Diani hosts party for a good cause

Diani Shoes is the latest to put its best foot forward in Santa Barbara’s shoe biz. On May 17, the store hosted more than 100 people for a private opening gala. Young entrepreneur Caroline Diani has owned Diani in the Arlington Plaza since 2002 and Diani Essentials opened two years thereafter. In her latest venture, Caroline has teamed up with Santa Barbara Magazine, Kyle Brace, Kendall Conrad, Jelinda DeVorzon, Patsy Hirsch, Arlene Montesano, Daryl Stegall and Mary Ellen Trainor Zemeckis for a by-invitation-only opening night gala.


In the midst of all the mingling and socializing, guests checked out each other’s shoes while trying on new shoes by designers such as Pedro Garcia, Chloe, French Sole, Bernardo and Tracy Reese. As part of the event, Caroline donated 20% of proceeds to Soles4Souls, Inc., an international charity dedicated to providing free footwear to needy people around the world. All invited guests were asked to bring a pair or two of gently worn flat-soled shoes that the hostesses plan on shipping to refugee camps in southern Sudan. Montecito techno wizard Michael Hurley projected visual images of the Sudanese refugees on the store wall.
During the opening weekend of May 18, 19 and 20, the public also received 20% off any purchase of new shoes in exchange for a donation of a pair of gently used ones.

Deckers Joins Soles4Souls Million Pair March With A Goal To Collect 250,000 Pairs Locally

Deckers Outdoor Corporation is proud to support Soles4Souls Million Pair March campaign by mobilizing the local community to collect 250,000 of new and used footwear. Collected shoes from the Million Pair March will be distributed to individuals in disaster-driven areas like the Gulf Coast and the Third World like Sudan and Honduras. Since their start over 30 years ago, Deckers has strived to find balance in their environmental responsibilities and business practices.

"Deckers Outdoor Corporation is filled with compassionate people who have a huge heart for reaching out to their community and the world at large," said Wayne Elsey, Founder of Soles4Souls. "Since our very beginning they have been instrumental in helping us reach millions of people, and we are humbled by their incredible participation in this campaign."

Members of the Santa Barbara community can join Deckers in their mission by donating new, old or unwanted footwear at numerous locations around the Santa Barbara area. Thus far, drop off bins for footwear donations are available at the Deckers Goleta based office, Santa Barbara Zoo, UCSB Bren School, and our partnering retailers like Santa Barbara Outfitters and Santa Barbara Running Co.

"If we look in our closets, we might be embarrassed by the number of shoes we own that rarely, if ever, get worn." Says Angel Martinez, CEO and President of Deckers Outdoor Corp. "Why not donate those pairs to people in need? And the best part for us shoe lovers is that we then get to buy some new shoes, guilt-free!"