Kane Footwear Hires CMO As It Eyes Deeper DTC Ties
Active recovery footwear brand leader Kane Footwear is making a greater push in growing its direct-to-consumer (DTC) revenue as consumer interest in wellness heats up.
To achieve those goals, the company brought in Mark Tarnuzzer as its chief marketing officer. Tarnuzzer joined the company in March. His previous experience include stints as senior vice president, global marketing & media at Universal Media Group, global head of programmatic at Samsung, and global programmatic lead at Apple.
In his new role, Tarnuzzer will have oversight for shaping Kane’s strategy, marketing activations, partnerships, and optimizing e-commerce performance. Kane’s programs include getting “active recovery footwear in the hands of elite athletes from the NFL, NB, MLB, NHL, NCAA, and more,” the company said.
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In a telephone interview, Tarnuzzer said he was attracted to the business because the product is designed for athletes in recovery.
“It’s a product that jumps off the page for me, despite a pretty tangential move from music into footwear,” he said, adding that as a former athlete, the “big draw” was the sustainability of the product, in addition to its focus as a premium product for athletes.
Tarnuzzer said that while the consumer base is different, his heavy background in DTC and in the use of data-driven marketing tactics are essentially the same. “No matter what the vertical or product that you’re effectively pushing to them, it has to make sense for them. It has to be messaged in the right way, and it has to reach them at the right time,” the marketing expert said.
As for Kane’s Revive program that seeks out elite athletes from professional sport leagues, Tarnuzzer described it as “pretty substantial.” He said that interest has been organic, with team trainers and athletes directly seeking out the product. And given the science behind the product, Tarnuzzer said athletes who have had their feet in a skate, cleat or running shoe for long periods of time seek out the line because it allows the “foot and and lower body to recover much more thoroughly.”
Kane has two core products, Revive for the summer and Revive AC, featuring a neoprene sleeve for waterproofing, for the winter. The products feature different colorways and can shift depending on the collaborative partnerships with brands or the athletes.
Kane was designed in collaboration with board-certified foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Daniel Geller. The shoes are made with bio-based RestoreFoam™ from Brazilian sugarcane.
According to company founder and CEO John Gagliardi, Kane shoes are manufactured in Brazil. As part of Project Renew, customers can send back their worn Kanes for a discount on their next pair, he said. The used shoes are upcycled into Kane yoga and changing mats.
As for potential reciprocal tariff impacts, Gagliardi said the “degree” still remains to be seen.
“We are fortunate and have an advantage making our shoes in Brazil. Not only does our factory deliver a superior product that is renewable, but tariffs are lower coming out of this region,” the CEO said. “Our product is sustainable and handcrafted in Brazil by our family-owned manufacturing partner and we have no plans for that to change.”
A Certified B corporation brand, he said 2025 marks the firm’s 4-year anniversary. Looking ahead, the company is eyeing both retail expansion and omnichannel optimization. It also continues to build its community of athletes through in-person recovery events, marathons, and run clubs. The company has also committed 1 percent of its gross sales directly to environmental nonprofits through 1% for the Planet.
Gagliardi, who began working at his father’s sneaker store at the age of 8, was also a professional lacrosse player for Team USA, where he saw the need for recovery footwear. He said the shoes athletes chose to wear after practices and games were loose, overly-cushioned and potentially detrimental to recovery efforts. That led to Kane, a shoe that secures the heel for recovery benefits while also being 100 percent bio-based and sustainable.
