Stride Rite
Since 1919, the Stride Rite brand has been renowned for children’s shoes engineered for proper fit and foot development. For over a decade, I led the product design team entrusted with upholding this legacy and evolving it for the contemporary consumer. Generations of families had turned to Stride Rite for their children’s first shoes, and our goal was to not only uphold this tradition but inspire them to come back for their second and third shoes as well. My philosophy was to build upon the foundational stride rite attributes of fit, quality, and durability and add contemporary styling, solve problems for modern parents, and capture the imagination of the evolving kid consumer.
In line with Stride Rite’s core tenets, I led the team to develop Soft Motion, built for the cruising stage (the transition between crawling and standing). The premise of this technology started from the inside out, with a foot-shaped last, rounded heel, and a super-flexible construction. It broke from traditional lasting techniques, with the upper stitched to the outsole perimeter to eliminate bulky layers under the foot, promoting ultimate flexibility.
Coming off the heels of introducing Soft Motion, we developed a technology for the next stage of foot development, Sensory Response Technology, scientifically proven to enhance early walking and full mobility. SRT was a multi-year innovation project aligning with our goal of staying ahead of the competition as the preeminent brand for young children learning to walk.
Click the SRT and soft motion buttons below for more info regarding these patented technologies.
When Sharon John joined the company as the Stride Rite Children’s Group president, her previous experience with Hasbro and Mattel aided with our goal of reaching slightly older kids through product, collaborations, and marketing. She not only connected us with several evergreen licensed properties, but she challenged us to innovate in the kid’s space with concepts and technology warranting more significant kid-directed marketing spends, where previous Stride Rite marketing efforts were solely directed to parents. We embraced this direction with open arms and developed a stream of new product technologies: Superball, Slingshot, X-CeleRacers, Cy-Botz, and Glitzy Pets, several of which earned design and utility patents.
