Growing Market
FORMAL FOOTWEAR
Footwear Today takes a look at the growing market for formal footwear – catering for every occasion from weddings to May balls and tea with the Queen
and the formal footwear market. If people are being bribed with tax payers’ money to enter a life of wedded bliss there will be more weddings, more brides, more groom and more wedding guests who have to buy a pair of formal shoes to match their wedding finery. But, its not only the ceremony – afterwards there is the dancing – does the
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bride want to be wearing a pair of slim high stilettos which match her dress when she is the first on the dance floor exposed to the gaze of family and friends in a greater blaze of publicity than contestants in Strictly Come Dancing? It’s not just weddings – formal footwear caters for every occasion, from bar
mitzvahs to May balls and tea with the Queen! One of the most stunning displays to be found in a retailer’s window is
formal footwear with their vast array of colours, materials, designs and not to forget matching handbags. Many retailers ask the question is the market still there? The answer has to be a resounding YES. Is it a growing market? Again the answer is YES, but we also have to think
about where it is growing. Some footwear retailers who have built a very good business in this sector are testament to what can be achieved, but unfortunately at present the main growth is found in ladies fashion outlets. Can retailers afford to let this very valuable market be drained from their businesses? Ken McGall, Managing Director of Cheshire Style, one of the leading
formal/occasional footwear suppliers, advises: “In formal footwear we have to think co-ordination, styling, colours, materials and comfort. If every one
r. Cameron and his happy band of Conservatives have promised to support marriage or to put it another way to bribe people to vote for his party by promising a tax break for getting spliced. The politics aside his policies could be a great boost for weddings
wanted black, Henry Ford would have manufactured shoes as well as cars. There is a captive market, when we can entice the discerning lady with products that are eye catching and have a feel good factor.”
Trends and Styling
In the market at present there is a vast range of options to suit every woman’s needs, from 35 to 85mm heels, from points to almond toes and all shapes in- between, slings, courts, wedges. But, as Ken McGall points out: “A woman wants to feel unique in her fashion choice for that special occasion. She needs exciting materials, styling and by the way comfort, not the multiple designed same as the woman next door syndrome that we see on every high street.” “There are no longer the mature ladies who settle for the traditional blacks,
browns navy and beige wide fits. They want comfort with stylish designs using vibrant prints, with pearlised and kid leathers that not only look good but match the garments that are chosen for that special occasion,” he says. “In the world of women’s formal or occasion footwear do we know what the
fashion colours are for spring or autumn, how long is it since we as retailers looked at colours designs materials in ladies clothing? By not taking this dimension into consideration are we stinting the growth in our own business?” At Cheshire Style, the traditional “ORLANDO” range of ladies footwear
with matching handbags still offer the largest collection of formal fashion footwear in the U.K. and Ireland. With their bespoke collection they are in a unique position to offer colours to match almost any garment. The ORLANDO collection is now complimented with “ORLANDO MODA” a
small discreet collection for the more fashionable lady offering smart ballerinas, elegant almond toes with a young sense of fashion and stylish platforms to complete a collection that any discerning lady would be proud to possess. The Cheshire Style “ORLANDO” collection is made complete with the high
cut shoe and boot ranges. These are available in the same leathers and prints that are used in the shoe collections.
sales@cheshire-style.co.uk
14 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• APRIL 2010
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