SKECHERS Signs Ringo Starr

Oct 20, 2014 • 9:00 am EDT

Legendary Drummer and Recording Artist Turned Style Icon Set to Appear in Relaxed Fit® Footwear Campaign

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The world’s most famous drummer—Ringo Starr—will be bringing his legendary talents and style to SKECHERS where he’s set to appear in the footwear company’s global marketing campaign for SKECHERS Relaxed Fit footwear. The new multimedia campaign featuring Ringo will begin in Spring 2015.

Ringo Starr (Image courtesy of Rob Shanahan)

Ringo Starr (Image courtesy of Rob Shanahan)

Ringo’s campaign will kick off with a new television spot that follows the humorous tone that has become a signature of the Relaxed Fit footwear commercials. Up until now, the series has focused on celebrities from the sports world including Joe Montana, Mark Cuban, Joe Namath, Pete Rose, as well as Mariano Rivera in ads coming early next year. The campaign starring Ringo Starr will extend across all media with the musician also appearing in print, outdoor, online and point-of-sale materials through June 2016.

“We are incredibly excited to be working with such an amazing world-renowned artist as Ringo Starr,” said Michael Greenberg, president of SKECHERS. “Ringo possesses the charm, cool charisma and instant global recognition that will elevate awareness for our popular Relaxed Fit footwear collection both in the United States and especially around the world. And his recent modeling gig with a high-end designer shows Ringo is not only a music icon, but also a style icon. As we move from the sports world to the music world with this campaign, Ringo is the perfect ambassador to illustrate how our comfortable footwear helps keep you relaxed in any situation.”

After more than a half century in the music industry, Ringo has released 17 solo albums and continues to tour the globe with his All Starr Band. Beyond his acclaim in the recording industry, this year the artist released a children’s book—Octopus’s Garden—adapted from the whimsical song he wrote 46 years ago. Ringo is also known for his philanthropy and his involvement with the anti-violence #peacerocks campaign through the David Lynch Foundation being one recent example that led to his winning at the GQ Men of the Year Awards for his humanitarian work.

Relaxed Fit from SKECHERS footwear offers fashionable appeal with a spacious design that features a roomier fit, a unique Skechers Memory Foam footbed and instant comfort. The men’s footwear line is available in SKECHERS retail stores as well as department and footwear stores worldwide.

ABOUT RINGO STARR

In January 2014, Ringo Starr's musical legacy was celebrated when The David Lynch Foundation honored him with the ‘Lifetime of Peace & Love Award.’ The event included star-studded tributes to Ringo’s extensive catalog that was broadcast on AXS July 13, 2014. Participating artists included Joe Walsh, Ben Harper, Ben Folds, Brendan Benson, Bettye LaVette, The Head & The Heart and Jesse Elliot and Lindsey McWilliams of Ark Life, with an equally stellar backing band featuring Don Was, Benmont Tench, Peter Frampton, Steve Lukather and Kenny Arnoff.

Also in January, Ringo performed his song “Photograph” on the GRAMMYS, by him jumping on the kit during his old band mate, Paul McCartney’s performance. Ringo & Paul then performed together again the following evening, this time playing several songs for the Emmy Award-nominated taping of CBS’ “The Beatles, A Grammy Salute; The Night That Changed America,” celebrating the 50th Anniversary of their first U.S. visit and appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.

In February, "Octopus's Garden," a children's book based on Ringo's lyrics, was published. This book arrived on the heels of December's PHOTOGRAPH limited-edition book, a personal collection of rare and previously unseen photographs.

About SKECHERS USA, Inc.

SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX), based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle footwear for men, women and children, as well as performance footwear for men and women. SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States via department and specialty stores, Company-owned SKECHERS retail stores and its e-commerce website, and in over 100 countries and territories through the Company’s international network of subsidiaries in Canada, Brazil, Chile, Japan, and across Europe, as well as through joint ventures in Asia and distributors around the world. For more information, please visit skechers.com, and follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/SKECHERS) and Twitter (twitter.com/SKECHERSUSA).

This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company’s future growth, financial results and operations, its development of new products, future demand for its products and growth opportunities, its planned opening of new stores, advertising and marketing initiatives, and the expansion and automation plans for the Company’s European Distribution Center. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking language such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will result,” “could,” “may,” “might,” or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include the resignation of the Company’s former independent registered public accounting firm, and its withdrawal of its audit reports with respect to certain of the Company’s historical financial statements; international, national and local general economic, political and market conditions including the ongoing global economic slowdown and market instability; entry into the highly competitive performance footwear market; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers, decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, and its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2014. The risks included here are not exhaustive. The Company operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and the companies cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can the companies assess the impact of all such risk factors on their respective businesses or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance.

SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Jennifer Clay
310-937-1326

Source: SKECHERS USA, Inc.