Hush Puppies, a company known for manufacturing comfortable, conservatively-styled footwear, is targeting young, fashion-conscious consumers with a new, colorful line of its classic suede oxfords and loafers.

And although shoe sales on the whole have been soft across the country – according to Statistics Canada, shoe store sales dropped 8.9% between March 1995 and March 1996 – indications are the new shoes have been walking off the shelves.

Along with the traditional black, brown and taupe shades, the unisex footwear comes in 20 new colors including red, yellow, lime green and mauve.

‘Black and brown have been fashionable for the last few seasons,’ says Maureen Sauer, marketing coordinator with Hush Puppies Canada. ‘People already have footwear in those colors, they want variety.’

The shoes are water repellent and sell for $90 at select stores across Canada.

They were first introduced last fall at Town Shoes in Toronto, but their bright colors have made them an attractive accessory for spring.

Lifestyle retailers like Club Monaco have also been selling the footwear to go with their trendy clothing.

‘These shoes are still the old comfortable Hush Puppies, but they’ve been reinvented for the ’90s,’ says Sauer.

The company will also launch a new line of fall-colored and two-toned suede shoes in the coming months.

Hush Puppie boots, which have remained a popular item, will also be a little more colorful this year.

The company is introducing a red boot and another with orange piping for the fall and winter seasons.

Hush Puppies have traditionally been popular with the 30+ market. They compete with Clark Shoes, Tender Tootsies and Naturalizer in the comfort footwear category.

In targeting the under-25 set, the company has booked print ads in u.s. fashion magazines like Vogue, gq and Sassy, which are distributed in Canada.

All advertising is coordinated from the United States.

‘The u.s. division has taken a very aggressive approach to promoting these shoes,’ says Sauer, ‘and we’ve received a really positive response from the Canadian marketplace.’

The shoes have also appeared in advertisements for other products.

Izod Lacoste used a pair of the navy loafers in a magazine ad for its spring clothing line.

Volkswagen featured the footwear in a print campaign where a woman’s feet were sticking out of the back of the automobile.

There has been no television advertising, although tv sitcom characters like Seinfeld’s Kramer and Ellen’s Ellen DeGeneres regularly don the footwear on the screen.

The shoes have appeared in the film Forrest Gump, and rock stars like Brian Adams and members of Pearl Jam also wear them.

‘While we haven’t actively solicited the tv promotion to the younger set, it certainly doesn’t hurt,’ says Sauer.