• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, November 19, 2024

Design changes are brewing at Crocs, with the shoe company announcing it has hired noted footwear designer Steven Smith, who will work on both the Crocs and Heydude brands. The Broomfield, Colorado-based company says Smith will up Crocs’ style game by “introducing new silhouettes and evolving the brands’ design languages.”

Smith, a prolific designer with 30 years at some of the biggest brands in the business -- including Adidas, Nike, Reebok and New Balance -- most recently worked at YZY, the company formerly known as Yeezy, run by controversial musician Ye.

Smith began working with Ye, then known as Kanye West, in 2016, designing the innovative silhouettes that at one point sold as many as one million shoes per month. Smith remained with the company, even after the Ye/Adidas relationship famously cratered in 2022 following the singer’s antisemitic comments. And Smith became the one and only employee of the spinoff Donda Design, Fast Company reported, before his dismissal in August.

In some ways, Yeezy’s breakthrough chunky designs played off the appeal of Crocs, and the growing popularity for shoes that were big and bulky rather than sleek and streamlined.

“Since our inception we have prided ourselves in being a disruptor in the category and for pushing the envelope on product innovation,” says Anne Mehlman, Crocs brand president, in the announcement. “That is one of the many reasons that we are thrilled to be adding Steven Smith, a true icon in the footwear industry, to our talented design teams. I can’t wait to see what we create together as he brings his unique creative vision to Crocs, Inc.”

Smith arrives as the flagship Crocs brand continues to outshine competitors and as its troubled Heydude brand continues to spiral.

Last month, the company announced a 2% gain in third-quarter revenues to $1.06 billion. Sales of the Crocs brand climbed 7.4% to $858 million, with solid performance in both the direct-to-consumer and wholesale channels. International sales jumped 17%.

Heydude sales, however, continued their freefall, dropping 17.4% to $204 million, with a 23% nosedive in wholesale.

The company’s results exceeded forecasts, and Andrew Rees, chief executive officer, reassured investors it could solve the Heydude problem.

"We have sharpened our strategy around Heydude as we work to create higher brand relevance through our product and marketing initiatives,” he said in the company’s announcement. “While we are seeing early green shoots from these actions, Heydude's recent performance and the current operating environment are signaling will take longer than we had initially planned for the brand to turn a corner. While we are resetting our full-year outlook for Heydude, I remain confident in the long-term trajectory of the brand."