Can someone tell me about Umi shoes and what happened to Elefanten?

[zuzu]

DD has had two pairs of Umis. Both pairs were nubuck leather.

The sandals she got last summer were replaced twice due to stitching coming undone and fraying edges (if that makes sense) on the leather. Luckily, we had gotten ours at Nordstrom so they were great about the exchanges, and also offered to do a return.

On the other hand, the pair DD has been wearing since September are still in great shape, and she does wear them for play. I don't think she is particularly hard on her shoes.

I am debating getting Umis again for this summer, but wanted to second Nita's recommendation for Jumping Jacks. We've had a few pairs of those and all styles have held up very well.

[LoveMyBabyBeans]

I haven't posted here in ages, but I have some info on this.

A German shoe store company bought out Elefanten, not Clarkes. The company is called Deichmann and here are some press releases with info. They are having a big release event at various Deichmann shoe stores next week and I'm going to go and check out the new shoes. They have lowered their prices, so I am really hoping the quality didn't diminish. You can see the Spring offerings here. http://www.roland-schuhe.de/Roland/r..._elefanten.php I'm just not sure yet if they are going to market these in the States yet. And yes, Umi is NOT tied to Elefanten, Umi was Elefanten inspired and was started by someone who used to work at Elefanten.

Elefanten-Schuhe’ at DEICHMANN
Despite these prospects, DEICHMANN sees a further growth potential in its new collections. One promising step is the acquisition of the oldest, best-known and top-quality German children’s shoe brand ‘Elefanten’. “I doubt that any other brand has ever enjoyed the same cult status as ‘Elefanten’ has,“ Deichmann says. With its new spring/summer collection 2006, DEICHMANN wants to continue this great and traditional brand’s success story. “We have not only acquired the proprietary rights but also the lasts and tools used for the production of ‘Elefanten’ shoes. These are any shoe’s soul, as it were,“ explains Bjørn Gulden, DEICHMANN’s plenipotentiary. Furthermore, the company has also recruited qualified staff of the former ‘Elefanten’ team for design and technical development and collaborates with the best of the children’s shoe brand’s previous manufacturers.

E-(lefanten)-Day: March 06, 2006
The ‘Elefanten’ collection, with 80 items altogether, draws upon the traditional brand’s best days. It will launch a new ‘Elefanten’ generation in optimised quality but at much lower prices. While previous ‘Elefanten’ shoe prices ranged from Euro 37.90 to Euro 69.90, they will now be available at between Euro 24,90 and 39.90 – for DEICHMANN an important contribution to “a democratisation of the health of feet and a relief for any a family with children’s kitty,“ as Gulden expounds. In addition, DEICHMANN will offer its customers more ‘Elefanten’ shoes than ever before. “Never before will customers have seen such a huge selection of ‘Elefanten’ shoes in one single store as they will now at DEICHMANN and ROLAND stores,“ Gulden stresses. In the past, retailers would only have ordered parts of the overall collection. Now, parents and children can choose from between 52 and 80 items from size 17 to 41. The collection will officially be launched by a so-called “‘E-Day� in the DEICHMANN stores on March 06, 2006.

HTH!

[jess_g]

Thanks so much. I guess I need to some serious shoe shopping at Nordstroms to find out about all the brands in person. I did finaly buy my son some new Ecco shoes but they are not what I realy wanted to get him. He had gone up by 2 sizes since his last pair! These ere the ones I got him. They are very solid shoes yet flexable.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/32440.jpg


I would love to know if the Elefenten collection shoes will be available in America as they have some realy nice designs. These are the 2 that I love the most:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/32442.jpg

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/32443.jpg

If anyone knows anyone that makes closed toe sandals like these please let me know.

Thanks for all the info,

Jessica.

[hardysmom]

The old school "shoe-lady" at our local boutique was very upset by the way Elefanten went out of business... I guess the US branch was the only part making money and there were offers to keep it going, but the company declined.

She felt that Umi's first offerings were not up to Elefanten quality, but they were moving in the right direction.

I hope the new line does well.

Stephanie

[LoveMyBabyBeans]

Here's a report I wrote up for another board.

I went to a Deichmann shoe store today to check out the new Elefanten shoes. Deichmann is the shoe store chain/company that purchased Elefanten and will continue to market their shoes under that name.

I have to say I was disappointed. I don't know what I went in expecting, but I was not wowed. I EASILY walked out of there without a pair of shoes. They were okay, just okay. Now, Deichmann is sort of like a Payless Shoe Store here in Germany (although not as inexpensive, then again, shoes in Europe are generaly more expensive at all levels). Quality wise, they seemed to still be really nice. The leather was super soft, soles seemed nice for the most part. It was actually the styles that didn't do anything for me. They were bland and in some cases, ugly!! To be fair though, they didn't have ALL of the new styles out on the shelves yet, so I'll definitely have to check back.

I know we have/had some Elefanten shoe fans here (I was one of them) and I'm sorry my report isn't glowing. Some of the basic baby pairs were cute and I may get Andie a pair to wear just to really give the quality a good test. It's so hard to judge shoe quality BEFORE your child wears them and runs them into the ground, ya know?

The sort of good news is definitely the lower prices. Most pairs seemed to be around 29.99 Euros (about $36.00), which IS less than their shoes used to be. They just don't seem to have the appeal that the old collections had.

**At another store, I did get to check out many of the new Naturino, Primigi, Richter, and Ricosta shoes for Spring and was seriously drooling. I also discovered the kids brand, Lurchi, which is part of Salamander shoes and they were REALLY cute and of a very nice quality!!

[luv_my_girl]

Hi, I have had a GREAT experience with Umi shoes for girls (felicity maryjane). I bought a pair on sale at Nordstrom last summer, and they were adorable. I didn't realize at the time that they were a successor to Elefanten, or even a higher-end brand.

The shoes have been worn almost daily from September through February. My DD is hard on shoes - she is in constant motion - but these have held up very well. They seem to be quite comfortable because she always chooses this pair over her other shoes. The bow came off the side, but otherwise they look terrific and show little wear.

Just yesterday, I was searching for another paid of these Felicity shoes for next year, before they stop making them!