Star Swagger Spotlight: Radii Footwear

Article written by: SoJones Asmara
Posted on: October 31, 2009

Radii (pronounced rey-dee-eye) Footwear is a great example of why those who really know what ‘quality’ is, know it’s about choosing only the finest things.

Although still very young, Radii Footwear which was established in Fall 2008, has captured the attention of Hollywood’s A-listers such as Jay-Z (who repped Radii Footwear to a couple of his biggest concerts), Taboo from Black Eyed Peas, Flo Rida and many more. SoJones.com gets the exclusive coverage from the man behind the brand, Casey Arishon.

Introduce yourself and describe how Radii Footwear was started?
My name is Casey Arisohn. Radii Footwear was started after a long career in retail and production, there was an opportunity to launch a truly unique brand that catered to a demographic that had an eye for fashion and art.

We know your brand is the favorite of world-class celebs. How did it all happen?
It was strictly a result of having a product that people really gravitated towards. Most of the celebrities contacted us initially. We were focused on making great quality product and helping our retailers make money, so the celebs were more an afterthought at first. We love telling the story how Jay Z actually bought his first two pair of shoes.

What differs Radii from any other celeb-favorite footwears?
I wouldn’t say much as far as celebs go. We all make good shoes, and celebs generally get product for free, but we definitely have capitalized on what they want. It’s a supply and demand thing. We make product that is in high demand with very little that is similar to us out there. Whether it be color, materials, or styles, we try to offer something a little different and eye catching.

What’s hot this season and what’s gonna be up next season? Where can we get Radii Footwear online and offline?

Well, this season is a lot of what was hot last season. Straps have been the dominate sneaker embellishment this year. We have buckles and straps offered in a couple different styles, and they are all our top sellers. Going forward we’re going to have a bit of the same, but we believe cleaner colors and classic silhouettes will be a good balance to the futuristic style counterparts in our line.

Any upcoming product placements on celebs, in movies or videos to keep an eye out for?
Yes, we have too many to say. You just have to keep checking for updates at www.radiifootwear.com and check our blog for all the updates. We have some big celebs and artists making there presence known in Radii, but we’ll just say stay tuned…

Any expansion plans? Maybe a clothing or accessories line, for example?
Shoes are my passion; that being said, I definitely see other opportunities in the future, but for now we’re going to focus on making great shoes for all walks of life.

Looking ahead over the next year or two, what themes/looks/styles do you see your brand gravitating to?
We will continue to focus on the high fashion couture customers. We definitely see our sneaker business continuing to do strong, but we want to segment our brand so we can have a more mature business casual look to contrast with the existing line we’re known for.

What themes/looks/styles do you see your brand moving away from?
It’s tough to say because our line is strategically made to cater to certain regions and demographics. We’re definitely not looking to move towards a mass market, low price point customer. We are very aware of the economic climate, but we’re also not for everyone. We don’t want to cheapen our brand just to sell more units. We want to continue to give our customer a competitive, not cheap, price with an amazing product.

What has been a surprise fashion hit over the last year?
Our Straight Jacket hasn’t really been a surprise, but at our highest selling retail price and the economy reaching a very high unemployment rate, it continues to be one of our top selling pieces.

Check the Radii Footwear dopeness on some of the biggest names in hip hop, and prepare yourself for the new cool in footwear.

And here are some of SoJones.com editor’s picks for you, dear readers, and they’re available at DrJays.  The first pair is actually those worn by Jay-Z in the picture above:

Radii 420 Top Jay-Z, $95.00

Radii Straight Jacket, $120.00

Radii Strangler, $95.00