On April 23, 2008, Rocky Brands, Inc. (Nasdaq: RCKY) reached a settlement with Defendants Glen Bratcher, Westwood Footwear and Accessories LLC, and Nantong Hong Yi Wang Shoes Co. Ltd. in a lawsuit Rocky filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on February 5,
2008. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

    Mike Brooks, Rocky's chief executive officer, said of the resolution of the suit: "We at Rocky have worked very hard over many years to establish lines of boots well known for their appealing designs, outstanding quality, and distinctive appearance. Rocky highly values its intellectual property rights and continues to enforce those rights whenever threatened by third parties.

    "The trade dress of the Georgia Giant(R) collection of work boots, Rocky's collection of Rocky Ride western and work boots, and its product in the Durango line of boots remains strong. This lawsuit was a matter of highest importance for Rocky, its employees, and our customers and Rocky is extremely pleased with the resolution of the case."

    Rocky Brands is a family of divisions that designs, develops, manufactures and markets premium rugged outdoor, occupational, work and Western footwear, as well as branded apparel and accessories under the following brands: ROCKY OUTDOOR GEAR(R), GEORGIA BOOT(R), DURANGO BOOT(R)
and ZUMFOOT(R). Its licensed brands include DICKIE FOOTWEAR(R) and
MICHELIN(R). The Nelsonville, Ohio-based company's footwear, apparel and
accessories are marketed through several distribution channels. It is a
publicly traded company on NASDAQ(R) under the symbol: RCKY.

SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX), a global leader in the lifestyle footwear industry, announced that it recently held its first national sales conference in China with its joint venture partner Luen Thai Enterprises, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate with investments in various industries in Asia, North America and the Pacific Region. The three-day conference was held during the last week of March in Guangzhou, the nerve center of commercial and trade activities in the country's booming Southern region of Guangdong.

The upswing of the Düsseldorf shoe trade fair trio GDS/GLS and global shoes & accessories continued:  the three days of the trade fairs were characterized by a busy and satisfied atmosphere, good turnover, avid interest in the presented trends and crowded booths. Compared to the previous year’s event, the number of visitors increased by approximately three percent – 34,000 visitors from 72 countries took part to see and order the collections of 1,382 exhibitors. Almost 50% of the visitors came from countries other than Germany, particularly from the Benelux, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, Russia, Spain and the U.S. Attendees also traveled from as far away as Australia, Japan, Colombia, Panama and South Africa. 

NIKE  announces it will extend its relationship with the U.S. Olympic Committee as an Official Outfitter of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams through the London 2012 Olympic Games.

As an Official Outfitter, Nike is honored to provide U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes with the Medal Stand uniform worn on the awards podium and during medals ceremonies at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The USOC and Nike will introduce the Medal Stand look for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at a reception for media at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit in Chicago on Tuesday, April 15.

Crocs, Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) was recently honored with the Executive
Director’s Award from the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA). The award recognizes CrocsRX™, a leader in medical shoe sales, as making a significant contribution to the advancement of podiatric medicine in 2007. The award will be presented at the APMA’s Annual House of Delegates Meeting in Washington, DC on April 7, 2008.

LaCrosse Footwear, Inc. (NASDAQ:BOOT), a leading provider of branded work and outdoor footwear, announced this week that its Danner^® subsidiary received a new business order for $1.3 million from the U.S. Army.

The first step in buying closeout apparel is to understand the difference between closeout apparel and inline wholesale merchandise.

Closeout apparel can be overstock, salvage, surplus, inventory clearance, store returns, factory cancellations, shelf pulls or factory rejects. Closeout apparel might have defects or inperfections. Closeouts can me factory seconds. Closeouts are manufactured worldwide.

Myth: If it comes from China it is fake.

Fact: Made in China does Not mean the goods are fake. Authentic apparel is being manufactured in China, Sri Lanka, Bolivia, Taiwan, Indonesia, India, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Tunisia, Morocco, Turkey, Peru, El Salvador, Mexico, Hong Kong and many more countries.

Myth: Poor quality clothing with loose threads is fake.

Fact: Authentic apparel is not always perfect. Authentic irregular and seconds are liquidated at the discount factory outlets each day. New factory made goods from China are being produced. These "China produced garments" are of a lower quality but it should be noted that the quality is not relative to the authenticity.

Myth: If the price is too low it is fake.

Fact: Low pricing does Not mean the apparel is fake, it simply means the apparel is discounted for a reason. Factory stores will discount apparel that is being closed out from last season or if there is overstock of the current goods. The factory retail stores discount the prices on authentic branded apparel between 50% - 75% off the retail price.

Myth: If there is unlimited supplies it is fake.

Fact: Many of the factory stores are producing ongoing supplies for the factory outlet stores. The garments manufactured for the factory stores is usually lower quality. The RL and the Brooks Brothers stores are two examples of outlet stores selling unlimited supplies of polos in all sizes and colors.

What does the Labels of Authentic Apparel look like?
http://www.janesdeals.com/wholesale_outlets.asp

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE: WWW) CEO and President Blake W. Krueger will be presenting at the Citi Investment Research 5th Annual Small and Midcap Conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas on March 18, 2008.

K-Swiss Inc. (NASDAQ: KSWS) announced that the Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.05 per share for the first quarter ending March 31, 2008. The dividend, which equates to an annualized rate of $0.20 per share, is payable on April 15, 2008, to shareholders of record as of March 31, 2008.

K-Swiss Inc. designs, develops and markets an array of athletic footwear for high performance sports use, fitness activities and casual wear under the K-Swiss brand. The Company also designs and manufactures footwear under the Royal Elastics brand. Royal Elastics, a wholly owned subsidiary, is the leading innovator of slip-on, laceless footwear.

Nine West Group Appoints Richard Paterno President, Wholesale Better Footwear Brands

Nine West Group, a division of Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (NYSE: JNY), recently announced that Richard Paterno, 50, has been appointed President, Wholesale Better Footwear Brands, effective March 31, 2008. In this newly created role, Mr. Paterno will oversee sales management and business strategy for Nine West's better wholesale footwear business, including Nine West, Bandolino, Enzo Angiolini, Circa Joan & David, AK Anne Klein, Boutique 9 and Easy Spirit. Mr. Paterno will report to Andrew Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Wholesale Footwear and Accessories.

Rocky Brands, Inc. (Nasdaq: RCKY) this week announced financial results for its fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2007.

For the fourth quarter of 2007, net sales increased 2.8% to $72.5 million versus net sales of $70.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2006. For the fourth quarter, the Company reported a net loss of $23.6 million, or ($4.31) per diluted share, versus a net loss of $0.08 million, or ($0.01) per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2006. Results for the fourth quarter of 2007 include a non-cash charge of $23.5 million, net of tax benefits, or ($4.29) per diluted share, for goodwill impairment, which is discussed below. Results for the fourth quarter of 2006 include a non-cash impairment charge of $0.5 million, net of tax benefits, or $0.09 per diluted share reflecting the write-down of intangible assets related to the Gates trademark. Excluding these charges, the Company reported a net loss of $0.1 million, or ($0.02) per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2007 compared to a net income of $0.4 million, or $0.08 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Jordan Brand, a division of NIKE, Inc., announced the launch of Chris Paul’s first signature shoe, the Jordan CP, set to release on March 1, 2008. Now in his third season as point guard for the New Orleans Hornets, Paul joins select Team Jordan athletes Carmelo Anthony and Derek Jeter as members of the Brand with their own signature shoe.

“Having my very own sneaker has been a childhood dream. I am thrilled and honored to have this opportunity to launch my first signature shoe with Jordan Brand,” said Chris Paul, Team Jordan athlete. “The Jordan CP exceeds all of my on-court needs and this was a great chance for me to design a shoe that reflects my inspirations in life and share it with the world.”

Heelys, Inc. (NASDAQ: HLYS), the youth sports lifestyle company, continues to pave the way in sidewalk sports gear with the company’s latest innovation, MaxTrax Technology. Heelys Sidewalk Sports footwear line features a revolutionary grip technology and is geared toward sidewalk sports enthusiasts who want to focus on their moves, rather than if their feet will stick to their gear.

Whether it’s riding a bike, skateboard, or scooter, the Sidewalk Sports line is designed to help feet stay in-place. The product line features a grippy rubber outsole with both athletic inspired designs and traditional skate designs. Heelys Sidewalk Sports will be in stores just in time for back-to-school and are the perfect shoe for casual school days and sidewalk sports after school and on weekends.

The NPD Group, Inc., leading provider of consumer and retail information, released 2007 sales results for the U.S. Footwear Market. The dollar volume sales for the total U.S. footwear market (combined fashion and athletic footwear) totaled 44.4 billion dollars.

		Annual 2005 (000)		Annual 2006 (000)		Annual 2007 (000)		06 vs. 05		07 vs. 06
Total US Footwear Market		41,765,960		43,656,840		44,364,590		5%		2%
Men's		15,979,110		16,823,720		16,766,900		5%		0%
Women's		20,666,970		21,364,670		21,945,470		3%		3%
Children's		5,119,878		5,468,445		5,652,223		7%		3%
Source: The NPD Group, Inc./Consumer Tracking Service

Accessory footwear marketer R.G. Barry Corporation, the Dearfoams company (Amex: DFZ), today said that despite the weak holiday performance reported by some of its retailer customers, it experienced improved retail sell-through rates during the 2007 holiday season and it expects revenue and earnings for the 2008 fiscal year to fall within its previously issued guidance.

Reporting its second quarter and first half operating results for the period ended December 29, 2007, the Company said that its projected increase in net sales for the full fiscal year is expected to be in the lower end of its previously issued 4-to-8 percent range; and that the anticipated increase in income from continuing operations, before taxes and excluding the fiscal 2007 gain of $878,000 on the sale of land, is expected to be in the upper end of its previously issued 6-to-10 percent range.

    The Company also reiterated that its operating results for the periods met its expectations and reflected a planned shift in its historic patterns of revenue and earnings performance from the first half to the second half of this fiscal year. The shift is principally related to the Company becoming the sole supplier of replenishment slippers for its largest mass-market customer.

You can learn more about their news at their website.  We have reported on only portion of their most recent news release.

Royal Elastics, the innovative footwear brand, opens its first U.S. retail store today, Royal on Main, at 2427 Main Street (http://www.RoyalOnMain.com). The store showcases Royal Elastics' alternative sneakers and flats for men, women and children.

    "Here, we can show the entire range of our collections," says Ludo, creative director of Royal Elastics.

    Royal Elastics started in 1996 with the radical idea that sneakers don't need laces. Instead, footwear fastens with elasticized shock cord or Velcro. "It was inspired by kids who went skateboarding and ripped their laces out," Ludo says. "It's easy and fast to put on."

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE: WWW) this week reported record revenue and earnings per share for its fourth quarter and 2007 fiscal year, marking its seventh consecutive year of both record revenue and earnings per share. The Company also increased its earnings per share estimate for 2008.

    "Our exceptional financial performance in 2007 underscores the strength of our global business model," stated Blake W. Krueger, the Company's CEO and President. "Wolverine has a unique operating platform consisting of a powerful portfolio of eight lifestyle brands, a broad geographic reach that spans 180 countries and a diverse global distribution strategy which focuses on many different consumer groups around the world. Our business model has enabled us to consistently deliver growth and record earnings per share, even in the face of macroeconomic headwinds. In 2007, our revenue and earnings increases were broad-based with all major geographic regions experiencing growth."