FFANY’s August event may be lighter than the other three seasonal market weeks of Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, or, president and chief executive officer of FDRA, which hosts the seasonal FFANY trade show. “The mood is always positive. We have a positive industry. So that’s good, but there’s also a ton of uncertainty in the marketplace.
“We’re analyzing what that looks like and playing out different scenarios and helping our members better prepare,” Priest said. “But our industry is very resilient. So it wasn’t necessarily hand wringing. It was more like, ‘How do we prepare? What are the contingency plans? How do we navigate through this uncertainty?'”CEO of Ground Up International Jack Gindi said the New York-based footwear company has seen positive trends following a slower start to the back-to-school season.
“There’s always something to learn,” Koumoundouros told WWD sister publication FN before the event kicked off on Monday night. “Not only are we studying designer brands because we want to be aspirational, but we’re studying our customer because she has evolved from where we were a few years ago. We want to evolve with her, and we pride ourselves on being customer-centric. So, we thought that this Sip and See was such a great way to engage with our community and build our relationship with them.