Taos Footwear has appointed Simon Velasquez as Vice President of International Sales and Ryan Nishioka as National Sales Manager, a dual hire designed to advance the comfort-brand’s growth in the United States and abroad while reinforcing a belief that physical retail remains central to how customers discover and trust the product. The move comes as Taos builds on sustained domestic momentum and looks to extend a model where strong independent stores and knowledgeable fit guidance do the heavy lifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bill Langrell, president of Taos, is clear about why retail still matters. “Retail stores have always been central to how people discover Taos, understand our support, and find the right fit,” he says. “At the same time, digital tools have changed how consumers learn, compare, and shop. Our strategy is designed to make those strengths work together.” His point is that stores and screens are not enemies but complements: the shop gives a customer the chance to feel the product and get expert fit advice, while digital channels broaden awareness and make education easier. The customer moves freely between the two, and the brand’s job is to deliver a consistent experience wherever they land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That philosophy shapes the hires. Nishioka, a long-time sales executive at Deckers Brands, will focus on national sales strategy and retail-partner development across the U.S. Velasquez, a veteran of Crocs, Wolverine Worldwide, and Dexter, will guide international expansion, building on Taos’ established and growing businesses in Canada and Australia while developing selective opportunities across Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. Between them, they cover the exact two axes \u2014 home market depth and overseas reach \u2014 that a growing comfort brand needs to scale without losing its character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The appointments also signal how Taos views its retail partners. The company argues that strong brands should help good retailers become stronger, and that retailer knowledge, service, and direct customer feedback loop back into better product. To that end, Taos says it will keep investing in product, marketing, education, and sales support that equips partners to tell the complete brand story and serve customers well. It is a relationship-first posture at a time when many brands are tempted to short-circuit the channel and push direct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a strategic subtext worth noting. The comfort and “wellness” footwear segment has been one of the more resilient corners of the market, as consumers trade pure fashion for shoes they can actually wear all day. Taos, built around supportive footbeds and easy-to-wear silhouettes, sits squarely in that demand. Hiring experienced commercial leaders now \u2014 rather than waiting \u2014 suggests the brand sees a window to convert rising awareness into lasting retail distribution before larger competitors crowd the space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Langrell frames the goal without drama: to “support strong retail partnerships, build demand for the brand, and grow in a disciplined way across national and international markets.” The word “disciplined” matters. Rapid international expansion has burned many footwear brands that chased doors faster than they could service them. Pairing a domestically focused operator with an internationally seasoned one is a sensible way to keep growth controlled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the broader specialty-retail landscape, the Taos move is a small but telling vote of confidence in the independent and regional store. At a moment when many brands treat wholesale as a necessary evil, Taos is investing in the people who manage those relationships \u2014 and betting that fit, service, and storytelling in a physical space remain the most effective way to turn a curious shopper into a loyal wearer. If the hires land, expect Taos to show up in more stores, in more countries, with the same message: comfort you can trust, fitted by someone who knows how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Footwear Plus (footwearplusmagazine.com) \u2014 “Taos Strengthens Retail Sales Leadership with Key Hires” (Oct 8, 2026).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Taos Footwear has hired Simon Velasquez and Ryan Nishioka to lead both international and national sales, betting on retail partnerships and disciplined growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_georankopt_ai_score":53,"_georankopt_ai_analysis":null,"_georankopt_ai_recommendations":null,"_georankopt_focus_keyword":"","_georankopt_ai_last_analysis":"2026-10-09 09:16:50","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1361,325,1663,1673,1672,1671],"class_list":["post-3046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-industry-news","tag-comfort-footwear","tag-footwear-retail","tag-leather-news","tag-retail-hires","tag-sales-leadership","tag-taos-footwear"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.galan.ltd\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.galan.ltd\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.galan.ltd\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.galan.ltd\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.galan.ltd\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.galan.ltd\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3046\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.galan.ltd\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.galan.ltd\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.galan.ltd\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}