Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Anna Sui for Hush Puppies

Bright, vivid, fun. The Anna Sui collection is tres Hush Puppies.
Coming soon...

Friday, August 26, 2011

Dog Art

The logo for Hush Puppies prominently and proudly features a Basset Hound, whose real name, if you have been following his adventures, is Jason.  Basset hounds are often referred to as "hush puppies" for that reason. Our "spokes basset" is beloved around the world and reinforces the  fun,optimism of the Hush Puppies brand.

When Hush Puppies celebrated its fiftieth year, an international Dog Art contest was launched. Contestants submitted their artistic interpretations of our beloved Jason. 95 entries were submitted including 25 pieces from children at an art school in the Philippines. Here are a few examples of our cherished Jason, with the quotes from the artists that created them.


Alejandro Lopez, artist, Guanajuato, Mexico.
Un perro con angel (a dog with angel)
 "painting by the traditions of my people, utilizing human shapes and using bright colors"
the artist describes his painting as a moment of relaxation,
"peaceful and quiet, surrounded by the color and folklore of my country."




Tam Huynh, designer, Leicerster, England.
Pup Art
"I was inspired by Andy Warhol's 1950's pop art movement,
in the same decade that Hush Puppies was established in 1958,"
 "The iconic head of the dog is forefront, like a portrait and repeated
  . . .on vivid colors and a 1950's style wallpaper background."

Patti Brinks, student,  Michigan, United States.
On Top of the World II
"I was inspired by the fact that Hush Puppies are sold in over 139 countries.
I took that theme and tied it in with Tibetan prayer flag,"

"People from all over the world travel to climb the mountains in
Tibet and these prayer flags follow them all the way up and down the rugged hills.
I took this idea and applied it to my artwork."

Feng Xinyao, art student, Guangzhou, China.
Patchwork of Basset Hound
 Inspired by the casual and simple designs of the Hush Puppies shoes,
which inspired her to draw a simple dog shape.
The geometric artwork was crafted out of paper with a modern approach.

Melih Kesmen, Witten, Germany.
Animal Painting
Carlos Carrasco, art director and artist from Santiago, Chile.
70s Dog
"Hush Puppies dog has always been brown,
I wanted to change that and put some color on it."

~Sumaiyah Mamun, an architecture student from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The Letter Dog

"Hush Puppies is a global brand, and the world is a place of multiple cultures and languages,
without which we can't express ourselves...
From this thinking . . . we use the mouth, eyes and ears for verbalcommunication.
My doggie has the alphabet of different languages,
 Bangla, English, Chinese, Thai, on these parts."
Samuel Carlos, 7 years old art student. Quezon City, Philippines.
The Wizzard Dog


Vanessa Sosiak, graphic artists, Ontario, Canada.
Winter Wonderland Escape
 Inspired by "Montreal's winter and city nights," for this piece.
The images are fun and inspiring. All dog art is currently being displayed at our headquarters in Rockford Michigan.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

F'11 Trend: Platforms, Wedges and Lacing

Stay current this fall season with  three key items for fall. The Hush Puppies versions of these three trends incorporate rich, worry free suede's, waterproofing (guaranteed for a year) as well as comfort technology.

Brazen $170

Auddie $140


Amberill $130



The revolutionary technology of Incline, with three-levels of comfort has a shock-absorbing heel pad, flexible insole cushioning, and ultra-flexible tread design. These will make wearing the hotest trends the smartest style decision you made this season.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Metro Mag Loving With a Flare

Metro Mag- With a Flare, a fantastic, sweet little little pump.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Nineteen Fifty-Eight: Keepsake cool

Bel-Age September issue features Keepsake $100 and Jillie $110
Comedian Ellen DeGeneres claims to own 30 pairs of Hush Puppies... The Keepsake is fun and full of style. Pull off the man tailored look with the originals.

Keepsake Black/Smoke suede

Relaxed and Comfortable in my Penny Loafers

Spotted all over LA and New York this month... the penny loafer! Stylish and laid back, dressed up of down, its the classic hit of the season.



Stylish in jeans

Pixie Lott dressed up.


Pixie Lott dressed down.




Kelly Osborne dressed down with socks.



Blondelle $100
 

Cognac Blondelle

Caines $160


Hush Puppies Embraces Heritage Trend


Women’s Wear Daily: Footwear News - Wednesday, August 17, 2011
By Barbara Schneider-Levy


When it comes to retro dressing, Hush Puppies wants to get a leg up on the competition.

That's why when the 50-plus-year-old comfort brand decided to create its heritage 1958 Collection — a men’s and women’s line that debuted for fall ’10 — it simply opened up its archives for inspiration.

“Because we have such a rich brand history, we’ve been very intentional in approaching the initial design work on 1958 as more of an archeological exploration than an exercise in reinvention,” said Cory Haberman, VP of global product development and design for Hush Puppies.



He added, “By drawing on past memories and keying in on positive perceptions of our heritage product, we’re able to filter current trends through the Hush Puppies lens and introduce a more fashion-forward consumer to the virtues upon which the brand was founded.”

For spring ’12, Haberman is paying homage to the company’s legendary Earl, a unisex slip-on style that has been reinterpreted with Hush Puppies’ signature suede and a palette of oranges and blues. “Put simply, it’s the shoe that the brand was founded upon,” said Haberman.


Here, Haberman discusses the brand’s attempt to blend the old with the new.

 
What is the role of comfort in the 1958 Collection?



CH: Comfort is an integral part of what has made Hush Puppies successful. We feel this new consumer will likely fall in love with the beauty and design of the 1958 product first, and then discover how comfortable it is. Comfort features include mesh linings for breathability, and lightweight and shock-absorbing expanded rubber outsoles. In heeled looks, [there are] shock-absorbing mini-platforms in the forefoot.


Are younger customers willing to embrace a brand labeled 1958?



CH: It’s popular to be an iconic American brand with a rich heritage right now. We’ve found younger consumers are more interested in the brand than ever before. As far as the name is concerned, most of these consumers were born well after [that year], but they’re very sophisticated. They have a great interest in the iconic style and architecture that defines mid-century modernism. Our reverence for that period is, and always has been, reflected in the product.


How do the men’s and women’s products differ?

CH: The men’s segment focuses on a tighter group of shoes, [with] a stronger connection to our original silhouettes. As we evolve it, we’ll continue to push that connection to offer a broader collection. Our women’s line is more diverse. While it features product closely related to our originals, we’ve broadened our offering to include heels, platform wedges, sandals and flats. It exhibits a perspective we feel is timely and appropriate, but also maintains a large degree of flexibility, [so we can] freshen the collection as trends change.

How are you marketing the line?

CH: The spring ’12 campaign features [models in front of] a mid-century modern home in Michigan and a 1958 Impala, both of which evoke that simpler, relaxed way of life. The models are hip, young and styled in an effortlessly chic way that salutes a classic American way of dressing. At a grassroots level, we’ve retrofitted our 1958 Airstream to create a product showcase [for the line]. It is part showroom, part retail and consumer event spot. And it becomes a pop-up store wherever we park it.

Retro dressing is popular right now, but will the collection be valid when the trend fades?

CH: [The 1958 Collection] wasn’t created to address the retro dressing trend but to remind the marketplace of the virtues that have made Hush Puppies a success since its launch: casual, stylish and authentic footwear that happens to be comfortable. That casual American style is something we feel will never go out of fashion. We see 1958 as a terrific opportunity for our designers to stretch their legs a bit and create product that challenges the current notions about Hush Puppies product.


Nineteen Fifty-Eight the classics are back!

VP of product development and design Cory Haberman featured with actor Rob Lowe
Haberman knows shoes.






Monday, August 15, 2011

Fall Launch @ HBC

You would think a winning collection is when magazine stylists, fashion editors and bloggers ask for your product. But for Hush Puppies, a winning collection is when the people selling it fall in love with the collections even before they hits their stores. This is exactly what happened this month when Hush Puppies pre-viewed fall 2011 men and women's collections with The Bay. Over 350 sales associates and store managers gushed over our assortment.



Rose and Yvonne from the Bay

Some lovely Bay associates
Big hits: Alcott, Lindley, Maize,Tino and Gelding (more to come on the Gelding) and the MUST for men the Wordin. See our musts of the season at a Bay location near you.



Tino $220

Maize $160

Gelding $230 the cadillac ....its got it all for winter.

Wordin $180

Friday, August 12, 2011

The Must Have for Fall

The Alcott, part of our Nineteen Fifty-Eight natural sole collection, is a must have this season. Featured as a top boot pick in Septembers Belle-Age magazine, we LOVE the Alcott.


Alcott $300          



Commuter $200.00
and Alcott $300