How Naturalizer Got Younger ... and Became the Fastest Growing Shoe Brand Today!

ST. LOUIS, October 1, 2002 -- Naturalizer may have been introduced in the "Roaring 20s," but as the fastest growing women's shoe brand today, the brand clearly is still roaring.

Following three years of radical repositioning, including a product redesign and complete image makeover, Naturalizer has become the fastest growing major shoe brand for the first half of 2002, in terms of retail dollars spent at U.S. department stores.

In fact, since 1999 Naturalizer sales within department stores have increased by more than 75 percent, catapulting the brand from 8th place to the 3rd place position in the market share race within U.S. department stores. Naturalizer has also lowered the average age of its customer from 64 to about 40, with the fastest growing segment between 30-40.

Naturalizer, a division of Brown Shoe (NYSE:BWS) was originally launched in 1927, but began to fade in the mid-1980s as its style aged with its customer base. The brand, however, had two undeniable strengths: a strong association with comfort and high consumer awareness.

"Women knew that Naturalizer was a leading footwear brand, and that it stood for comfort, but many felt that it didn't have the styles for them," said Division President Byron Norfleet. "We began with a complete overhaul of our footwear design process, adding younger, European styling, but with Naturalizer comfort. Then we tackled the brand's image."

Joining forces in 1999 with "reimaging guru" Sam Shahid and fashion photographer Bruce Weber, Brown Shoe touched off an innovative new Naturalizer advertising strategy, focusing on fun, flirtatious lifestyle images depicting sexy models, attractive men and - in some cases - dogs, with a passion for shoes.

Today's Naturalizer may be closer in spirit to its 1927 debut, which emphasized style, glamour and sophistication. While comfort remains a hallmark of the Naturalizer label, that cushy feel is now combined irresistibly with some of the season's hottest trends.

"We continue to push the fashion envelope, encouraging our designers to flex their creative muscles to provide modern, inventive styling and materials that will surprise and delight our customers," said lead designer Mark Schauster.

In light of its successful turnaround, Footwear News, the industry's top publication, named Naturalizer "Brand of the Year" in 2001 -- further proof that, although the brand has been around for 75 years, in some ways it's just getting started.

Brown Shoe Company, Inc., founded in 1878, is a $1.76 billion footwear company with worldwide operations. Naturalizer remains Brown Shoe's leading wholesale brand. Brown Shoe also operates 400 Naturalizer stores in the U.S. and Canada that sell Naturalizer shoes and accessories. Other Brown Shoe divisions include its 900-store Famous Footwear chain, and its wholesale divisions, which own and market other leading footwear brands including LifeStride, Connie, Buster Brown; it also markets licensed brands including Dr. Scholl's and Carlos by Carlos Santana for adults, and Barbie, Spider-Man and other character footwear for children. Brown Shoe press releases are available on its web site at www.brownshoe.com.