Michael Scofield / Wentworth Miller

HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 13, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Auri Footwear, the hip, Southern-California based design house of stylish men's footwear, has partnered with Stars For A Cause, "Entertainment Tonight" and Hollywood's top male celebrities to kick off a year-long campaign in which entertainment's "A" list men will have the opportunity to design their own Auri Footwear shoes, wear them to major red carpet events, then have them auctioned off to raise money for charity by world renowned auction house Bonhams and Butterfields.

ET, the world's largest syndicated and most watched entertainment news program, will be televising this year-long red carpet star-studded fundraiser.

"We are so proud to have been selected to be a major part of such an exciting and positive campaign," said Ori Rosenbaum, president of Auri Footwear.

The Stars For A Cause campaign invites major celebrities to design their own custom shoes in partnership with Auri Footwear. They can select from an array of exotic materials and Auri's current collection of ultra chic patterns, including a classic wingtip called "Player," a stylish cap toe called "Casanova," a sleek slip- on called "Lothario," and an amazing Chelsea boot called "Gigolo." The custom footwear is made-to-order and delivered to the celebrity ready-to-wear for his various red carpet appearances throughout the year.

At the end of the awards season, the "Stars For A Cause" celebrity-designed footwear will then board Queen Mary 2 for its April 26, 2009 Transatlantic Crossing from New York to Southampton, England where it will be displayed at a prestigious location for a VIP reception and viewing by the public. Finally, the one-of-a-kind footwear will be showcased at gala events in New York and Los Angeles hosted by Bonhams and Butterfields preceding its worldwide Internet auction on Thursday, May 28th 2009.

The special celebrity-designed shoes will utilize a solid piece of CNC machined alloy that creates the main backbone of Auri Footwear's patented new design technology. It is then sterling silver plated, and diamonds are layered into the component as well. This exposed mechanical chassis is topped off by exquisite Italian leather uppers with sheep skin lined interiors and, as with all Auri Footwear, utilizes Outlast temperature regulating materials originally developed for NASA and used in space suites to create even more comfort.

"No one has ever seen this level of performance technology, fused with both contemporary and classic men's footwear styles," stated Rosenbaum. "I think when the public sees their favorite stars wearing these very unique and recognizable shoes on all of the major red carpet events in the coming year, it will create some serious buzz about both the cause and this brand."

Stars that have already requested the SFAC/Auri custom footwear design kits include Kevin Spacey, Charlie Sheen, Jon Stewart, William Shatner, Ryan Seacrest, Howie Mandel, Bill Maher, Denis Leary, Kevin Dillon, Steve Carell, Steven Colbert, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, Jim Carey, Tim Allen, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, Johnny Depp, Pierce Brosnan, Orlando Bloom, Sasha Baron Cohen, Jack Black, Bow Wow, Ludacris, Zach Braff, Collin Farrell, George Lucas, Leonardo Dicaprio, Wentworth Miller, Jude Law, Brad Pitt, Will Smith and Ben Stiller. Dozens more are expected throughout the awards season, and Auri Footwear will be seen on the stars and on the red carpet starting with the 60th Prime Time Emmy Awards (September 21, 2008), The American Music Awards (November 23, 2008), The Golden Globe Awards (January 11, 2009), The Screen Actors Guild Awards (January 25, 2009), The 51st Grammy Awards (February 8, 2009), The 81st Academy Awards (February 22, 2009) and concluding with the Academy of Country Music Awards (May 17, 2009).

For more information, please visit www.aurifootwear.com.

About Auri Footwear Inc.

Auri Footwear was created to fill the gap between cutting edge technology and fashionable, edgy men's styles. Auri Footwear was founded in 2007 on the principles and beliefs that "you get out what you put in." The entire team believes in doing well for community and mankind. They are committed to making the brands recognition beyond the excellent and next level products they develop. The complete line includes boots, sports fusion, sandals and dress shoes. Auri footwear is crafted using premium Italian full grain leathers and exclusive zoned linings developed for NASA incorporating like Outlast(r) for temperature regulation, Drylex(r) to wick moisture away from the foot and other patent-pending designs. For more information, please visit www.aurifootwear.com