Marc Fisher to Launch Inaugural Men’s Shoe Collection
Marc Fisher has a rich history in footwear.
The son of Nine West cofounder Jerome Fisher, Marc Fisher established his own eponymous brand in 2005. But up until now, he’s only created women’s shoes under that label.
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That’s about to change.
For spring, the company will launch Marc Fisher LTD Men’s, a curated and comfortable collection of footwear staples designed to take guys from work to play. The 10 styles cover a wide range of styles, from sneakers and sandals to loafers and boots. And they’re affordably priced to fill what Fisher sees as a void in the market.
He said that for the last 10 years, he’s been producing men’s footwear for the licensed brands in his portfolio that include Easy Spirit, Calvin Klein, Nine West, Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, Bandolino and others. “So we’ve been in the men’s business in a small way,” he said. But within the last two to three years, he said the men’s component of the business has been growing dramatically and he saw his opening.
“When I was out in the market doing my homework, I saw a big white space in the better, $150 to $200, nice, quality men’s shoes for the contemporary customer 25 to 50 years old,” he said. “Our men’s business has tripled in the last three years so it felt like now was the right time.”
The catalyst, he said, was that so many men are returning to work and searching for comfortable, versatile options that they can wear all day. “We’re doing nice dress shoes, loafers, Chelsea boots,” he said. “It’s a well-rounded line.”
And the prices hit a sweet spot, he believes. “There are a lot of great high-end brands and then there’s the under $70, more moderate part of the business. We want to deliver for the guy who doesn’t want to spend $400 on his shoes.”
Amanda Fisher, Marc Fisher’s daughter and vice president of product development and design, said the company called on a large focus group of men aged 25 to 45 to find out what they were looking for in their footwear. “They wanted nice, quality, casual shoes they could wear for work or play,” she said.
Although there are sneakers within the assortment, they’re different from those offered by the major sports brands or luxury players. “They’re more luxe casual,” her father said.
All of the models are called by men’s names, including the Aiden sneaker, the Cooper and Danny boots and the Frank and Garry loafers, which are offered in neutral shades as well as blues and grays in leather or suede with minimal details.
The initial line is intentionally tight, Amanda Fisher said, to keep from confusing guys with too many choices. “We didn’t want to overthink it,” she said. “It will evolve, but it we will keep it focused.”
The men’s shoes will be sold primarily online at the company’s e-commerce site, but will also be carried at retailers including Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Zappos. “We’ve worked hard developing great partnerships with retailers,” Marc Fisher said, “and we’ve created a nice niche in ladies. They trust us to provide outstanding quality and great value to their customers.”
Marc Fisher said he expects the dressier models to perform the best out of the box for men’s. That would mirror what’s going on in the women’s side of the business. “Our dressy business is off the charts,” he said. “Women want to look feminine again and guys are sick of sweatpants. There is an oversaturation of sneakers in the market and people want to look a little dressier again.”
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