WOLF AND SHEPHERD: SHOES TO LIVE IN

Justin Schneider did not set out to launch a footwear brand. A Division One track and field athlete for Notre Dame, his interest in athletic footwear evolved upon graduation, when he took a job with Adidas. Designing shoes for athletes using the latest performance technology, he questioned why men’s dress shoes were never as comfortable as running shoes. Why not combine a luxury dress shoe upper with a performance bottom? Obsessed with perfecting this hybrid footwear, Justin mocked up a first prototype by gluing the foam heel of his running shoes to the sole of an old pair of dress shoes. This was in 2014 in Jacksonville Beach, Florida; he took the prototype to Rosenblum’s where Bob Rosenblum granted him a weekend trunk show. “The only problem,” Justin recalls, “was that my first child was due to be born that weekend so my wife Hope (my partner in business and in life) was otherwise engaged. I went to the trunk show with my dad, rushed back to meet my new daughter, then back to Rosenblum’s on Sunday where we sold a half dozen pairs. It wasn’t much, but I learned a lot about what customers were looking for, and about the value of retailer partnerships. (I believe my wife has finally forgiven me for missing the first couple of days of our first child’s existence…”)

With a lot of work, a little luck, and a few out-of-the-box ideas, the collection grew. “One of my early ideas,” recalls Justin, “was to apply for a job at Nordstrom’s shoe department. What better way to learn what upscale customers want in footwear? So I secured a job at the Nordstrom store in Jacksonville’s Town Center Mall. The first half of the first day was training; I got a few high-fives for knowing a decent amount about footwear since I’d worked as a designer at Adidas, New Balance and Reebok. Then during our lunch break, I went into the backroom to retrieve my prototype Wolf and Shepherd shoes, placing them in the display fixture that minutes before had showcased some classic Nordstrom shoes. Fortunately for me, customers seemed interested in my prototype. I told them that although this style was currently sold out, I’d take down their name and number and advise when they came in. Unfortunately for me, when the floor manager came by and noticed my unauthorized footwear in a primary display case, he was not happy. So that was my first and last day working at Nordstrom…” 

Soon after, brainstorming ways to generate sales other than cold calling, Justin had a flash: what if he found a marathon runner to run a race wearing hybrid dress shoes? “There happened to be a half-marathon scheduled two weeks later in Atlanta, five hours north of Jacksonville. So I called a friend, an all-American runner in Syracuse, and offered to pay his flight and entry fee if he’d run the race in Wolf and Shepherd dress shoes. He agreed, and we reached out to 200 publications about a man running a half marathon in dress shoes. Only one journalist responded: a contributing writer at Forbes. He interviewed our runner the day before the race and the next day, our guy took first place out of 800 entrants. I ran with him the first and last miles, we shot some amazing videos and got tons of press. Man Wins Marathon Wearing Dress Shoes: what a headline! Another 52 publications picked up the story!”

Since that time, the business has grown significantly, with a focus on “uncompromising comfort (cushioning, breathability, light weights) and elevated style. Retails range from $175 for knit sneakers to $445 for Italian leather uppers, with the sweet spot in the mid-$200s. Although specialty stores represent only 8 percent of current business, Justin projects it at 35-40 percent within five years. “The benefit to independent stores is the three million people monthly who get messaging from our site, many of whom would prefer to shop for footwear in a physical store. While most menswear stores already have a luxury shoe business and a running shoe business, we fill a gap that they don’t yet have: elevated athletic shoes stylish enough for work, travel, and special occasions. What’s more, we’re still very much a full-price business at good margins for the retailers. Since we’re under-distributed as a physical retailer, we’re very interested in forming close partnerships with the right stores.”

On a personal note, I had much fun recently at the beautiful 1200 square foot Wolf and Shepherd NYC flagship on Madison Avenue, getting my feet digitally measured, and trying on some really cool styles. For more information, Justin can be reached at js@wolfandshepherd.com.