 | |
| Founded | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Tom Romeo |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Key people | John Pierce (President) |
| Products | Footwear, apparel, and accessories |
| Website | bearpaw.com |
Bearpaw Holdings LLC (simply known as Bearpaw, stylized BEARPAW) is an American brand of footwear, apparel, and accessories.
The brand was founded by Tom Romeo in 2001 with the purpose of, according to its website, redefining casual footwear by utilizing sheepskin to create comfortable and stylish footwear. In one of the most competitive footwear market segments, with UGG Australia and EMU Australia as main competitors for producing sheepskin footwear, Bearpaw has carved out a niche area by providing customers with comfort and sensibility to set itself apart. The first Bearpaw retail store opened in Citrus Heights, California in 2011, where the brand is headquartered. [1]
In 2018, the brand started producing vegan made boots (non-sheepskin), specifically with vegan microsuede (polyester), polyester blend lining, and rubber outsoles. [2]
In June 2018, Bearpaw acquired Flip Flop Shops, a brand owned by Cherokee Inc. [3]
Bearpaw's signature products are its sheepskin boots, otherwise known as ugg boots, which come in various styles and colors. The brand also produces hiking boots, slippers, sneakers and accessories for men, women and children.
In November 2010, Deckers Outdoor Corporation, which owns the UGG Australia brand, filed a lawsuit against the Bearpaw brand for copying UGG brand designs (both Bearpaw and UGG Australia produce immensely similar products, especially their sheepskin boots). The litigation was resolved mutually by both parties in February 2012. [4]
Tom Romeo faced legal trouble in 2014, when he was charged by a federal grand jury of Sacramento, California for evading nearly $5.6 million in customs duties, where his employees created false invoices that undervalued footwear he imported from China. [5]
Dr. Martens, also commonly known as Doc Martens, Docs or DMs, is a British footwear and clothing brand, headquartered in Wollaston in the Wellingborough district of Northamptonshire, England. Although famous for its footwear, Dr. Martens also makes a range of accessories – such as shoe care products, clothing, and bags. The footwear is distinguished by its air-cushioned sole, upper shape, welted construction and yellow stitching. Dr Martens' design studio is in Camden Town, London; the manufacturing is in the UK, China, and Thailand. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
Flip-flops are a type of light sandal, typically worn as a form of casual footwear. They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped strap known as a toe thong that passes between the first and second toes and around both sides of the foot or can be a rigid base with a strap across all the toes.
Buffalo is a brand of clothing and accessories, perhaps best known for its footwear, owned by the Buffalo Boots GmbH. Its headquarters are in Cologne, Germany.
Ugg boots are a unisex style of sheepskin boot originating in Australia. The boots are typically made of twin-faced sheepskin with fleece on the inside, a tanned outer surface and a synthetic sole. The term "ugg boots" originated in Australia, initially for utilitarian footwear worn for warmth, and which were often worn by surfers during the 1960s. In the 1970s, the boots were introduced to the surf culture of the United Kingdom and the United States. Sheepskin boots became a fashion trend in the U.S. in the late 1990s and a worldwide trend in the mid-2000s. In Australia, they are worn predominantly as slippers and often associated with daggy fashion sense and bogan culture.
Deckers Outdoor Corporation, doing business as Deckers Brands, is a footwear designer and distributor based in Goleta, California, United States. It was founded in 1973 by University of California, Santa Barbara alumni Doug Otto and Karl F. Lopker. In 1975, the company was incorporated in California under the name Deckers Corporation. In October 1993, Deckers initiated a public offering of stock in its company.
Warmbat was a USA-based footwear manufacturer that made Australian sheepskin boots, fashion sneakers, work boots and fashionable footwear. This brand was first introduced in Perth, Western Australia in 1969 making it one of the oldest manufacturers of sheepskin boots. The company had offices in Dayton, Ohio as well as Perth.
Sheepskin boots are boots made from sheepskin. The wool on sheepskin has good insulating properties and so such boots are commonly worn when it is cold.
UGG is an American fashion company primarily known for its sheepskin boots, founded in 1978 by Australian surfer Brian Smith in Santa Monica, California. After putting on his pair of Australian sheepskin boots after a chilly late-night surf in Malibu, Smith realized sheepskin boots weren't available in the United States like they were in Australia, giving Smith the idea to create UGG. UGG specializes in footwear, ready-to-wear, accessories, and home textiles.
The Frye Company is an American manufacturer of shoes, boots and leather accessories. Founded in 1863, it claims to be the oldest continuously operated American shoe company.
Douglas B. Otto is a business executive who co-founded Deckers Outdoor Corporation whose portfolio includes the UGG Australia brand.
The ALDO Group branded as ALDO, is a Canadian multinational corporation retailer that owns and operates a worldwide chain of shoe and accessories stores. The company was founded by Aldo Bensadoun in Montreal, Quebec, in 1972, where its corporate headquarters based in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, Quebec remain today. It has grown to become a worldwide corporation, with nearly 3,000 stores across 100 countries, under three retail banners: ALDO, Call It Spring/Spring and GLOBO. Stores in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and Ireland are owned by the Group, while international stores are franchised. The company once operated the now closed or rebranded banners Little Burgundy, Simard & Voyer, Christian Shoes, Access, Pegabo, Transit, Stoneridge, Locale, Feetfirst and FIRST.
UGG may refer to:
Schuh is a footwear retailer based in Livingston, Scotland. It has 132 stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company is predominantly a branded shoe stockist, selling over 80 brands, including: Converse, Vans, UGG, Nike, Adidas as well as its own Schuh label.
Autonomie Project was a fair trade, eco-friendly, and vegan fashion company based out of Boston, MA, in the United States. The company began in 2007 when group of friends who were frustrated with the fashion and footwear industries due to their lack of transparency and use of sweatshops and harmful chemicals. Autonomie Project produced shoes, flip flops, hand bags, T-shirts, winter hats and accessories. They worked with small, independent cooperatives and fair trade certified facilities located in developing areas of the world including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Peru, and the US. As well as being fair trade certified, the company used eco-friendly products as much as possible such as organic cottons and Forest Stewardship Council certified sustainable all natural rubber. Autonomie Project certified all products and materials all the way down the supply chain were vegan, produced by fair trade standards, and were environmentally friendly.
Takken's Shoes is an independent shoe retailer with 2 stores in California (USA) and two retail websites. Specializing in comfort and family footwear, Takken's Shoes is also one of the largest UGG Australia retailers in the world. The corporate headquarters are located in San Luis Obispo, CA where the first Takken's Shoes was opened in 1937 by Harry Takken as a shoe repair business.
EMU Australia is an Australian lifestyle brand that designs, produces and markets footwear and accessories. The brand is best known for their sheepskin and Merino wool products. Their signature products are sheepskin boots, which have been a popular fashion trend for young women since the 2000s. EMU products are also available for men and children.
Ugg boots trademark disputes are the disputes between some footwear manufacturers, as to whether "ugg" is a protected trademark, or a generic term and thus ineligible for trademark protection. In Australia and New Zealand, where "Ugg" is a generic term for the style of footwear, 702 registered trademarks include the term "Ugg" in various logos and designs. By contrast, UGG is a registered trademark of the California-based company Deckers Outdoor Corporation in over 130 countries worldwide, including the U.S., the European Union, and China.
Cherokee Inc., also known as Apex Global Brands, is an American based global apparel and footwear company, headquartered in Sherman Oaks, California. The company was established in 1973 and its brands are available in 110 countries in 12,000 retail locations and on digital commerce.
Mou is a footwear company founded in 2002 in London by Shelley Tichborne.
Gandys is a social enterprise and clothing brand founded in 2012 in Brixton, London. The company was founded by 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami survivors Rob and Paul Forkan. Through the sale of their clothing and accessories, Gandys fund the Gandys Foundation, which works to build campuses & provide education for disadvantaged and underprivileged children in underdeveloped nations.
