ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Brown Shoe Company’s Naturalizer brand announced today it will partner
with David Bromstad, artist, interior designer and host of HGTV’s Color
Splash and HGTV Star, in a creative collaboration to bring his fresh,
colorful design vision to life in a collection of fun and whimsical
shoes and accessories for Spring 2014.
Naturalizer recently commissioned Bromstad for an original painting that
inspired the Bromstad for Naturalizer collection. As he does for
his interior design clients on his HGTV show Color Splash, Bromstad
created the painting for Naturalizer with a fresh and emotive twist. He
worked closely with Naturalizer designer Angelique Joseph to creatively
use the print on the shoes and accessories that are part of the
collection.
“The floral painting brings together roses from a New England garden and
a tropical hibiscus from Florida. It’s north meets south—an unexpected
twist,” said Bromstad. “Whether it’s home or fashion, accessories
complete the look. It’s the place to add that pop of color, the fun, the
personality and the unexpected. When designing this collection, comfort
is critical. You have to live in every space and you have to live in
every shoe. This is something that is at the core of what I do and is in
the DNA of the Naturalizer brand – that’s why this is such a great
partnership.”
“We love to inspire the Naturalizer woman with fun designs that make her
feel good,” said John Malpiedi, senior vice president and general
manager of Naturalizer. “David is known for his ability to transform a
room into a vibrant, unforgettable, comfortable space. At heart, he is
an amazing artist and we knew he would infuse that same fresh and
inspired design vision into this exclusive collection.”
“He approaches his work the same way I approach mine – keeping the
consumer in mind,” said Joseph. “Designing and creating something new
for her, but making sure it’s still relatable.”
The Bromstad for Naturalizer shoe collection will be available at
Naturalizer stores, Naturalizer.com and select retail partners in March,
2014. It will include ballet flats, wedges and sandals. An exclusive
accessories collection will be available at Naturalizer retail stores
and Naturalizer.com, including handbags, totes and cell phone cases. The
shoes will retail between $29 for beach sandals and $89 for wedges.
Accessories will retail between $25 and $75.
About Brown Shoe Company
Brown Shoe Company is a $2.6
billion, global footwear company whose shoes are worn by people of all
ages, from all walks of life. Our products are available virtually
everywhere — in the nearly 1,300 Famous Footwear and Naturalizer retail
stores we operate, in hundreds of major department and specialty stores,
on 14 branded ecommerce sites, and on many additional third-party retail
websites. Through our broad range of products, we serve three key market
segments with our Family, Healthy Living and Contemporary Fashion
brands. For active people who want comfort and performance, our Healthy
Living brands — Naturalizer, Dr. Scholl’s Shoes, LifeStride and Ryka —
marry comfort with style, to enrich sports and leisure activities. At
Brown Shoe Company, we inspire people to feel good and live better...
feet first!
About Naturalizer
In 1927, Naturalizer had the revolutionary
idea of creating stylish and comfortable shoes made just for women. The
brand became known as “the shoe with the beautiful fit.” For more than
80 years, Naturalizer has understood how truly comfortable shoes can
help women move energetically through their day and live life to the
fullest. Naturalizer remains committed to designing beautiful shoes that
feel as good at the end of the day as they do at the beginning. And
because of this commitment, Naturalizer shoes feature our exclusive N5
comfort system - five essential features that are proven to provide all
day comfort: extra cushioning, breathable linings, balance with every
step, flexible soles and lightweight material. Naturalizer is still one
of the few brands in the marketplace that women can turn to for
hard-to-find sizes and widths, and wide shaft boots, because we believe
that shoes can only be comfortable when they are a perfect fit.
Naturalizer shoes are designed with the best of each season’s
trend-right looks, details and materials that women will love for work,
play and every day. Today, Naturalizer is inspiring women to live their
lives and love their shoes in 60 countries around the world.
About David Bromstad
David Bromstad is the original winner
of HGTV Star, which led to his gig as host and designer on
his first hit series for HGTV, Color Splash. David completed
more than 150 makeovers for Color Splash around
the country including San Francisco, New York and Miami. David has also
appeared on HGTV programs including HGTV’d, HGTV Showdown, Bang for
Your Buck, and more. He is currently the host and mentor of HGTV
Star, which airs on Sunday at 8pmEDT.
He is the first ever HGTV personality to be named to the OUT Magazine
100 List alongside international superstar Ricky Martin and
Oscar-nominated actress Julianne Moore. In 2011, he was given the
prestigious HRC Visibility Award for living an out and proud lifestyle
in the public eye. He has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The
Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ricky Lake Show, and The Wendy Williams Show.
David’s design advice has also been featured in HGTV Magazine, USA
Today, People magazine, Redbook and Better
Homes & Gardens, to name a few.
Growing up in small town Minnesota, David’s budding creativity and
passion for drawing and painting led him to the
Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. David launched
his career in art and design at Walt Disney World in Orlando shortly
after completing his education – a dream come true! David has conceived
and executed major installations for Walt Disney World, Universal
Studios and Islands of Adventure. David’s installations are a focal
point at many of the world’s top amusement parks and seen by millions of
visitors every year. David produced his first exhibition of art and
custom furniture for Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2011,
which is the country’s top visual arts event. For more information, go
to Bromstad.com.
Comments from the Designers
David Bromstad – Artist,
Designer and Host of HGTV’s Color Splash
Angelique Joseph –
Lead Designer for Naturalizer
David on design/style
Keep it fun, interesting and always
exciting. No matter what, you need an element of happiness. I want my
clients to walk in a room I’ve designed and smile. I want that same
reaction from the woman that is going to wear these fun shoes.
Angelique on working with David
David is known for his use
of color and it was fun to collaborate with him on this key aspect of
the collection. We think our consumer is going to love this fresh
approach.
David on color
Color is everything. It makes the world go
around. A pop of color can change your mood and the kind of day you are
having. The colors used in this collection are bright, happy, fun and
whimsical.
David on the Bromstad Collection
It’s fun, fresh and feels
like summer. The floral painting brings together roses from a New
England garden and a tropical hibiscus from Florida. It’s north meets
south—an unexpected twist.
Angelique on collaboration
He approaches his work the same
way I approach mine - keeping the consumer in mind. Designing and
creating something new for her, but making sure it is still relatable.
We have to make sure we are keeping a smile on her face and that she
feels good wearing our shoe or in David’s case, feeling good when she
walks into the new room. It’s really the same approach for both of us,
pleasing the consumer but at the same time delighting her with a new and
fresh look.
David on comfort
Comfort is critical. You have to live in
every space and you have to live in every shoe. This is something that
is at the core of what I do and is in the DNA of the Naturalizer brand –
that’s why this is such a great partnership.
David on the role of accessories
Whether it’s home or
fashion, accessories complete any look. It’s the place to add that pop
of color, the fun, the personality, the unexpected. In interior or
fashion design, you can start with a neutral base and when you infuse
colorful accessories, you take it to the next level.
Angelique on inspiration
David inspired me to be more
creative with infusing color and on the placements of print and scale.
Being a designer, you have to remember to sometimes push yourself and
your consumer. I appreciated working with him because it reminded me to
dig a little deeper and have fun with my own designer’s eye - and take a
little bit of a risk. The collaboration helped to revive the artist in
me and I thank David for that!
David on his personal style
I keep up with the trends. I
like a layered look, ties and vests. My home is clean, comfortable with
a neutral base and pops of color. My clients inspire me and this project
is no different.
