Giuseppe Zanotti Named Shoe 'Designer of the Year'

by Katie Hintz-Zambrano (Subscribe to Katie Hintz-Zambrano's posts)
Posted Nov 19th 2009 at 11:45AM

An example of winner Giuseppe Zanotti's excellent craftsmanship: The crystal pump. Photo: NeimanMarcus.com

Attention footwear fiends!

The best in the shoe business for 2009 -- from designers to executives to industry analysts -- were just announced by Footwear News, WWD's 60-year-old sister publication covering the footwear industry, and we've got the winners.

Designer of the Year: Giuseppe Zanotti
Company of the Year: Steve Madden Ltd.
Person of the Year: Tony Hsieh of Zappos.com
Retailer of the Year: Kohl's
E-tailer of the Year: Gilt Groupe
Marketer of the Year: Iconix Brand Group Inc.
Brand of the Year: Sam Edelman, Sperry Top-Sider
Launch of the Year: Skechers Shape-Ups, Tabitha Simmons, Florsheim by Duckie Brown
Vivian Infantino Emerging Talent: Alexandre Birman

Hall of Fame Inductees are Matt Serra of Foot Locker, George Malkemus of Manolo Blahnik and the late John Shanley, a footwear industry analyst.

"This year's winners proved that the right business strategy and great design can triumph over a bad economy," Michael Atmore, the editorial director of Footwear News, said in a statement. "They have set the standard for the rest of the industry."

The 12 winners will receive their awards in a ceremony on December 1, joining the ranks of designers Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin and Tom Ford, who have won past awards.

Those are some big shoes to fill for 2010 hopefuls!

Do you think these winning designers and companies were the most deserving, or are there other shoe gurus you think were overlooked? Nominate your picks in a comment!

Does all this shoe talk have you longing for a new pair? Shop the looks below:

Read All Comments