In the past several years the share of the footwear market commanded by hiking shoes and other outdoor and utility footwear has increased substantially. Much of that growth has come out of what previously was the domain of sports makers -- daily outdoor shoes as fashion statement.
Statistical evidence indicates that hiking-style shoes and boots are in a "take off" position as a high visibility fashion item in much the same way that athletic footwear was in the last decade. This area of footwear trade had total sales of more than $1.3 billion in 1993. This growth was apparently caused by the increasing popularity of outdoor activities such as hiking and rock climbing.
To capitalize on this trend in the footwear market, Cliffhanger Sports has developed a line of outdoor styled shoes and boots. Their designers have developed a line of uniquely styled products that incorporate hiking and climbing accessories into the design of their shoes as well as not forgetting about the aspects of a high quality product. The products will be licensed under the Jansport name and will be distributed with their existing product lines.
The general market share for some major footwear categories for men's and women's shoes is as follows, according to the breakdown March 28, 1994 issue of the industry trade journal, Footwear News:
Boot Categories 16.0 16.1 16.0
("Women's footwear breakdown," 1994)
Several observations should be made. There is a curious inconsistency between this tabulated data and other repeated published expressions of excitement over growth in outdoor and work-related footwear styles. The rugged outdoor footwear market contains footwear from several categories such as hiking, utility boots, outdoor cross training, and sport sandals. With outdoor activities increasing, the footwear market has apparently developed shoes for each activity. River rafting is becoming popular and sport sandals have evolved fo...