Shoe trends for the spring-summer 2021 season. Rustic style, harmony of opposites and nostalgia for the 80s
The autumn footwear and accessories exhibition MICAM, held from September 20th to 23rd at the Fiera Milano Rho exhibition center in Milan, unfortunately failed to attract the necessary exhibitors and visitors. The reasons for this are self-explanatory. The 90th edition of the exhibition marked the first time in the history of this industry event, the most important for shoemakers in Italy and throughout the Old Continent, that it was held in a reduced format. However, the organizers made an effort to preserve all the exhibition events, including the presentations of collections and fashion trends. Experts from the British trend bureau WGSN presented the trends that will define footwear fashion in the spring/summer 2021 season: Homespun – rustic minimalism combined with traditional values; TransForm – hope beyond crisis and the harmonization of opposites; and GameScape – a nostalgic journey back to 80s games and the union of the real and the virtual.
Collections for women and girls
The HomeSpun trend is based on a new form of rustic minimalism (rustic style – a European version of the well-known and quite popular American country style) with feminine designs that emphasize slowness, sustainability, and handcrafted workmanship.
It is based on a return to unhurried methodical skill (often meditative), without fuss and race, and craft as the art of making shoes, bags, clothes, where they are all art objects. The trend appeals to discerning minimalists who value slowness in an increasingly fast-paced, accelerating world. This will mean an increase in fashion repurposing as consumers start shopping more consciously.
The color palette is dominated by neutral and natural tones, inspired by the rich browns, cinnamon and grassy greens of nature, as well as the blues and washed-out purples of the changing sky that we gaze into with unwavering hope.
Workwear, both agricultural and traditional, inspires a new bucolic style. As for footwear, the emphasis is on natural materials and a high level of shoemaking. A special feature of the decor of summer models is leather trim and chains, large and small.
Collections for men and boys
The HomeSpun trend takes a more mindful approach to fashion and rethinks our relationship with clothing, looking at how concepts of minimalism, vintage, and resale are changing the life cycle of the products we consume.
The intricate materials of this theme, the relaxed fit, and helpful details offer many design possibilities for long-wearing shoes. The color scheme is a palette of soft natural tones, inspired by the imperfect appearance of organic dyes. There are many tonal and color combinations, but there is also room for contrast, with warm, bright and cool hues. Handcrafted elements such as carved metal parts, intricate weaves, embroidery and hand-painted motifs will be key in the next warm season and will give the design a unique quality.
The appliqués in the shoes have a wax finish that is in harmony with the minimalistic silhouettes.
Collections for women and girls
The TransForm trend explores design during the global crisis that has engulfed our world in 2020, searching for light at the end of the tunnel, resulting in a modernist trend drawing on both urban and nautical themes. The trend focuses on all-black styles, rugged leather, and a survivalist aesthetic. Darker subcultural narratives, such as magic and witchcraft, will make their way into fashion, but with a romantic edge and a touch of unease.
But even within this gloomy trend, contrasting accent on light sheer fabrics and ethereal metallization can be seen for a style with minimalist lines.
TransForm balances somber themes with a sense of optimism, reflected in a palette of dark and light tones. Blues and greens are inspired by the ocean, while shimmering silver tones are inspired by precious metals and can be used to add a touch of high quality to a design.
The main theme in design and decor is contrast. It is necessary to play with layers, return to natural tones.
The shoe is characterized by a massive sole, like a sports shoe, and a pronounced utility. A strong bias towards functionality and convenience will continue to gain momentum in relevance and popularity.
Collections for men and boys
TransForm menswear and footwear are characterized by contrasts, just as our vision of the future oscillates between the good and the bad of human achievement. This trend utilizes design that merges technology with nature, balancing the human need for light with the dark side of life and art.
This style uses materials from sportswear and footwear for office style, resulting in sophisticated and highly efficient products that are smart and casual at the same time. Ultra-lightweight materials and designs will be key next summer. So we will see a lot of sheer fabrics and photo collage clothes.
Colors transition from light to dark and from artificial to natural, creating a contrasting palette with a complex balance between color tones. The trend focuses on oceanic tones with an artificial edge, such as a quiet wave and calm blue, enriched with darker hues.
Collections for women and girls
The GameScape trend blends elements from the past, present, and future through a virtual lens, embracing the importance of digital design and how our online and offline realities are becoming increasingly intertwined and interconnected in our lives. A nod to 1980s video games combined with a sporty style creates a new hyper-digital uniform that can be used to update both smart and casual styles.
The clothing uses scenes taken from everyday life, the designers focus on the satirical and kitsch, which reinforces the newfemininity trend for ultra-loud, ultra-feminine designs.
Bold offset tones combine with a strict palette of grays and neutrals. Vivid greens, digital pastels, and vibrant colors are key.
A new look is created with digital hyperreal colors, in line with the resurgence of photographic prints.
Sneakers of this trend with fluorescent and projection prints.
Collections for men and boys
As our online and offline existence becomes more and more intertwined, we will see growing cross-influence between the two, with the digital becoming more important.
A virtual presence is established on the Internet through creative collaboration, leveraging the growing popularity of esports and gaming.
The 1980s are seen as the cultural and aesthetic dawn of digital culture and are used to connect with the hacker mindset.
The colors in this trend are very rich and artificial, designed to draw as much attention to themselves on screen as they would in real life. They are based on a selection of neutral spectral tones that provide a base layer of sophistication and provide optimal contrast with vibrant digital colors.
To get the gamergraphics message across to us is to add slogans and play with proportions. Glitch-themed digital prints update sneaker profiles.
The main thing in this trend is maximalism, expressed through shoes in optically bold colors.
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The international shoe design competition Shoes Style, held in Moscow this year, showcased many interesting footwear and accessory collections. Shoes Report recently published a story about the winners—third-year students from Kosygin Russian State University, Margarita Skvaznikova and Egor Lysov, who presented their "Retrospective" shoe collection at Shoes Style.
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Rieker and Remonte are regular exhibitors at Euro Shoes: meet your favorite brands at the exhibition from August 25 to 28 at the Central Trade Fair Center.
Riker and Remonte will present their Spring/Summer 2027 collections at the Euro Shoes exhibition (August 25–28, WTC Congress Centre).
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At the end of the month, from August 25th to 28th, the international footwear and accessories exhibition Euro Shoes Premiere Collection will take place in Moscow at the WTC Congress Center on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment. We'd like to introduce you to the new exhibitors at Euro Shoes, who will be presenting their collections of footwear, accessories, shoe care products, and leather goods.
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Customer traffic in shopping malls and street retail is declining; people are shopping less offline for a number of objective reasons, one of which is the convenience of online shopping with all its advantages. And yet, offline shopping continues to thrive. How can we control store traffic, learn to correctly calculate and influence the number of people visiting stores to ensure profitability?
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In recent years, offline retail in clothing, footwear, and accessories has been operating under conditions of a steady decline in incoming traffic. By the end of 2025, offline store traffic in Russia had declined by 8-15%, with the offline segment's purchase rate declining more sharply than the overall market, according to Retail.ru. According to statistics from individual shopping centers, the decline by the end of last year was between 15 and 25%. How can salespeople effectively engage with customers in such challenging conditions? We'll explore service strategies in low traffic conditions with SR expert Elena Vinogradova, who specializes in purchasing and sales in the fashion business. The expert shares proven methods with practical examples of speech modules. Elena is confident that, in a context of declining traffic, high-quality service is becoming the main competitive advantage for the shoe industry.
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At the end of August, Moscow will once again become a magnet for the footwear industry: the WTC Congress Center on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment will host the international exhibition Euro Shoes Premiere Collection—a specialized B2B event for footwear industry and fashion retail professionals, the key industry event of the new purchasing season and the development of fashion retail assortments. Over 100 companies and brands will participate in the exhibition, presenting their spring/summer 2027 collections of shoes, bags, and accessories to professional visitors. A working meeting of the National Footwear Union of Russia (NOBS) will be held as part of Euro Shoes, featuring footwear companies, professional associations, marketplaces, and independent experts.
The share of marketplaces will grow
The footwear category on Ozon Fashion shows steady growth The share of online sales in fashion is growing, and last year it was already more than 54%. Buyers are increasingly buying clothes and shoes online, and the lion's share of these purchases are made on marketplaces. Ozon is one of the leading players in the Russian fashion market, and the Fashion direction on the platform is the fastest growing. About trends in online trading, about the specifics of the shoe market and recommendations for brands planning to sell shoes through the marketplace - in an exclusive interview with SR with the Commercial Director of the Footwear direction at Ozon Fashion Olga Moskvicheva.
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MARCO TOZZI presented his Fall-Winter 2025/26 collection in Moscow.
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The leading international exhibition of footwear and accessories in Moscow, Euro Shoes premiere collection, starts next week!
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Three fashionable colors for accessories and shoes for the fall-winter 2025/26 season
Each season, trend bureau Future Snoops (formerly Fashion Snoops) identifies key colors for different product groups. For shoes, bags, and accessories, the forecast takes into account the specifics of the categories and is based on general cross-market color forecasts for the season. The three colors described in the article below will influence the accessories market in the fall/winter 25/26 season, helping you promote trendy new items and update classic styles. These shades have beautiful and delicious names: "Ice Star," "Honey Glaze," and "Cherry Jam."
Euro Shoes — March 4-7, 2026 at the WTC Congress Center
From March 4th to 7th, leading brands from Europe, Asia, and the CIS will gather at the WTC Congress Center in Moscow to present their Fall/Winter 2026 collections, capture current trends, and set the direction for the fashion industry.
Customer profiling in a shoe store. What is this technique and how can it be used in sales?
Profiling is a scientific method of "reading people," allowing one to create a psychological profile of a person and predict their actions or behavior in certain situations, or even catch them in a lie. Profiling is used in sales because the salesperson needs to understand a person's emotional state and their underlying motivations for purchasing. An expert and practitioner in sales growth in fashion, SR, discusses this method and its practical application in footwear retail.
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Sales of shoes and accessories: effective techniques for business rhetoric
Which speech modules are effective in communicating with potential and current customers of shoe stores, and which are not, Anna Bocharova, a business consultant, knows.
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“How do you charge your consultants for personal or general sales?” Is one of the most popular questions causing a lot of controversy and gossip on the online forums of retail business owners. Indeed, how to properly form the earnings of sellers? But what about bonuses, where to get a sales plan from, do employees allow them to buy goods at discounted stores? In search of truth, the Shoes Report turned to a dozen shoe retailers, but no company wanted to disclose its motivation system - the process of its development was too complicated and individual. Then we asked four business consultants, and finally became convinced that the topic of seller motivation is very complex, because even our experts could not come to a common opinion.
The whole truth about Bayer. Who is he and how to become one?
Bayer is no longer a new, but still a popular and sought-after profession. It’s fashionable to be a buyer. Buyers are at the origins of the emergence and development of trends. If the designer offers his vision of fashion in the season, then the buyer selects the most interesting commercial ideas. It is on buyers that the policy of sales of stores and what, in the end, the buyer will wear depends on. This profession is surrounded by a magical fleur, often associated with a lack of understanding of what exactly is the work of a buyer.
Technology Selling Issues
There is nothing worse than meeting the buyer with the words “Hello, can I help you with something?”, Because the seller works in the store just to help. Criticizing this well-established pattern of communication with the buyer, Andrei Chirkarev, business coach for effective sales and the founder of the New Economy project, shares the technology of truly selling issues with readers of Shoes Report.
Fur, and not only: types of lining
In the production of winter footwear, various materials are used that are designed to retain heat and meet the requirements of consumers: natural sheepleather, artificial fur, artificial fur from natural wool and others. All types of lining fur have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let's consider the properties of each of them.
The best models of Czech shoes of the past
In Soviet times, for shoes from Czechoslovakia sold under the Cebo brand, customers stood in line for four hours and did not regret it, because Czech shoes were considered to be of high quality, comfortable and fashionable. Shoe designer Juraj Shushka shared a photo archive of his collection with Shoes Report magazine, which contains the most interesting Cebo models from the 1940's to the 1980's.
Retail Arithmetic
Before you begin to solve specific problems, you need to find out how accurately all the leaders of your company understand the basic terminology of retail.
How to fire a worker without tears, scandal and trial
Sooner or later, any manager is faced with the need to part with an employee. Correctly and on time the dismissal procedure will save the company money, and the boss himself - nerves and time. But why sometimes, knowing that a break in relations is inevitable, we postpone the decision for months?
