New York City Tourism in a Blink

By: jane baron
Compared to most major shoe companies, Nine West is the new kid on the block. The company was founded in May 1977 when Jerome Fisher and Vincent Camuto saw an opportunity to capitalize on the women’s shoe market. (Compare this to companies such as Clark Shoes that have been around since 1825 or Saucony that were founded in the late 19th century.) To be fair, Camuto and Fisher had been around before 1977. The two men had important ties with shoe manufacturers in Brazil. These ties blossomed into a full-scale wholesale women’s shoe business that was called the Fisher Camuto Corporation. Design and marketing offices were based in the United States, but all manufacturing was done in Brazil. (It is important to note that this is before the period in American shoemaking history when many major companies decided to send their shoe manufacturing factories offshore.)

In its first year of existence, the Fisher Camuto Corporation generated $9 million in sales. In the next decade, these sales would increase to over $300 million. At this point in the company’s history, Nine West did not exist. The footwear manufactured by the Fisher Camuto Corporation was “unbranded” and sold to retailers and wholesalers. In 1988, Fisher and Camuto formed the company Jervin Inc. (a combination of the names Jerome and Vincent). And on December 31, 1991 the Fisher Camuto Corporation, the Fisher Camuto Retail Corporation and Espressioni Inc. merged to form the Nine West Group Inc. Jervin Inc. later joined the merger in 1992. The company was named after the address of its first headquarters: 9 West 58th Street in New York City.

Nine West Group, Inc. is a footwear company that specializes in women’s shoes. The company manufactures both women’s casual and women’s dress footwear. Nine West shoes are known for their fit, comfort and style. The company is dedicated to bringing women “the latest look” in footwear fashion at affordable prices. Nine West shoes are classified into three retail price ranges: “better”, “upper moderate” and “moderate”. Nine West shoes may range in price from 25 dollars for a pair of shoes to 150 dollars for a pair of boots.

Nine West is composed of severally national brands including Enzo Angiolini, Calico, Spa and Westies. In 1999 Nine West Group Inc. was purchased by the Jones Apparel Group, Inc. after a decline in sales. Nine West’s offices are now based in White Plains, New York. The shoe retailer also has offices in 60 countries around the globe.