Stilettos out, sneakers in: luxury designer shoes pivot as pandemic accelerates trends
- Designers from Jimmy Choo to Balenciaga are adding more sneakers and low-heeled shoes to their lines as footwear trends move towards more casual
- ‘I don’t think glamour needs to be just on heels,’ Jimmy Choo creative director Sandra Choi says
On a chilly, grey afternoon, what strikes shoppers in the Jimmy Choo’s store on rue Saint-Honoré in Paris aren’t the Avril stiletto shoes with Swarovski crystals that sell for €3,495 (US$4,250) but rather the pair of crystal-encrusted Diamond black sneakers that are €100 more expensive.
The sneaker was launched two years ago, but it’s gained new relevance for a brand normally known for its 10cm-high (3.9-inch) heels.
“The elegant, evening high-heel segment is suffering much more than other shoe categories,” says Hortense Demay, accessories purchase director at Paris department store Galeries Lafayette. “This crisis is only amplifying some trends that were already around.”
Demand for designer shoes last year slid 21 per cent globally compared to a 19 per cent slump for the broader footwear market, according to data collected by Euromonitor International. The segment of the market was also growing at a slower pace in the five years before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
