Revenue at AirWair International, a privately held company, has dropped precipitously, to $127 million in 2010, from $412 million in 1999, according to Hoover's Online, a business research site. Like any older brand sniffing the smelling salts, Doc
Christian Louboutin has Internet initiatives, too. It recently started a contest where people can custom-design the classic 1460 boot online (
Create a design for our next boots - Dr Martens Brief). Participants start with a blank boot, then choose colors for the leather and laces. From there they can use virtual equivalents of the tools that fans have historically used to personalize their boots: felt-tip markers, Wite-Out, spray paint and even a lighter to discolor the leather. Since the site began in October, more than 11,000 designs have been submitted.