Weyco Group Inc., the suburban Milwaukee makers of Florsheim Shoes, introduced a co-branded collection of men's shoes with uber-trendy men's apparel designer Duckie Brown to retailers last fall. Retailing for $200 to $300 under the name "Florsheim By Duckie Brown," this collection should appear in stores in the fall of 2009.
Duckie Brown is a small menswear design firm led by Steven Cox in London and Daniel Silver in Toronto. The Duckie Brown shoe collection will consist of six styles in a variety of colors. "It's an oddball mix," Florsheim said. "You're taking a couture blend with a mainstream American brand."
The Duckie Brown line represents the most dramatic extension of the Florsheim brand, which Weyco has steered strongly from its stodgy past to a "fashion forward" direction in recent years. The shoes will be sold in Florsheim's 39 stores nationwide and in "upper tier" retailers, Florsheim said.
