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Slippers are taking a natural turn for fall, using colorful wool to keep things nice and cozy. Here, WOOLENSTOCKS' folkloric boot with embroidered trim and GIESSWEIN's classic mule.
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Published: 03-31-08
Category: news
Page: C
Keywords: Cover, Volume 64, Number 12, Brands, Executives, Retail
Correction:
Photo/Graphic: Angel Martinez
Title: ANGEL MARTINEZ: DECKERS RISE JUST BEGINNING
Byline: Meredith Derby
NEW YORK - Angel Martinez isn't letting Ugg go to his head.
Although April marks his third anniversary as president and CEO of Deckers Outdoor Corp. and he's steered the blockbuster growth of its most well-known brand, Martinez feels there is still much work to do. Now, the CEO is working to solidify the repositioning of the firm's two smaller brands, Teva and Simple, while also continuing to evolve Ugg.
Martinez, who has held top spots at several other footwear firms - including Keen (which he co-founded), Reebok and its sister company, The Rockport Co., both based in Massachusetts - joined Southern California in 2005 to join Deckers, headquartered in Goleta, an ocean-side town near Santa Barbara, about a two-hour drive north of Los Angeles. He happily gave up the freezing New England winters he endured for 13 years.
"I just got tired of being cold," he said, calling the Santa Barbara area "the most beautiful place I've ever seen."
At Deckers, Martinez is known as a collaborative leader. "[He] sets the goals and the strategy and lets people execute. [He] lends them all the support, the financial support, the infrastructure or his wisdom," said Zohar Ziv, the company's COO and CFO.
"I'm very aware of my weaknesses," Martinez admitted. "I choose to work on enhancing my strengths and accepting my weaknesses."
Despite Ugg's staggering success (revenues for the brand alone totaled about $350 million in 2007), Martinez believes Simple is now Deckers' brand with the biggest potential. It had revenues that rose 8 percent to $13.5 million last year, and the expectation is to significantly compound that growth over the next several years.
"We said [Simple] is going to be $75 million in 2010-2012. I wouldn't be surprised if it's bigger than that," Martinez said. "We've found our stroke. We are inventing this new category of sustainable and recycled type of footwear."
Regarding Ugg, which...