalone shoe boutique in London earlier this year.
"Sofia Grace stood out as the winner because, at such a young age, she already has a strong signature and a great personality which shines through her creations. They are fun, girlie, polished, elegant and very wearable! With still one more year at college Sofia is extremely creative and has some excellent ideas. I look forward to seeing how she develops, " Erin Mullaney, Browns buying director and member of the judging panel, tells VOGUE.COM.
"I am extremely pleased to have been given this award by such a prestigious and respected company as Browns. As a young designer, I am naturally thrilled and very grateful for this exciting and unique opportunity," says Grace.
Vogue says Grace's shoes will now sit alongside high-end footwear from designers including Christian Louboutin, Giuseppe Zanotti and Yves Saint Laurent in Browns shoe boutique. The shoes will go on sale in August and cost £600, about $992 U.S.
The Timberland Company has unveiled its Earthkeepers 2.0 boot. The boot was designed to be disassembled and recycled, rather than discarded. The boots may be returned to any Timberland store for recycling at the end of their life cycle. They will arrive in stores this fall.
"We can be deliberate about designing the 'greenest' footwear out there -- but if at the end of the day those products still end up in a landfill, we haven’t really closed the loop on our environmental responsibility," sad Brian Moore, VP Men's Product. "With Earthkeepers 2.0, we have an opportunity to influence the environmental impact of our products in a way we haven’t before – after the point of purchase."
Timberland says 80% of the Earthkeepers 2.0 boot can be recycled or re-used, including:
Leather that is refurbished at the company's factory in the Dominican Republic.
Green Rubber soles that will go back to a Green Rubber factory in Georgia for recycling. Green Rubber's D-Link technology breaks down tire-rubber so that it can be recycled repeatedly back into new products, including Timberland outsoles.
Removable metal hardware that can be reused in new footwear or recycled.
Polyester lining that can be recycled into new polyester products.
British shoe retailer Mr Shoes has filed for bankruptcy protection. The company, which is by former Olympic runner Mike Tagg, has 23 stores plus an online business. Retail Weeksays the company is hunting for a buyer.
Joint administrator David Whitehead from Larking Gowen said: “Unfortunately Mr Shoes is a victim of the recession and the problems retailers in the UK are facing. We are hopeful of keeping 14 of the stores open, unfortunately this means in the region of 60 people are likely to lose their jobs.
The business employs 130 people and had an annual turnover of £7m.
Whitehead added: “We have high hopes of being able to find a buyer for the company as it’s a good business with a sound pedigree that has fallen foul of these difficult trading conditions.”
Drapersreports that Mr. Shoes hopes to keep 14 of its 23 stores open.
Missoni has partnered with Converse to create shoes with Missoni's chevron zig-zag pattern. WWDsays Tai Missoni, patriarch of the family-owned company, was spotted wearing the Converse high-tops before Saturday's show in Milan. Vogue UK says the high-tops will be out for spring/summer 2010.
Finish Line is exiting its unprofitable Man Alive business. The company is selling its 75 Man Alive stores to a new entity called Man Alive Acquisition, LLC that is controlled by Jimmy Khezrie, the owner and operator of Jimmy Jazz stores. IndyStar.com says Man Alive was sold for $7 million.
"This transaction will allow us to exit our unprofitable Man Alive business and focus our time and resources on our successful core Finish Line business and thereby generate enhanced shareholder value," said Glenn Lyon, the Company's Chief Executive Officer. "We are confident that MA, through the guidance of Jimmy Jazz an established and growing leader in the urban apparel market, will help Man Alive achieve its true long-term potential. We very much appreciate the dedication of Lou Spagna, President of Man Alive, and his entire team as they have worked to adjust the Man Alive business to a changed retail climate. We are proud of all the employees who have worked so hard to serve customers and are pleased that MA has committed to retaining the field staff at the Man Alive locations."
NME reports that Green Day's Mike Dirnt has designed a vegan trainer in collaboration with vegan shoe manufacturers Macbeth. The shoe is called the 45 RPM Schubert.
NME says that Mike Dirnt is not a vegetarian but he has been erroneously nominated for Peta2's "Sexiest Vegetarian" several times.
Mike Dirnt's shoes can be purchased here for $79.99 a pair.
Becki Newton is so hilarious on Ugly Betty: we love her. Becki takes the cover of the July issue of Lucky magazine. This issue is all about affordable fashion, which Becki says she loves. In the interview, she shares her fashion and beauty tip, such as this one (which is so true): "Every girl needs a classic jean jacket in her wardrobe. But you have to make sure the arms are fitted, otherwise it's just boxy and weird."
In this video Becki
talks about finding great clothes on the cheap and why she's so excited to have landed the cover of one of her favorite magazines. Take a look:
Catherine Malandrino has revamped her website to include an online shopping section. The site also include runway show videos, lookbooks and the usual information about events, news and store location. Catherine Malandrino also opened a boutique in Harrod's in London last week.
WWDreports that Eddie Van Halen's company ELVH Inc has sued Nike for copyright infringement of the "red-white-and-black-striped pattern" on Van Halen's Frankenstat guitar. ELVH argues that some of Nike's Dunk Low shoes infringe on the pattern. ELVH also released a line of men's sneakers based on the Frankenstat pattern earlier this year.
Citing "irreparable harm and damage," ELVH is asking for the impoundment and destruction of all the shoes in question, as well as all profits from the sale of the shoes and damages.
As previously reported by Footwear News, Van Halen released a line of men's high-and low-top sneakers featuring the Frankenstein design earlier this spring though licensee New Jersey-based FEA Merchandising, a company specializing in recording-artist merchandise.
Nike said that they believe the lawsuit to be without merit and they "infringed on any rights held by Mr. Van Halen."
Photos: (left) Eddie Van Halen's Guitar (sourece (right) Nike Dunk Low sneaker
Selfridges invited celebrities and designers including Naomi Campbell, Matthew Williamson, Sam Taylor Wood, Paul Smith and Manolo Blahnik to customize Havianas as part of an auction to raise money for CLIC Sargent, a UK children's cancer charity. The auction runs until July 3rd. You can find the auction listings here.
Shoe lovers will rejoice. Jimmy Choo is
designing a line of less expensive shoes for H&M.
The luxury shoe line, which is a red carpet favorite of stars like Kate Hudson, Vanessa Hudgens, Jessica Alba, Beyonce and more, will not only be creating a women's and men’s collection of shoes, bags and accessories, but will be extending its range to a women's clothing line. This marks the first designer accessory collaboration for H&M. Jimmy Choo for H&M will hit stores November 14, 2009 with shoe styles ranging from $60-$200– a steal compared to Jimmy Choo's $500+ prices.
Paris Hilton invited the MySpace team into her home to see closets and they are amazing. First she starts in her shoe closet. Then we see her jewelry and sunglasses collection. After that, we move on to her real closet which is more like a store than a closet. Alas, we didn't have time for a full handbag tour. She's right. It is huge. Take a look:
Keds has announced the launch of a designer collaboration with Barneys New York and Loomstate, a design house dedicated to utilizing organic cotton. The collection includes five prints based on the Keds classic Champion silhouette. The shoes are comprised of 100% certified organic uppers and linings, nickel free eyelets and 100% recycled insole boards. To further reduce the product's carbon footprint, Keds will take recycled shoeboxes and re-purpose them as the shoeboxes for the Keds by Loomstate collection. The Keds by Loomstate shoes will cost $75 and will be sold exclusively at select Barneys New York stores nationwide and barneys.com.
"It could not be more perfect timing to bring into the fashion forefront the rich, classic, American heritage that Keds initiated in 1916," said Julie Gilhart, senior vice president, fashion director of Barneys New York. "Mixing the tradition of Keds with the new stylish, organic culture of Loomstate and the search for integrity and quality of product at Barneys makes for an amazing project and a perfect collaboration."
A percentage of proceeds from the shoe sales will be donated to The Organic Exchange through 1% For The Planet. The mission of The Organic Exchange is to deliver sustained environmental, economic and social benefits through expansion of organic agriculture.
Loomstate also has a collection of women's apparel with Barneys New York called Barneys for Loomstate for Barneys Green - see here.
Brandweek reports that Payless ShoeSource will be launching a line of Star Trek Airwalks at its stores this fall. The shoes are part of a licensing deal with CBS Consumer Products. They will be designed by jeffstaple. The shoes carry the Star Trek insignia. They are expected to sell for about $50.
These metal detecting sandles will let you hunt for treasure as you casually stroll around the beach. The Metal Detecting Sandals have a copper coil built into the right sandal. The coil is powered by a battery pack that straps to your calf by an elastic band. Using beat frequency oscillation technology that creates a magnetic field, the battery pack alerts you to the presence of metal up to 2' underfoot by using flashing red LED lights and either a gentle vibration or a buzz noise. The Metal Detecting Sandals require one 9-volt battery (not included) that provide up to six hours of use.
"The Metal Detecting Sandals can be used to detect buried treasure or worn just for leisure by detaching the battery pack," says Hammacher Schlemmer's General Manager, Fred Berns.
The Metal Detecting Sandals retail for $59.95 and can be purchased here at Hammacher Schlemmer.
Vogue 
British shoe retailer 
Brandweek 
