Making your own footwear at home won’t have to include cardboard, duct tape and those slippers you refused to throw out soon enough: A top executive at Nike says he thinks customers will someday be able to 3D print their own customized sneakers at home (or in Nike stores, for those without 3D printers at home). [More]
shoes
Adidas Lawsuit Claims Skechers Ripped Off Its Popular “Stan Smith” Shoe Design
By 9.16.15
Adidas is suing fellow shoe peddlers Skechers, claiming in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday that Skechers’ “Onix” sneaker rips off the design of its “Stan Smith” shoe. [More]
Madewell Recalls 50,900 Pairs Of Shoes That Could Cause Wearers To Trip And Fall
By 8.21.15
You’re just strolling along, feeling fine and looking good in your new, $60 Madewell sandals when suddenly, you trip and fall. It’s not you — or at least, it might not just be your own personal clumsiness — the J. Crew-owned company says 50,600 pairs of sandals it sold in the U.S. and Canada have a metal shank that can dislodge from the inside of the shoe and break through the bottom of the outsole, posing a fall hazard. [More]
Converse Gives Chuck Taylor Sneakers A Makeover For The First Time In 98 Years
By 7.24.15
What’s old is new again: Converse has updated the design of its signature Chuck Taylor sneakers for the first time in the shoes’ 98 years on this planet. [More]
Coach Steps Up Its Shoe Game, Buys Footwear Brand Stuart Weitzman For $530M
By 1.6.15
There are just way too many puns to be made about buying a shoe company so let’s get them out of the way now: The shoe apparently fits just right for Coach, which announced its stepping up its footwear game by shelling out $530 million to buy its very own brand, Stuart Weitzman Holdings LLC. [More]
Store Owner Giving Away Hundreds Of Pairs Of New Shoes To Any And All School Kids In Town
By 9.9.14
On the one hand, hundreds of pairs of brand new shoes could fetch a pretty penny for the seller. But on the other hand, as one New Jersey store owner figured, there are kids out there who could use some free footwear. [More]
You Can Now Buy Pre-Muddied Sneakers For Only $215
By 8.14.14
Because we all know the inconvenience of having too much money and not enough stuff to spend it on, you can now kill two birds with one stone: Never worry about getting your spanking white shoes dirty by buying pre-muddied kicks for the bargain price of $215. Saves you time and stress over the inevitable, and provides a way to dispose of that extra income. [More]
The Only Occasions Women Need Shoes For In Nine West’s World: Finding A Husband, Taking Kids To School
By 8.4.14
Good news, women of the world! The only occasions you’re going to have in your life to buy shoes boil down to finding your first husband and taking the kids to school. At least, according to Nine West’s “Shoe Occasions” category, which includes two lonely entries: “Starter Husband Hunting” and “First Day of Kindergarten.” [More]
Bare Feet Will Remain Unshod If You’re Relying On This Ohio Target Store
By 7.10.14
Consumerist reader Mark has a problem: He needs some summer shoes. Simple, right? But while he was hoping to buy a pair at his local Target in Columbus, Ohio, alas, he has been greeted by a sad scene not once, but twice recently. [More]
Inflatable Sock Patented By eBay Could Change How Consumers Shop For Shoes Online
By 7.7.14
Have you ever ordered a pair of shoes online only to receive them and they don’t fit? Well, to rid consumers of the hassle that is ordering, returning and reordering, eBay has invented an inflatable sock to fit every shoe shape. [More]
Timberland Boots Have A Lifetime Warranty, Unless You’re In Prison
By 6.15.14 — Updated: 1.20.17
Prison commissaries sell basic consumer goods like deodorant and snacks, and also optional clothing items like socks and work boots. A reader’s letter brought a dilemma to our attention: the regular warranty exchange procedures don’t work when you’re in prison and can’t receive outside mail. [More]
Who Throws A Shoe? A Shopkeeper Fending Off Armed Robbers, That’s Who
By 9.17.13
A snaggle-toothed time-traveling Brit once asked a question for the ages: “Who throws a shoe?” Friends, the answer to that Powersian question is: “Someone who has nothing else on hand but needs to fight off armed robbers.” A Manchester shopkeeper over in the United Kingdom flew in the face of that incredulous question, fending off intruders with his footwear. [More]
These Shoes Crush Hope For The Future Of Our Children Under Their Hidden, Bedazzled Heels
By 2.20.13
WARNING: If you want your hope for the future of our children to remain undimmed, you should probably stop reading this. Otherwise, the haunting jingle accompanying the commercial for “Daddy’s Money Secret Wedges” will stomp your vision of a world where everything isn’t focused on image, wealth and material goods into a dark, globby puddle of woe. [More]
Rockport Sends Me Same Size Shoes, Different Sized Insoles
By 2.4.13
If Aaron had different-sized feet, he’d be all set. Well, also if his shoes were different sizes. Neither is true. He ordered some Rockport shoes more than a year ago, then set them aside. When he opened the box, he discovered that they had two different size insoles. How does that happen? He doesn’t know, but Rockport isn’t willing to send him a replacement insole. [More]
Converse, Twitter Customer Non-Service, And The Amazing Self-Destructing Sneakers
By 8.29.12
Maybe Tim is being irrational, but he was under the impression that if he spent $100 on a pair of shoes, he could depend on the soles to not fall apart inside of a year. Sure, he lives in New York City and puts a lot of miles on his shoes, but isn’t that the point of shoes? When his first pair of Converse by John Varvatos wore out, he bought another. He really liked the shoes, except for the pesky hole in the heel. When the second pair fell apart within six months too, he sought help from Converse. Apparently, Converse has never helped a customer with a complaint about the longevity of their shoes before, because they don’t seem to know how to deal with an unhappy customer. Or maybe their passing Tim around to different places and departments and ignoring his messages is their policy. [More]
New Shoes Hurt, New Balance Replaces Them
By 5.18.12
Sean’s new shoes hurt his feet. When he realized that this wasn’t because he was out of shape or had bought the wrong size, he figured it had been too long since buying the shoes, and he wouldn’t be able to return them. Not so when the shoes were from New Balance, purveyors of sneaker awesomeness. [More]
How To Make Your Shoes Last Longer
By 3.12.12
Your shoes are probably the single most expensive piece of clothing you wear every day, and are undoubtedly the garment you put under the most stress and expect the most out of. Take care of them and you can get some extra mileage out of your clothing budget. [More]
Millions Of Women Are Joining Shoe-Of-The-Month Clubs
By 12.29.11
Would you like to have a new pair of shoes in your favorite styles sent to you every month, at a discount, without having to visit stores to try them on, or slog through online catalog pages trying to find just the right pair? Millions of women think that this is a great idea, and have joined online shoe-of-the-month clubs like JustFabulous, ShoeDazzle, and ShoeMint. [More]
