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Disney & Payless ShoeSource join hands for character-based footwear range
MUMBAI: Disney and Payless ShoeSource have announced their plans to develop their first ‘direct-to-retail‘ licensed footwear collection. The multi-year deal will bring together the Payless and Disney design teams to create a special line of fun, high-quality footwear styles featuring Disney and Disney Pixar characters. Payless will source, market and sell the line through its nearly 4,600 store chain and on Payless.com.
Payless has sold Disney-themed footwear and accessories for several years; however, the two companies will now work more closely on shoe design, creative direction and retail marketing.
As a result of this collaboration, the character styles will include: Disney Princess — Disney‘s $3.4 billion girl‘s lifestyle brand, Power Rangers, Winnie the Pooh and an assortment of Disney Pixar characters from The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. The first products are currently scheduled to be in stores in Spring 2007 with an expanded line in time for next year‘s back-to-school season, states an official release.
“Payless is ideal for our first direct-to-retail footwear collaboration because the company is well-aligned with Disney‘s goal to create quality, on-trend products for kids and families,” said Disney Consumer Products chairman Andy Mooney. “Being closely involved with the shoe design process is a significant step for us, and we plan to have a truly integrated relationship with Payless, the nation‘s leading footwear retailer, from creative to point of sale.”
“Payless‘ mission is to democratize fashion and design in footwear and accessories for the family and this new Disney collection will platform us to achieve our mission,” said Payless ShoeSource CEO Matt Rubel. “Payless is the number one footwear retailer for kids‘ shoes; Disney is a premier kids‘ brand company. Together, we‘ll create a fun, exciting and creative line that will inspire kids, while allowing parents to pay less.”
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
