Footwear Plus

Congratulations are in order to Bill Taylor, who was recently named vice president of sales and marketing at active sandal and clog brand Birki's. In his new post, Taylor will develop programs that strengthen Birki's brand positioning with existing customers, as well as drive growth in new trade and consumer channels such as premier independents, department stores, outdoor and athletic specialty, home and garden, and culinary. 

You can walk and bike for a cause, but thanks to skate-shoe brand Etnies and The Sheckler Foundation--a philanthropic organization created by teen skater Ryan Sheckler and his family--you can skate for a cause, too.

This past Saturday, Etnies and The Sheckler Foundation hosted the "Skate for a Cause" event to help raise money for the A.skate charity's summer "Be the Change" tour that benefits Autism Spectrum, an organization that helps children with autism. 

These days, celebrities are putting their names on everything possible--even magazines. And no, we're not talking about the long-rumored Kardashian family mag. Instead, undefeated and award-winning boxer Floyd Mayweather is coming out with his own MyMag luxury print publication called "Mayweather," and he's giving amateur shoe designers everywhere a reason to get excited.

Shoe shopping may be the hobby of choice for many fashion-loving women and sneaker-obsessed men, but it doesn't come easy for everyone--especially if you're Minnesota-native Igor Vovkovinskiy.

Vovkovinskiy, America's tallest man standing at 7'8", made local news a few weeks ago when his public battle to find a pair of well-fitting and supportive shoes for his size 26 feet looked like it was headed for defeat.

Earth Day may have already passed, but there's another Earth-loving holiday right around the corner: Arbor Day, which takes place this Friday, April 27. And eco-friendly brand Timberland is ready to celebrate. 

Earth Day (April 22) is rapidly approaching, and sandal brand Reef is celebrating by hosting a beach cleanup at Buccaneer Beach in San Diego, CA.

Partnering with nonprofits Sustainable Surf and the Surfrider Foundation, Reef will also host surfboard demos and invite the surrounding community to bring unwanted styrofoam to the event. For every five pounds of recycled styrofoam donated, Sustainable Surf can create a blank surfboard as part of its Waste to Waves program.

You may have seen Jenny McCarthy on a slew of '90s sitcoms or, more recently, on the arm of Jim Carrey or hosting the 2012 "New Year's Rockin' Eve," but now she's popping up somewhere you may not have seen her too often: the footwear industry.

The Pedestrian Shops, a Boulder, CO-based "green" retailer, really knows how to give back on Earth Day. During its annual Earth Day Shoe Drive, the store--along with Boulder's Center for ReSource Conservation (CRC) and Patagonia Footwear--encourages customers from all over the area to donate used shoes for a set of great causes.

The ridiculously mild weather that swept over most of the United States this winter may have put boot brands in a foul mood. But rest assured, footwear brands: You can survive anything--even the near-collapse of civilization. Or at least you can in the world of "The Hunger Games."

Katniss Everdeen--protagonist of the hit trilogy-turned-blockbuster film series, who's played by actress Jennifer Lawrence--is captured on screen wearing a pair of brown leather Melissa tall lace-up boots by Frye.

What do stand-up comedians, baseball players and footwear have in common? This month, they're all helping to raise money for an amazing cause!

Actor-slash-comedian Joel McHale--you probably know him from E!'s Friday night hit, "The Soup," or NBC's "Community"--and Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman James Loney are joining forces to kick off the Fourth Annual Hillsides Foster Soles, an online auction of celebrity-autographed shoes, accessories, headshots and other personal items that benefits Hillsides, an L.A.-based foster care children's charity.