The athletic footwear industry has grown rapidly over the past two decades. Retail
growth averaged roughly 20 percent per year between 1985 and 1993 to about $6 billion
in sales. The forces responsible for that growth include the popularity of running
in the late 1970s, with that sport eventually reaching non-runners, and the purchase
of running shoes for casual use piggybacking the trend toward more casual lifestyles.
The emergence of aerobics in the early 1980s created a new fashion and fitness
trend for women who wanted fashionable apparel and footwear. They preferred
stylish items that were comfortable and colorful, with more variety than traditional
exercise outfits. The early 1980s also produced shoes designed for individual sports
and technological innovations in material and design. From those 1980s trends
emerged two seemingly distinct athletic shoe market segments, that is, consumers
who wanted performance versus those who were primarily interested in fashion.......
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