Johnston & Murphy Marks 175th Anniversary With Special Campaign, Collection and More
Stephen Garner
Senior Editor
Just months after Johnston & Murphy’s parent company Genesco marked its centennial anniversary, the shoe brand is ready for its own milestone.
This year, the historic footwear label is turning 175-years-old, and the company has big plans from new campaign, special capsule collections and more. As for the campaign, Johnston & Murphy came up with the theme “175 Years Young” in honor of its birthday. According to the company, the anniversary campaign, which was shot by British fashion photographer Ben Watts, aims to honor its “deep heritage while highlighting its relevance, adaptability and staying power from an uplifting and celebratory perspective.”
Danny Ewoldsen, president of Johnston & Murphy, told FN in an interview that the campaign continues to bring the brand forward. “The idea here is really to celebrate the heritage with a little bit of a sense of humor,” the executive said with a smile. “So that’s the kickoff. My favorite tagline from the whole campaign is, ‘if we acted our age, we’d be dead.’ And the reason I love that is that it’s funny because it’s true.”
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At the heart of the campaign are a mix of Johnston & Murphy’s spring 2025 silhouettes and hybrid footwear including styles from the Upton, Anders, McGuffey, Reactivate and Conard collections. It also highlights new pieces from the growing apparel collection including the Upton raincoat, woven shirts and XC Flex blazers.
“Our product team has put together a pretty amazing collection of 175-year anniversary products,” Ewoldsen noted. “On the footwear side, we teamed up with an old partner of ours, Horween leather tannery in Chicago. Which, by the way, I believe the first time we partnered with them was nearly 100 years ago, which is just staggering to think about.”
Ewoldsen added that the company is also making a considered effort to show appreciation to everyone that has helped Johnston & Murphy grow over the years. “We kicked that off last month by bringing all of our store managers to our office in Nashville,” he said. “We had a three-day celebration with the office team and all of our field teams celebrating all that we have done and what we’re planning for the future. It’s always a huge highlight for me to spend time with them.”
The executive said that the brand also plans to celebrate with some of its most important retail partners this year. “This brand really started as a wholesale business, and we are still very committed to our wholesale business,” Ewoldsen said. “Our retail partners have been so pivotal in our success, and I’m looking for the opportunity to celebrate with them, which we’ll be doing at different trade shows and on-site.”
Johnston & Murphy’s new milestone comes at a period of change for the brand and Genesco. And some of the largest changes at Genesco to come to fruition over the last few years have been at its storied Johnston & Murphy label. The footwear brand has revamped its merchandise selection, with apparel now accounting for half of the mix. It also boasts new marketing campaigns and a refreshed store design.
These updates are all important pieces of the puzzle as Genesco works to widen Johnston & Murphy’s consumer base by targeting younger consumers. This can most notably be seen in the brand’s “Not Your Dad’s Shoe Company” campaign that was released in April 2024. The idea of the spot was to highlight the brand’s transition into more-casual, hybrid dress product that might appeal to younger customers.
Stores are also playing a role in the brand’s appeal to younger consumers. Over the last year, Johnston & Murphy has renovated several of its stores, characterized by a new design that features walnut slats and white tiles on the store front and oak floors, updated lighting and bright finishes on the interior.
Ewoldsen added that the company “remains deeply committed” to its investment in retail expansion with more than 15 new stores expected to open this year.
“We absolutely have made a commitment that we need to show up where our consumer wants to shop,” the executive said. “And for us, that means getting back to store growth. So we’re super excited about expanding stores, and that work is underway right now. We are showing up in some notable malls, airports and other places to meet our customer where they are.”
Founded in 1850 by William J. Dudley in Newark, N.J., the company was originally called the William J. Dudley Shoe Company. In 1881 when Dudley passed away, shoemaker and business partner James Johnston takes control of the company. And in 1884, William A. Murphy became a partner and the company’s name officially changes to the Johnston & Murphy Shoe Company.
Fast forward to 1951, the General Shoe Company, which later became Genesco, acquired Johnston & Murphy and moved its headquarters to Nashville in 1957.
One of Johnston & Murphy’s most notable achievements is making shoes for all of the U.S. Presidents since Millard Fillmore in 1850.
