ARA
What Women Want! ARA’s Evolution
fitting and comfort features that added to the wearer’s pleasure in ARA’s shoes. The key to their success over the years is to build in these comfort qualities in shoes that still looked good enough for the wearer to want to wear them. At the same time ARA wanted to provide value for money, which is not just about price, it is giving the customer a product that provided everything she wants at an affordable price. There is a new generation of ARA customers, who see their daughters wearing the fashions and want to take these fashions but do not want to sacrifice their comfort as a result. ARA’s evolution is, by its nature, constantly moving. The ARA brand itself
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is well known for its comfort values and wherever evolution takes the brand, these cornerstone features of good fit, comfort and generous last shapes will never change.
Identifying the customers’ needs has been vital to ARA’s
success. For example, the use of Goretex has become a major part of ARA’s collections for some time. Most people think of Goretex as a performance material that provides the wearer a guarantee of dry feet, yet breathable shoe, in rugged outdoor wear for walkers and other outdoor sports. ARA make walking shoes and boots for these uses, but they also make a city range of Goretex lined shoes and boots. Does everybody think that it only rains in the countryside? With the needs of cities to reduce the numbers of cars travelling into their conurbations, then we find ourselves using park and ride, for example, more often than driving our cars to the shops or work. This means more walking, this means more need for smart waterproof breathable shoes and boots. For next Spring ARA have launched the all new Fitness collection.
This is a small collection of premium shoes that have all the well accepted qualities that ARA always build into their shoes. The main difference is in the technicals of the sole design. Rockers soles are already an established style of shoe design that helps muscle tone and posture.
In wear testing,
ARA noticed that many people, although agreeing with the benefits of the rocker sole, felt uncomfortable wearing a sole that did not stand firmly on the ground. Many told us they felt unstable. ARA understands its customers well and realised that for many a rocker sole simply would not work. So, ARA re-designed the concept to create the rocker sole in the inside of the sole. The outside remains flat, or as flat as any other sole. But it is on the inside, the unseen part, that does all the work for the wearer. By designing the sole with a very deep heel seat, so allowing the wearer to sink deep into the heal with every step. As the step progresses, the foot “climbs” over the instep, and then sinks deeply into the forepart. Wearing ARA Fitness shoes has been described as walking on sand. Whilst walking, the wearer continues to tone calf, thigh and bottom.
Yet, when standing the shoes lay flat on the ground providing a stable situation. There is no need to re-learn how to stand or walk. The benefits are immediately apparent as soon as one puts the shoes onto their feet in the shop. In other parts of the ARA Collection evolution continues. The ARA brand
itself is becoming the high class product with performance leathers and materials with style taking its leads from classic fashion. Timeless styles that afford the wearer a long term commitment of comfort yet still looking stylish. Memory foam insoles are becoming the norm for ARA. These use a foam under the leather sock that has interlocking holes, so continues to be breathable. But the main feature of this is that the foam takes the form of under the foot, thereby creating a tailor made footbed for each wearer. It is as if the shoe becomes as individual as the wearer. ARA’s second brand JENNY by ARA, has grown into a more fashion
oriented brand that provides excellent value for money, but never loses those cornerstone comfort qualities. Being a fashion follower, means that JENNY by ARA continues to aim for the lady who still wants the style but not at any price to her comfort. For example, in the current collection there is a range of a platform courts that look great and is spot on for JENNY customers, yet using ARA’s principals of comfort, the platform is flexible. Thus the wearer continues to have fashion shoes that she wants to wear. For everyday wear, pump, moccasins and casuals all continue these themes of feeling great on the foot
and looking great on the foot. The evolution continues, but the fundamental ground rules of great fit and sublime comfort for ARA do not change.
Contact Details RRP £150.00
Ashton Associates GB Ltd Tel: 01953 859900
peter@ashton-associates.com
volution is a gradual process that allows a brand to take steps forward without losing its heartland customers. ARA began life in the early 1950’s to satisfy a need in many women who wanted shoes that looked great without any pain. Over the years, ARA perfected last shapes,
RRP £60.00
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20 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• OCTOBER 2010
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