Introducing Stride Rite® Baby -- The Next Best Thing to Barefoot Walking --

Feb 21, 2000

February 2000, Lexington, MA -- Stride Rite®, the #1 brand of children’s footwear in the United States, continues to innovate and build on the heritage of giving baby the best with the introduction of the new Stride Rite Baby Collection. The Stride Rite Baby Collection includes seven new styles in sizes 3 to 8, that feature the innovative “natural motion system™” shoe technology designed to promote natural development and walking patterns for baby. The collection will be available in Stride Rite Concept Stores and select licensed dealers on February 15th, 2000 and in additional licensed dealers in March 2000.

“Stride Rite has always been the leader in providing developmentally appropriate footwear for growing children. And new research confirms that barefoot walking is best for baby, but little feet still need protection,” says Donna Morton, Senior Vice President of Product Development and Marketing for Stride Rite. “That’s why we developed the new Stride Rite natural motion system, our latest innovation in baby technology that helps baby mimic natural barefoot walking. We have essentially reinvented the baby shoe.”

Barefoot Is Best, But Little Feet Need Protection In 1999, Stride Rite commissioned a comprehensive groundbreaking research study in conjunction with the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center to study children’s walking patterns or gait, how shoes affect movement, and which design features will help babies walk more naturally.

The learnings from the Gait Study indicated that the natural approach is the best approach and traditional baby footwear may impede a child’s natural gait. Other learnings from the Gait Study were that:

Baby’s natural gait or “stride path” is heel to toe
the normal heel to toe gait may be impeded by all shoes
the first two years of walking determine a child’s lifetime gait
stabilization is necessary when a child’s heel strikes the ground
flexibility and toe movement are key to walking naturally

Baby Shoes That “Nurture Nature”
Stride Rite’s new “natural motion system,” is an array of unique features and benefits that promote natural development and walking patterns including:

A contoured landing pad for stability and balance
An added toe spring to aid propulsion and help baby lift off for the next step
Pressure dispersion along the entire stride path and a soft center for comfort and natural movement and a soft center stride path allows for pressure dispersion , enhanced comfort and natural movement
Flex grooves uniquely extended to the end of the toe and soft supple leather for maximum flexibility
A leather lining and upper for improved breathability

A Shoe For All Occasions
Although many parents still prefer the traditional white bootie for baby’s first shoe, wardrobe choices become more important as mothers return to the store for the next purchase. The new Stride Rite Baby collection has classic looks, but also covers all needs from a style point of view including dress, athletic, sandal, hiker, and casual looks all with the same great features and benefits. These styles appeal to the mother looking for a “classic” baby shoe as well as the mother who is looking for a more fashionable “lifestyle” shoe.

Adds Morton, “The new Baby collection is a full lifestyle collection that’s uncomplicated, beneficial, natural, beautiful, and ultimately it is from Stride Rite and that says it all.”

The classic selections are available in four silhouettes:

“Jamie” – A clean plain toe bootie
“Marti” - A novelty bootie featuring fun girl and boy icons (Lions/Bears for boy – Butterfly for girl)
“Parker” – A traditional moccasin toe bootie
“Emily” – A multi-purpose t-strap for everyday wear or dressy occasions

The “lifestyle” looks feature more European colors and detailing and have a more contemporary profile than the classic selection with the same comfort and flexibility. They are available in three silhouettes:

“Morgan” – A playful casual t-strap featuring a cute flower printed upper
“Baxter” – An everyday casual oxford, great for khakis and jeans
“Scoot” – An athletic-inspired sport shoe

The Stride Rite Baby Collection will have full marketing support including advertising this Spring in Parents, Parenting, Martha Stewart Living and In Style and sponsorship of the “Baby’s First Steps” section of babycenter.com, which is due to launch in March 2000.

Additionally, a Direct Mail Piece highlighting the Stride Rite Baby Collection will be sent to new customers. The Stride Rite Baby Collection will be available in Stride Rite Concept Stores and select licensed dealers on February 15th, 2000 and in additional licensed dealers in March 2000.

For eighty years, Stride Rite, headquartered in Lexington, MA, has engineered and designed footwear specifically for growing children because the company understands the way children’s feet grow and develop. Stride Rite remains highly committed to helping parents raise happy and healthy children by providing products that are developmentally appropriate, that meet parents’ expectations for quality, and that are exciting for children to wear -- products created with the same commitment that parents bring to their own job of raising their children.

For Stride Rite locations nearest you visit www.striderite.com.

Contact:

Linda M. Warner
The Stride Rite Corporation
Phone: 617-824-6077