SheShoppes WordPress Themes Transition from Genesis to Kadence

Hi everyone,

Over the years, we’ve been proud to create beautiful and functional themes on the Genesis framework by StudioPress. However, as many of you are aware, the WordPress landscape has been undergoing significant changes, particularly with the shift to Gutenberg editor and the implementation of Full Site Editing (FSE). Earlier last year, I made the decision to retire our Genesis themes and transition our focus entirely to the Kadence framework.

This decision wasn’t taken lightly, but the change has allowed us to focus our resources on creating even better themes and providing a more sustainable experience for everyone. Maintaining existing Genesis themes while simultaneously developing new ones and keeping up with frequent WordPress updates has been challenging. By working with the Kadence framework, which handles more of the backend complexities, I can concentrate on what I love most: creating stunning front-end designs. I still make some backend features but only for features that Kadence isn’t currently offering, and I do this through our SheShoppes Premium Plugin which allows all of our Kadence child themes to require minimum updates, and the majority of updates are handled by Kadence.

Today, March 25, 2025, marks the completion of our final updates for all Genesis themes, addressing icon and menu-related bugs. To apply these changes, simply go to Appearance > Themes in your WordPress dashboard, where you should find a button to update.

What Does This Mean for You?

Please note that we have officially discontinued support for the Genesis framework. While you are welcome to continue using Genesis, we can no longer provide free updates or support for these themes.

To help you understand your options moving forward, it’s important to note that Kadence uses a completely different framework than Genesis. If you’re interested in moving to Kadence, you’ll need to purchase a new theme. Switching themes will not affect your blog posts, they should remain intact no matter which theme you choose. Your site’s layout and static pages may change, as the new theme may not replicate your existing design exactly. I’ve provided a coupon that you can retrieve on your WP dashboard to use toward any of our Kadence child themes. Of course, you’re not obligated to use a SheShoppes theme.

I believe this pivot will enable us to create even better themes, staying up to date with WordPress updates and ensure they remain fully optimized for what’s to come.

Warmly,
Sheilla
sheshoppes.com