Very interesting, especially the comment about consumers paying more for footwear in the future. The inverse has been true in the mass market, hence brands going further and cheaper afield to create a product that hits the all important prices points.
The Bass guy talking about margin is still true today. Russell & Bromley work on the margin of at least 300%. That's not typo. The factories and agents work on a maximum of 20%.
Just look at those prices in your recent Arena article post - in real terms they are so high compared with today.