The Company has selected two talented Southern California college students whose adopted animals inspired their personal graphic prints
Pet lovers, give a round of paws for the two talented winners of Skechers’ Paws for a Cause Design Scholarship! The brand is awarding Southern California juniors Teeny Nadeau of Cal State Fullerton and Maki Shigetani of USC with tuition funds and corporate mentorships, and will produce their creative animal prints on a key BOBS from Skechers® style as part of a limited-edition collection in June 2024.
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The winners of the Skechers Paws for a Cause Scholarship in the dog and cat categories, USC student Maki Shigetani and Teeny Nadeau of Cal State Fullerton created their cruising canine and regal cat mosaics in honor of their beloved rescue animals. (Graphic: Business Wire)
Both winners’ patterns were inspired by personal experiences with their adopted animals; Nadeau’s cat mosaic is in honor of her regal rescue cat Firefly, who recently passed away from cancer. Shigetani designed her “Bark ‘n’ Drive” dog mosaic in tribute to her family’s dogs, whose unconditional love has helped support her mental health and brought her family joy during the pandemic.
“The BOBS movement has been embraced by millions looking for new ways to improve animal welfare. Thanks to their purchases and enthusiasm, we’ve already helped save and care for approximately two million animals,” said Kathy Kartalis, senior vice president of global product for Skechers. “Many college students use BOBS as their go-to campus styles, and we saw this as a great opportunity for them to participate on a deeper level—to share their talents and help save shelter pets through their own graphic prints and stories. To see so many emotional submissions from across the country was inspiring. Narrowing the decision down to the finalists was a real challenge, but we are thrilled with our two winning entries, who happen to be attending colleges in Southern California. We look forward to seeing people across the United States wearing their patterns later this year.”
In addition to having their prints featured in the 2024 BOBS collection, Nadeau and Shigetani will each receive a $10,000 college scholarship from the Skechers Foundation and one-on-one corporate mentorship sessions with key Skechers design personnel—along with a donation to a nearby animal welfare organization in their pets’ honor.
Open to enrolled students at United States colleges and universities, the BOBS from Skechers Paws for a Cause Design Scholarship program invited applicants nationwide to create a dog- or cat-themed print for a BOBS from Skechers shoe, write about the design and share a personal story about a shelter/adopted pet or what the BOBS from Skechers collection means to them. The finalists included students from 20 schools nationwide, including colleges in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.
BOBS from Skechers product is available online, at Skechers stores, and at department and specialty locations. For every specially marked item purchased, a donation is made to support shelter pets and animal welfare organizations in the United States, Canada and select international markets. To learn more, follow BOBS from Skechers on Facebook and Instagram, or visit BOBSfromSkechers.com.
About SKECHERS U.S.A., Inc.
Skechers U.S.A., Inc. (NYSE:SKX), a Fortune 500® company based in Southern California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children. Collections from The Comfort Technology Company™ are available in 180 countries and territories through department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through digital stores and approximately 5,000 Company- and third-party-owned physical retail stores. The Company manages its international business through a network of wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint venture partners, and distributors. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
About BOBS from Skechers®
BOBS from Skechers’ charitable collection of shoes, apparel and accessories have improved animals’ lives: over the past eight years, Skechers has contributed more than $10 million to help 1.9 million shelter pets, including saving more than 1.4 million rescued animals in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Japan. It all started in 2011, when Skechers launched a movement to support children impacted by natural disasters and poverty—a cause that has helped the Company donate more than 16 million new pairs of shoes to kids in more than 60 countries worldwide. To learn more about BOBS from Skechers’ commitment to making a difference, visit BOBSfromSkechers.com and follow the brand on Facebook and Instagram.
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