LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skechers announced that The Comfort Technology Company® has received Footwear News Achievement Awards’ Icon for Social Impact Award, in honor of its three decades of global humanitarian work for children, families and animals in need. The FNAA highlighted the Company’s multifaceted range of causes, which includes raising $28 million through the Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, California’s largest annual walk for neurodiverse children and education; launching the BOBS® from Skechers® philanthropic brand that has given new shoes to 16 million children in need globally and helped 2.2 million shelter animals; and donating millions to support disaster-impacted communities around the world.
“The FNAA’s Social Impact award was born out of the idea that a great brand cannot be judged solely by the success of its business, but the impact it also leaves on future generations,” said Michael Atmore, Editorial Director of Footwear News and Chief Brand Officer for Fairchild Fashion Media. “Skechers has been so respected in the footwear industry for its business prowess but we we’re heartened to see how the Company has turned that strength into a meaningful series of initiatives that drives real change and delivers meaningful help to others in need.”
“Though we have given back since our early days, we came together as a company to aid Hurricane Katrina families in 2005, and help children with special needs in our community,” said Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers and co-founder of the Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk. “Establishing the Skechers Friendship Walk and the Skechers Foundation set us on a road of making a long-lasting impact—from our upcoming Friendship Campus for young adults with special needs, to providing ongoing support in places like Lahaina where we returned with more funds and work for the people of Maui. We encourage every company to not just give because it feels good, but to give until it hurts—because it truly benefits everyone: your brand, your employees, and our greater community.”
Skechers’ many philanthropic initiatives include:
- Establishment of the Skechers Foundation in 2010, which regularly supports non-profit organizations nationwide and has contributed millions of dollars in monetary donations and supplies to families affected by disasters including Hurricanes Katrina and Maria, Oklahoma’s Moore tornado, Haiti earthquakes, the Ukraine crisis and fires in California, Maui and Chile;
- founding the Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk in 2009, which in 16 years has raised $28 million to change the lives of children with special needs, students and educators at public schools and funds the national Skechers National Scholarship Program, awarding more than $1.1 million to talented students for college;
- contributing to the future Friendship Campus in Redondo Beach—a world-class 3.25-acre center with a planned opening in early 2026 that will be the first of its kind to provide vocational training and job placement for young adults with special needs, giving them the tools to find lifelong passion and purpose;
- launching the BOBS from Skechers philanthropic footwear collection whose sales have helped the Company donate 16 million pairs of new shoes to children in need and more than $12 million to animal welfare organizations, funds that have helped save and support 2.2 million animals;
- offering the Our Planet Matters collection and donating $800,000 to the Nature Conservancy to support the organization’s global conservation efforts; and
- supporting numerous causes in Los Angeles, including raising over $4 million through the Harrison Greenberg Foundation to rebuild Manhattan Beach’s Roundhouse Aquarium and Teaching Center.
“We’ve seen firsthand how giving back can grow into a global movement,” added Skechers Chief Operating Officer David Weinberg, who received the award on behalf of the Company. “More Skechers employees than ever volunteer for our annual walk in Southern California, and it’s even inspired our teams in other areas of the world to start their own charity walks – including in China, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, and India. Philanthropy isn’t just our corporate responsibility; it’s a real honor to support important causes that are uniting our work culture with so many communities.”
Held last night at Cipriani South Street in New York, the FNAAs celebrated the footwear industry’s hit makers, style stars, best brand stories, ardent philanthropists, emerging talents and industry veterans. Presenting the honor to Skechers at the event was the Company’s long-standing ambassador Brooke Burke. Skechers ambassador and collaborator Martha Stewart also received the 2024 FNAA Icon Award at the event. Skechers previously won Footwear News’ Company of the Year awards in 1998, 2014 and 2022, as well as its Lifetime Achievement Award for the Company’s CEO Robert Greenberg in 2015 and Person of the Year awards for Michael Greenberg in 2000 and 2023.
About Skechers Foundation
Established in 2010 to help children in need, the Skechers Foundation is dedicated to strengthening communities to ensure the health, success and well-being of youth worldwide. We invest in a global network of charitable organizations dedicated to embracing individuals with diverse abilities, improving education, empowering disadvantaged families and providing humanitarian, disaster and economic relief. By supporting millions through our products and services, we aspire to make a valiant effort in creating stronger, self-sufficient individuals for future generations.
About Skechers U.S.A., Inc.
Skechers (NYSE:SKX), The Comfort Technology Company® based in Southern California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children. The Company’s collections are available in 180 countries and territories through department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through skechers.com and approximately 5,300 Skechers retail stores. A Fortune 500® company, Skechers manages its international business through a network of wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint venture partners, and distributors. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
About BOBS® from Skechers®
BOBS from Skechers’ charitable collection of shoes, apparel and accessories have improved animals’ lives: over the past nine years, Skechers has contributed more than $12 million to help over 2.2 million shelter pets, including saving more than 1.7 million rescued animals in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Japan. It all started in 2011, when Skechers launched a movement to support children impacted by natural disasters and poverty—a cause that has helped the Company donate more than 16 million new pairs of shoes to kids in more than 60 countries worldwide. To learn more about BOBS from Skechers’ commitment to making a difference, visit BOBSfromSkechers.com and follow the brand on Facebook and Instagram.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, Skechers’ future domestic and international growth, financial results and operations including expected net sales and earnings, its development of new products, future demand for its products, its planned domestic and international expansion, opening of new stores and additional expenditures, and advertising and marketing initiatives. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking language such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “could,” “may,” “might,” or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include the disruption of business and operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic; delays or disruptions in our supply chain; international economic, political and market conditions including the effects of inflation and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations around the world, the challenging consumer retail markets in the United States, and the impact of wars, acts of war and other conflicts around the world; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers; decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers, especially in the highly competitive performance footwear market; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in Skechers’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q in 2024. Taking these and other risk factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration, the dynamic nature of these circumstances means that what is stated in this press release could change at any time, and as a result, actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. The risks included here are not exhaustive. Skechers operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and we cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all such risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance.
