Brown Shoe's Footwear Collections with Music, Entertainment Superstar Fergie Debut in Stores for Spring

Brown Shoe's Footwear Collections with Music, Entertainment Superstar Fergie Debut in Stores for Spring

ST. LOUIS, March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Consumers anticipating the arrival of Fergie's shoe collections since the 2008 announcement of her collaboration with Brown Shoe Company (NYSE:BWS)(NYSE:www.brownshoe.com) will wait no longer. Fergie(TM) and Fergalicious by Fergie(TM) footwear begin their spring launches today at select department stores and boutiques, national chains and online retailers.

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"After months of working with the designers and watching ideas and sketches come to life, it's time for the fun part - wearing the shoes! Both lines capture the essence of my style, and I'm looking forward to the reactions as women begin seeing the shoes on the shelves and deciding which ones to add to their closets. I know I have quite a few pairs in mine!" said Fergie.

Brown Shoe created two namesake footwear lines to fully capture the multi-faceted aspects of Fergie's life as an award-winning singer, songwriter and actress - from her on-stage kicks to her red carpet stilettos to her day-in-LA flats. Fergie footwear captures the multi-platinum artist's confident, individual style in a line of sophisticated, sexy footwear with a glam rock influence. Fergalicious by Fergie shoes have a fun, funky attitude inspired by her pop rock persona. Both lines incorporate their own subtle iconic ornamentation and details to represent symbols of importance to Fergie that her fans will recognize, such as her signature tiara emblazoned on a metal button.

Fergie footwear, priced between $69 and $129, is available at select Nordstrom, Von Maur, Belk and Bon Ton locations, various boutiques and independent retailers, and online at shoes.com, Piperlime and ShoeMall.com. Consumers can find Fergalicious by Fergie footwear at Famous Footwear, FamousFootwear.com, JC Penney and Sears for $39-$69. (Call 800.766.6465 for store locations.) The brands' dedicated web site, FergieShoes.com, launches today and will feature a "Fergie's Faves" section with her personal shoe picks, as well as a multi-media section where visitors can watch exclusive video, download wallpaper and find the latest Fergie news.

"With Fergie's widespread appeal, we needed two distinct footwear collections to capture the right look for the broadest range of consumers. These footwear collections make a piece of Fergie's style available to women across the country. The Fergie brand consumer admires 'Fergie the Fashionista' and wants trend-right shoes that move easily from day to evening. The woman who wears Fergalicious by Fergie relates to 'Fergie the Pop Culture Icon,' and seeks shoes with an edgy look," said Brown Shoe Wholesale President Gary Rich.

Important trends throughout both collections include fashion-focused athletic shoes with a "street" edge, platforms, wedges, flats, gladiator-inspired sandals and wood platforms. Materials such as under-glass patents and waxed and burnished leathers team with metallic details and hardware to create special looks for each line's unique consumer.

Fergie is a three-time Grammy Award winner with four number one singles, including three from her six million-selling debut solo album The Dutchess. She was named Best Pop/Rock Female Artist at the 2007 American Music Awards and Best Female Artist at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, and performed at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2008. Fergie recently wrapped filming on the movie "Nine", also starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sophia Loren, Penelope Cruz and Nicole Kidman, and this summer goes on a worldwide tour with The Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo to promote their new album, The E.N.D.

Brown Shoe's roster of celebrity artist partners includes legendary musician Carlos Santana, country music superstar Reba McEntire and television personality Gretta Monahan.

About Wilhelmina Artist Management

In 1998, as an innovator in the industry, Wilhelmina Models became the first fashion company to develop a specific division to exclusively represent premier talent in the worlds of music, sports and entertainment. Today, that division called Wilhelmina Artist Management, is one of the industry's finest, with a roster that includes Fergie, Natasha Bedingfield, Heather Graham, Amy Smart and Justin Chambers, among others. Wilhelmina Artist Management creates, develops and manages celebrity-powered campaigns, product lines, private brand licensing, endorsements, sponsorships, talent appearances and corporate entertainment strategies.

About Brown Shoe

Brown Shoe is a $2.3 billion footwear company with global operations. Brown Shoe's Retail division operates Famous Footwear, the over 1,100-store chain that sells brand name shoes for the family, approximately 300 specialty retail stores in the U.S., Canada, and China under the Naturalizer, Brown Shoe Closet, FX LaSalle, and Franco Sarto names, and Shoes.com, the Company's e-commerce subsidiary. Brown Shoe, through its Wholesale divisions, owns and markets leading footwear brands including Naturalizer, LifeStride, Via Spiga, Nickels Soft, Connie and Buster Brown; it also markets licensed brands including Franco Sarto, Dr. Scholl's, Etienne Aigner, Carlos by Carlos Santana, Fergie branded footwear, and Vera Wang Lavender Label Collection as well as Barbie, Fisher-Price and Nickelodeon character footwear for children. Brown Shoe press releases are available on the Company's website at http://www.brownshoe.com/.

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Source: Brown Shoe Company

CONTACT: Erin Conroy of Brown Shoe, +1-212-324-4515,
econroy@brownshoe.com; or Lauren Kucerak of BNC | Bragman Nyman Cafarelli,
+1-212-253-4646, LKucerak@bncpr.com; or Hillary Siskind of Interscope Geffen
A&M, +1-212-841-8055, Hillary.Siskind@umusic.com

Web Site: http://www.brownshoe.com/

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