Footwear News

What Footwear News does

Footwear News (FN) is a footwear industry trade publication founded in 1945, operated as a section of Women's Wear Daily (WWD) and owned by Penske Media Corporation (PMC) through its legal entity Fairchild Publishing, LLC. It produces daily editorial coverage of the footwear sector organized into four core content pillars — Industry News, Sneakers, Features, and Trends — delivered through the wwd.com/footwear-news website, a daily email newsletter, and six social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X, YouTube). The publication covers corporate developments, M&A, sneaker releases, designer collaborations, and company profiles, with named editorial staff producing recurring coverage of major brands including Nike, Adidas, Wolverine World Wide, Asics, and Red Wing.

The underlying technology is the shared PMC digital publishing platform that powers all PMC titles, with no proprietary technology stack disclosed. Revenue is generated through a hybrid B2B media model: a $24.99/year consumer subscription (digital and print), advertising and sponsored content from footwear brands and retailers, and event monetization anchored by the annual FN Achievement Awards and the newer Switchback Spring show and Switchback Dinner. The primary customer segment is footwear industry professionals — brands, retailers, designers, and investors — with secondary reach to footwear enthusiasts via the consumer subscription product. Operations are based at PMC's New York headquarters, and the publication is fully integrated with the broader WWD/PMC portfolio (which also includes Variety, Billboard, Rolling Stone, and The Hollywood Reporter), sharing sales infrastructure, event production, and audience cross-promotion.

Name

Footwear News

Legal name

Fairchild Publishing, LLC

Website

https://footwearnews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Footwear News is a 1945-founded B2B trade publication covering the global footwear industry, published by Fairchild Publishing, LLC under Penske Media Corporation's WWD brand, serving brands, retailers, designers, and investors via its website, newsletter, and annual FN Achievement Awards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Annual digital/print subscription model offering industry news, features, trends, and exclusive coverage of the footwear industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Footwear News is a digital B2B trade publication that covers the global footwear industry with editorial content on shoe industry news, sneaker releases, M&A activity, fashion trends, and industry leader features. It distributes content through the wwd.com/footwear-news/ website, daily email newsletters, and social media channels, and hosts the annual FN Achievement Awards. The publication operates as part of the WWD (Women's Wear Daily) network under Penske Media Corporation (PMC), with paid annual subscriptions offered at $24.99 per year.

Product overview

Footwear News is a single unified online news publication providing coverage of the footwear industry. It offers editorial content across categories including shoe industry news, sneaker news, shoe features, and shoe trends. The publication operates as a section of WWD (Women's Wear Daily) and is part of the Penske Media Corporation portfolio. The website provides free access to news articles and also offers paid newsletter and magazine subscriptions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Footwear News Digital Publication Online trade publication delivering daily news, features, sneaker coverage, trend analysis, M&A reporting, and executive interviews for footwear industry professionals including brands, retailers, designers, and investors. Distributed via the wwd.com/footwear-news/ website and email newsletters, with both free and paid annual subscription access at $24.99 per year.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.

• Daya by ZendayanotableGTM or Marketing PartnerZendaya's shoe line 'Daya by Zendaya' is featured and covered by Footwear News as part of industry coverage of celebrity footwear collaborations. Zendaya is recognized as a prominent actress and fashion icon known for her daring shoe choices.
• On (sneaker collaboration with Zendaya)notableGTM or Marketing PartnerZendaya collaborated with On on a sneaker design, which was featured in Footwear News coverage of her shoe style evolution and collaborations.
• AdidascoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAdidas partnered with Pharrell Williams and received the Shoe of the Year award at the 2025 FN Achievement Awards hosted by Footwear News for the Virginia Adistar Jellyfish shoe.
• Pharrell WilliamscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPharrell Williams co-designed the Virginia Adistar Jellyfish with Adidas and received the Coveted Shoe of the Year honor at the 2025 FN Achievement Awards.
• Wolverine World WidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWolverine World Wide was named 2025 Company of the Year by Footwear News, recognizing its transformation and resurgence through innovative products and strategic partnerships. The company gained industry recognition for revitalizing its brand portfolio.
• Wolverine World WidenotableChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWolverine World Wide markets its products (including Sperry, Hush Puppies, Merrell, Saucony, and other brands) in approximately 170 countries and territories through owned operations in various regions, covered by Footwear News.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sourcing Journal: Sourcing Journal is a sister trade publication under Penske Media Corporation / Fairchild Publishing, covering apparel and textile sourcing. Like Footwear News, it serves as a vertical B2B trade title within the WWD network with subscription, newsletter, and event monetization.
• Beauty Inc: Beauty Inc is another sister trade publication under Penske Media Corporation's Fairchild Publishing, covering the beauty industry. It mirrors FN's model: vertical B2B trade journalism, newsletter, events, and subscription revenue within the WWD umbrella.
• Business of Fashion: BoF is an independent fashion-industry intelligence and media company offering paid subscriptions, reports, and events to fashion and footwear professionals. It competes for the same B2B fashion/footwear professional audience that FN targets, but with a higher-ARPU research and data product mix.
• Vogue Business: Vogue Business is Condé Nast's B2B fashion industry title covering fashion, luxury, and footwear at the executive level. It overlaps with FN's coverage of designer collaborations, brand strategy, and industry M&A, competing for the same premium advertising and subscriber base.
• Hypebeast: Hypebeast is a digital media platform focused on sneakers, streetwear, and contemporary fashion. It competes directly with Footwear News for sneaker-culture readership and brand advertising dollars, with a stronger consumer/youth orientation.
• Sneaker News: Sneaker News is a dedicated sneaker-release and sneaker-culture media site covering Nike, Adidas, Jordan, and Yeezy drops. It is a direct competitor to FN's Sneakers vertical, focused on release calendars, reviews, and sneakerhead consumer audiences.
• Highsnobiety: Highsnobiety is a sneaker, streetwear, and contemporary culture digital media outlet with strong coverage of footwear collaborations and drops. It competes with FN for sneaker and youth-culture advertising and editorial attention.
• Complex: Complex is a pop-culture and sneaker-focused digital media brand with deep coverage of footwear drops, sneaker culture, and celebrity-driven collaborations. It overlaps significantly with FN's Sneakers and Leading Voices verticals, especially among Gen Z and millennial consumers.

Broad incumbents

• Women's Wear Daily (WWD): WWD is the parent fashion trade publication under Penske Media Corporation / Fairchild Publishing and Footwear News' direct editorial sibling. It covers the broader fashion and luxury apparel industry including footwear, overlapping on designer collaborations, M&A, and brand coverage.

Regional players

• Just-Style: Just-Style is a UK-based B2B trade publication covering the global apparel and footwear manufacturing and sourcing industry. It is comparable to FN as a vertical footwear/apparel trade title, but with a manufacturing and supply-chain orientation rather than a brand/consumer focus.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FootwearNews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@footwearnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/footwearnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/footwear-news
• Instagraminstagram.com/footwearnews/?hl=en
• Pinterestpinterest.com/footwearnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Footwear News