Own your category.
Lead the pace.

The opportunity

Norda had a premium product respected and used by top running athletes requiring highly technical, performance-based footwear, but also valued equally for visual design and quality materials that set the standard in the industry for innovation. That built a loyal following, but the brand was not yet recognized by the broader running and fashion markets. The question: could it go mass market at premium price points, with a MAP policy that ruled out discounting.

The insight

The brand ethos and product innovation were building loyalty in a way I hadn't seen in a decade. I saw the growth upside the brand would have if they were able to access a large format retail partner, but gaining access wasn't enough. The brand needed a path cleared to survive in a large retail format as that momentum built.

The strategy

Hands-on attention. Tight assortment, balanced inventory, optimized investments, and a never-out-of-stock replenishment program. Full-price sell-through built momentum, and the investment rolled forward in incremental builds, month over month, acting on real-time trends and seasonal forecasting.

The result

In under three years, Norda was a top brand in the category, at full price. Its success opened a new price point and product type at volume, a tier I defined as performance premium, and became the proof for building the product category into multi-brand representation.

The strongest brands don't compete for space. They create it.

The opportunity

Fubuki, a Japanese winter boot brand, was small, with no major US retail presence, and the market underestimated its potential and volume. It was a new name in a winter footwear category struggling to stay relevant, with PFAS regulations pushing prices higher across the board.

The insight

Patience and loyalty. Fubuki was that rare thing: trendy enough for the street, functional enough for the mountain. None of it was fast, the brand was still building its US operations, but the potential was clear. The category was missing excitement, innovation, and a product that earned a place in everyday life. Fubuki proved that niche was worth owning.

The strategy

Be the first major US online retailer to carry the brand, and lean into the momentum that comes with being first. Launching was only half the job: the prep, the marketing, and real-time reaction to inventory forecasts based on run rate. I kept the momentum compounding all season. The listing ranked first online, stayed in stock through first access to replenishment inventory, and kept converting.

The result

The success became the case for a new direction: rebuilding the winter footwear assortment around functionality and trend that fit everyday life. Its winning product attributes became the template, and a category that needed newness had momentum again.