USA: B2B Fashion Website Signs Up 18 Top Shoe Vendors

E7th.com, the new business-to-business fashion website, set to be launched next month, has signed up 18 vendors representing 34 shoe brands, the New York Post reported today. In total, the vendors sell $3.5bn a year at wholesale. Intershoe - which makes the popular Via Spiga line, Nickels, Paloma and London Underground - has signed up. So have Aerosoles, Sporto boots and Nina. e7th.com, which has hired fashion industry veteran Jay Margolis as its chief executive, aims to hook up fashion retailers and manufacturers. Margolis has done stints at Liz Claiborne, Tommy Hilfiger and, most recently, Esprit. He is hoping retailers will use e7th.com to order merchandise, clear out excess inventory and check out industry news. He plans to move into apparel once the shoe business is up and running. e7th.com backers include Ron Perelman's MacAndrew & Forbes, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and Charles River Venture.