As part of the men’s design team’s AW11 research we recently took a trip to Amsterdam and Barcelona. Amsterdam is well known for cloggs and tulips and Barcelona has street statues and paella, but they both also have plenty of shoe shops and inspirational footwear design.
Hidden within the river side stores of Amsterdam and the bustling streets of Barcelona, a few prominent styles stood out. The thick sole style of brands like Vans and Etnies are very popular, as they are in the U.K. and have now become of interest for sports brands such as Nike and Adidas. Airwalk follow a similar style and it is a very popular brand for Wynsors.
As a move on for business wear and formal styles, the suede shoe and boot are everywhere in store and very much evident on the feet of the people who walk the streets of these two great cities. This suede style is also treated with burnishing on the toe and heel.
Palladium boots are popular within both cities and it is also worth noting that past stores have closed down and new stores are opening, noticeably the palladium boot brand.
The very popular box fresh style shoe is in store and on people’s feet.
Watch this space for both of these styles.
Lastly, we noticed that several high street stores are now hanging lighter, fashion boots offering a much cheaper alternative to the heavy costly fashion boot that dominates most high streets. This is a clear indication that this style is set to stay for some time yet.
