Custom Fit
Somewhere, some little girl is prancing around in light blue Keds sneakers decorated with dog bones, an image of a cute pup and the words “I love Sadie.”
Created through the Keds Studio, the customization program lets people design their own sneakers by uploading artwork, graphics and text at www.keds.com or www.zazzle.com/custom/shoes. The shoes, like the Obama slip-ons above, cost between $65 and $75. The shoes are displayed on the site and can be purchased by others.
“From the beginning, people have been customizing their Keds, such as writing their boyfriend’s name or putting pictures of their animals on them,” says Wendy Yang, senior vice president of product and marketing for Keds, a division of The Stride Rite Corp. “This is an opportunity to bring [customization] to a higher level.”
Since its August launch, more than 30,000 designs have been created, says Jeff Beaver, co-founder and chief product officer at Zazzle, the print-on-demand company that built the Web site.
What’s most popular? The subjects vary, but politics, music and animals top the list.
“Consumers are no longer being passive,” Beaver says. “They want to be part of the product and want to have more options.”
What’s next for Keds? The firm may extend the program to other footwear lines.
“The possibilities are endless,” Wang says.
