WHERE WE HAVE BEEN, WHERE WE ARE GOING

We started RYZ with the goal to provide the design and art world with a way to express themselves on shoes. For most of us, our shoes have been a way to express and tie together how we present ourselves with fashion – like that special pair of bright yellow sneakers to make an outfit pop.  Shoes are an expression of ourselves, RYZ is a way for people to express themselves on shoes.

From the start of 2008, our small team began the task of working out the website, designing the hi-top shoe model, figuring out how to get the word out and getting people excited.   With nearly 4000 members in our growing community, the RYZ revolution has definitely begun.

Through this year we have found that to make this concept work, we needed to build an environment where people want these unique pieces of fashion.  We learned that just being on the web wasn’t good enough for shoes – people need to touch and feel the art – “experience” the vibrant designs that you have created on our canvas.  To accomplish this, we have refocused on getting RYZ shoes in retail locations.  In our hometown of Portland, Oregon we are now in two locations – our newest at Sameunderneath in the shopping district of 23rd avenue – with two more after the holidays.

In an effort to go national, we will be presenting our Spring/Summer line at Compass (http://www.compassshow.com/) - self described as the “show with a tightly-edited assemblage of the footwear industry's most captivating brands”.   We are hard at work preparing for this show in February and will have online updates as we get closer and during the event.

Overseas, we will be introducing RYZ to Japan right after the New Year.  Starting in a select group of shops with our partner Minority, Inc. the Japanese will have access to the most unique sneaker on the planet.  With fashion meccas such as Harajuku, we can only expect success in the land of the rising sun.  Check out http://www.ryzwear.co.jp/ to see the start of RYZ Japan.

So what does this all mean for the competition?  Our community is still the heart and soul of RYZ – that won’t change.  What will change is when we release shoes and announce winners.  A selection of winners will be put right into production while others will be held for our seasonal retail launches.  We are also looking to open the selection process to select retailers to provide more winning opportunities for our community.

As for Contests 9, 10 and 11, we will announce the winners after the New Year.  We have actually selected the winners but are deciding on where they fit in our retail vs. webstore mix and when we announce the winning designs.

It will be an interesting 2009 for all of us – thank you to all of you that have designed, talked about, and wear RYZ shoes.  The revolution has begun – let’s show the world what we can create together…

Happy holidays - the RYZ Team