Shoes for every season of the year: With its new collection, LOWA coffers a wide range of models that are just right for warm days in fall and frosty ones in winter. In thecfollowing interview, Alexander Nicolai, the head of development at LOWA, talks about the trends of thecseason.
Everybody is talking about the urban outdoor trend. Will it continue?
The urban-outdoor trend in products will remain a key focal point of winter. Demand for casual, leisuretime shoes remains strong. The key factors are look and function. Consumers want trendy casual shoes that have non-slip soles and are really comfortable. We are serving this very product segment with our fall/winter collection. Our product range now includes models for any type of weather. Two years ago, we began to design shoes for the seasonal transition period. As a result, we have designed our collection in such a way that we can now offer shoes for 365 days a year. We cover every temperature level – from freezing cold to blazing hot summer days. The concept has paid off for us. In the fall/winter collection, we have expanded the area of seasonal-transition shoes in particular. We
have gotten some good feedback from retailers about this change as well.
Do you have any trend colours or favourite materials for fall/winter 2017/2018?
The trend colour for this season is olive for men’s shoes. A lighter shade is available for women. This colour has also been integrated into the lines of clothing for fall/winter and creates some very good combination opportunities for consumers. As far as materials go, natural products like leather and canvas are clearly the preferred choice. To enhance the urban look, we have integrated many handcrafted- style elements, including hand-stitched seams and leather patches that come in natural colours. We use felt and synthetic materials for our linings. The forms of women’s models are more feminine. The materials are finer and the colours softer. We have updated many successful models. As part of this work, we have redesigned the midsole and the upper that we use in our women’s shoes CALCETA II GTX® Ws, BARINA II GTX® Ws and ALBA II GTX® Ws. In our men’s shoes, we use eyecatching styles in rather subdued colours.
What new products are being offered in the functional outdoor area?
The segment “all terrain sport” (ATS) is growing really fast. We addressed this area in our summer collection by offering successful products like the model INNOX EVO GTX® in LOW and QUARTERCUT versions and the AEROX GTX® in the LOW and MID-CUT versions. For fall, we added the model MADDOX GTX® LO. This is a sporty shoe that includes all sorts of technology, including speed lacing and the LOWA DynaPU® sole. We really believe that this model will continue our success in the multisport segment. Because it is water-proof, this shoe is perfect for use on chilly and wet days fall and winter. Our models in the ATS also offer a range of functions, and they look good as well. In addition to the waterproof GORE-TEX® membrane, the shoes have excellent cushioning and the best
grip on any surface.
INFO: LOWA
