The gradual recovery of the economy has created both an upbeat and more sombre mood. And both these emotions are reflected in general fashion and shoe trends – and so too in the urban and streetwear segment. Soft and fresh tones with touch of romance exude optimism while dark influences also emerge – sometimes even on similar shoe styles which only differ in terms of colour, fabric and presentation. A wide variety of trends impact urban and streetwear looks this season, thereby triggering a variety of different design themes.
The Amsterdam design forecasting agency YTrends presents four trend themes for the 2011 Spring/Summer season:
Combining traditions – Formal – Eco materials – Innovative proportions
Combining traditions
Several trends remain significant long term and feature prominently in Summer 2011. Retro styles for men and women and a focus on traditional craftsmanship convey a sense of assurance and longevity. A combination of both, however, triggers interesting new ideas such as the use of traditional skills and finishing techniques for sneakers that were previously only massproduced or new-style uses for old-fashioned designs. For instance, deck shoes with an ethnic-style opanka construction very much tie in with this theme.
Formal
This desire for traditional classics can also be seen the steady rise in the number of formal-looking shoes styles. Here we see new takes on classic men’s shoes for the young and trendy customerbase through to countless high-heel variations for women. Court shoes and ankle boots remain key and are combined with the many retro skirts, dresses and leggings still in evidence on the fashion scene. Lasts are feminine but not staid and for the large part dispense with elongated toes. The focus here lies on the design of special heel shapes.
Eco materials
The use of ecological materials is still of great significance in Summer 2011 – especially since eco trends are easier to transpose in summer. Sandals facilitate minimal designs with unlined, vegetable-tanned leather uppers. Styles made with fade-out, textured or waxed canvas or satin also feature in this theme. Materials like these also appear in the summer versions of the many robust casual boots emerging last season. There is no end in sight for the experimentation with new dyeing techniques like spraying, tie and dip dyeing.
Innovative proportions
Furthermore, young shoe fashions also experiment with all-new shapes. These are heavily influenced by architecture and science and display proportions that are either geometrical – negating, even distorting the shape of the foot – or highly curvaceous in design, so flawless that the shoe seems like a living organism. As well as impacting some slim, elegant heels this feature mainly influences platforms of all kinds plus wedge heels and other stable heel shapes.
GDS will be held in DГјsseldorf from 10 to 12 September 2010. Altogether some 760 exhibitors from 33 countries with approx. 1,750 collections will be presenting their shoe and bag trends for Spring/Summer 2011 (correct as of 15 July 2010).
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