Red Carpet Appearances Boost Shoe Sales

Although the notion of leveraging celebrities to help to increase the sales of the fashion brands they wear isn't necessarily new information, the fact that the footwear industry is now seeing a nice boost due to celebrities is a slightly newer concept.
"This is a real marketing tool for a company like ours and a product like ours," Stuart Weitzman commented to Bloomberg in regards to how red carpet appearances of his shoes on celebrities have helped improve his visibility and sales. "It's very important from a business standpoint, and we actively go after it."
Case in point.
This year, Weitzman's Nudist sandal was seen on Jennifer Lawrence and about 40 other celebrities. In turn, the brand sold 25,000 pairs of the shoe, wheres typical sales for that type of shoe would be around 5,000 to 8,000 pairs, according to Bloomberg.
Another reason why this formula may seem to be working for the shoe industry is the simple yet straight-forward explanation given by Vince Camuto.
"The celebrities are young, they are well-traveled, they are fashion-right. What better vehicle can you have?"
Additionally, this is really taking the concept of fashion branding to a different level. We know that if someone can't afford a Hermès Birkin, for example, they may save up for a silk scarf instead from the brand.
As Bloomberg points out, the beauty of shoes is they are more accessible and often easier on the wallet, at least when compared to the designer gowns and luxury jewelry many of the celebrities wear.
Although, on the flipside, not every designer seems to support this notion. Remember when Hayden Panettiere made headlines because she bought the Tom Ford dress she wore on the red carpet to this year's Golden Globes?
"Tom Ford. It's the first time I've ever worn him, because I've been begging ever since," The Cut quoted Panettiere as saying. "I feel sexy in it, I feel comfortable in it, and I'm in Tom Ford. I would wear a plastic bag if it was designed by him."
The camp for Ford appeared to have the following to say, which journalist Jim Shi tweeted, "Tom Ford confirms to me he ONLY dressed #NaomiWatts tonight. Hayden Panettiere BOUGHT her Tom Ford dress at RETAIL. Tsk tsk."

Share with us. What side of the fence are you on? If the shoe fits (no pun intended), then why not continue down the path that's working for you, whether that's focusing on the red carpet or solely on one person?