Randy McKinley: BEARPAW Footwear

Randy McKinley said it plainly: "We look at ourselves as a very approachable brand. We look up to Uggs — we think they are one of the best companies out …" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

Celebrities like Jamie Chung, Cara Castronuova, Karina Smirnoff, and Snooki are fans of the ultra-comfortable and stylish boots made by BEARPAW Footwear. For two seasons, Snooki has been something of an ambassador for the brand, sporting favorites from the exotic collection — including the Sonjo fur-trimmed suede, Boetis, Tama, and Kola boots — on MTV's The Jersey Shore. BEARPAW's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Randy McKinley, spoke with Premier Guide Miami's Judith Wallace about the brand's tenth anniversary, the Fall 2011 collection, and the company's Free Shoes Fridays social media giveaway.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Tell us a little about your company, BEARPAW Footwear.

RANDY MCKINLEY: The company was founded in 2001. Tom Romeo, the CEO of the company, started the company — and this year is our ten-year anniversary. He started the company with the idea of taking something so simple as sheepskin and developing a product of footwear that is comfortable. He did not want to get into the fashion world or the athletic world or things like that; he just wanted to make comfortable footwear at a reasonable price.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What is the latest collection that you are introducing for the fall?

RANDY MCKINLEY: We are actually introducing several new collections. The classics business collection has evolved into the winter equivalent of flip flops — every year girls are going to buy flip flops no matter what. It's the same thing with the classic collection, the 8, 10, or 12-inch classic boot collection; it is not going to go away. So we introduced new colors, prints, textures, and things like that. But we really wanted to branch out and start other categories or collections for our consumers. We have a great market in the classics business but we see the independent business for the mom-and-pops as well — whether it is Chicago, L.A., New York, or Atlanta. What we have done is developed a boutique collection which is a little higher end and it's going to be more centered around the leathers being extremely soft, nicer finishes, and so on. It is going to look like old-world craftsmanship on this type of product. The collection will feature a knee-high boot, a 16-inch boot, and a classic 12-inch boot.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Who are some of the celebrities that have worn this brand?

RANDY MCKINLEY: The one that gets the most press, believe it or not, is Snooki. Being one of the most photographed people, she loves our boots and wears them very often. The ones she is usually photographed in are from the exotic collection — made up of premium furs, whether it is fox, goat, rabbit, curly-haired lamb, things like that. Jamie Chung, who was just in the movie Hangover 2; Cara Castronuova, celebrity trainer who was on the Biggest Loser; and Karina Smirnoff from Dancing with the Stars — to name a few. Our relationship with Karina started a few years ago when we saw her on the show wearing what we thought was our stuff, and when we asked, it was. We found out it was something she was comfortable in, so we entered into a relationship where she designs shoes. She has a design book that she keeps with her all the time. So our designer collaborated with her and created the BEARPAW Alyeska boot by Karina Smirnoff. We introduced it in limited distribution this year and it was well received. Her second boot, the Capulet, will be out in October.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What is the BEARPAW Free Shoes Friday giveaway?

RANDY MCKINLEY: We look at ourselves as a very approachable brand. We look up to Uggs — we think they are one of the best companies out there in the footwear industry. We look at them as the top of the pinnacle, but it seems they are almost to the point where they are living behind a gated community, and they do not let people in. But we are the opposite — we want people to engage us. I take it as a personal challenge with Facebook and Twitter where when someone sends me anything I respond right back to them — that personal touch element. I look at Free Shoes Fridays as simply giving away a pair of shoes. But on Free Shoes Fridays I will get two thousand people trying to win that one pair of shoes. Also, just the joy that it brings to the contestant when they win is amazing. Last year at Christmas we gave away one thousand pairs of shoes to our Facebook and Twitter fans. It was the first one thousand people to respond, and over eight thousand people responded. So we gave away the thousand pairs as promised, and for the other seven thousand we produced a music CD and gave it to them. A young artist from LA collaborated with us and made a personal BEARPAW CD with his new tracks, and we sent it to the rest of the contestants. So everyone who participated got something.

For more upcoming events across South Florida, visit the Premier Guide Miami Events Calendar .