SKECHERS Foundation Launches After-School Shoe Design Program for Students Nationwide
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX), a global leader in the footwear industry and the number two footwear brand in the United States,* today announced that the Company has partnered with After-School All-Stars (ASAS) to launch a shoe design program for students in schools across the United States beginning in March 2011.
"The SKECHERS Foundation is proud to provide funding and support to organizations like After-School All-Stars, which are committed to helping disadvantaged youth," said SKECHERS president Michael Greenberg. "By offering children free academic, health and fitness programs and unique opportunities like shoe design classes, we're finding new ways to connect with children across the nation - and are seeing that even smaller companies with limited budgets can find new, innovative ways to excite and engage our kids."
In February 2011, the inaugural SKECHERS shoe design program brought 25 ASAS students from Griffith Middle School in East Los Angeles to the SKECHERS corporate headquarters in Manhattan Beach, California. During the four-week program, students attended classes led by SKECHERS footwear designers, with the goal of producing an actual prototype shoe at the end of the course. The initial design program was so successful, it will now launch in schools nationwide.
Students participating in the national program will learn about the creative process and mechanics of footwear design through a curriculum developed by the SKECHERS Fitness Group design team. Students will submit their final shoe artwork to SKECHERS' corporate headquarters and five top finalists will be selected. The winning shoe design will then be chosen through a vote on SKECHERS' and After-School All-Stars' Facebook pages, with the possibility of being manufactured into an actual SKECHERS shoe.
"This new partnership with SKECHERS is a fantastic example of how businesses can give back to the community and make a meaningful difference to kids," said former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, founder of After-School All-Stars. "It's so important to inspire our youth by exposing them to new, exciting opportunities. A creative career like footwear design is something most kids don't even know about. The kids in our programs get really excited when they learn about jobs like this. Through hands-on experiences made possible by our partnership with SKECHERS, we're giving children a huge head start in their academic and professional lives."
ASAS is one of several children's programs and charities that SKECHERS supports; others include the BOBS footwear collection and the annual SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk through the SKECHERS Foundation. The Foundation also seeks to help neighborhoods, villages and cities around the world, from donating shoes to Hurricane Katrina victims to funds for those affected by the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
ABOUT SKECHERS USA, Inc.
SKECHERS USA, Inc., based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of footwear for men, women and children under the SKECHERS name, as well as under several uniquely branded names. 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 global network of distributors and subsidiaries in Canada, Brazil, Chile, and across Europe, as well as through joint ventures in Asia. For more information, please visit www.skechers.com.
ABOUT AFTER-SCHOOL ALL-STARS
Founded by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1992, After-School All-Stars is a leading national provider of year-round, school-based, comprehensive after-school programs that equip children with the skills and experiences needed to become productive members of the 21st century workforce. Every day, children participate in free programs that include academic support, enrichment opportunities, and health/fitness activities. The organization's mission is to keep children safe and help them succeed in school and in life. Over 81,000 children from families of poverty benefit in 12 U.S. areas: Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area and South Florida. To learn more, visit www.as-as.org or follow www.twitter.com/ASASafterschool.
*Sporting Goods Intelligence, June 21, 2010
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or simply state future results, performance or achievements, and 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 international, national and local general economic, political and market conditions including the 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 Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010. 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 Company cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can the Company 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.
Source: SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Released Mar 14, 2011 • 12:00 pm EDT