Athletic footwear companies, however, have not tapped into this entertainer-endorsement market.

But like other footwear companies, Reebok is seeing an increase in the sales of its less expensive models.

Pirate clothing firms have been using the name to sell their own goods, now the footwear company is fighting back.

There are also some footwear companies based in the region, the most prominent of them being Jelen.

As usual, the executives at the world's largest athletic footwear company knew exactly what they were doing.

Brooks, another footwear company, said that shoe orders for 1997 are running 180 percent ahead of 1996.

An executive at another footwear company cited even lower costs.

Choy spent 10 years as an employee of an American footwear company.

Steve Madden - founder of a footwear company that bears his name.

Nike was already the world's largest and best-known footwear company.