Thursday, May 19, 2011

Europe in all it's Glory!!!

Hello everyone...haven't forgotten about you, just a little busy livin, workin' and playing with the kids.
Finally able to post my latest adventure from Europe which produced some exciting new styles, colorways and all kinds of good tid-bits. It was a whirl wind in and out type of trip but well worth the effort. Went to London, Barcelona, Cologne, Amsterdam and Copenhagen and gathered all kinds of great pictures/samples and came away with 3 big themes: The Chuck Stops Here/Rock the Boat/Slip One On! Enjoy the read and get lost in another report which hopefully finds you out and about sporting one of these great trends! Next up China and Vietnam...you'll get to see how all this research gets put to use...enjoy and be well! ZWood-

Europe Shopping Report - March 2010 
London/Cologne/Amsterdam/Copenhagen/Barcelona

"The Chukk Stops Here”


  • Suede, suede, suede and a little leather are the most dominate materials
  • Burnished, oily, grubby and waxed finish on every brand
  • Dark brown, caramel, charcoal and navy are the top 4 colors
  • Plaid lining and collar hits are still showing as a secondary detail
  • Traditional stacked heels showed well amongst more and more EVA and molded constructed outsoles
  • Cream and off white outsole colors are a fresh spring update
  • Moc toe type booty’s were popular as well with traditional oxford wing tips almost a close second behind the chukka
  • Wing tip booty heights are also growing in popularity
  • Seeing more and more canvas and twill material updates in this category then before
  • Vulcanized chukka’s also seemed to pop up once in a while which makes for a nice transition from a traditional vulcanized day shoe to the dressed up vulcanized chuckka


Rock the Boat”

  • If you’re only going to own three styles of shoes this summer then the boat shoe needs to be one of them
  • All types of materials this season: leather, suede, twill and canvas with canvas being the most popular
  • Navy is the biggest color with brown in a close second
  • More color and material blocking from the vamp to the outside collar
  • Some plaid and gingham detailing but again solid linings and socks were more popular
  • Plenty of traditional height/shaped patterns but seeing more booty heights enforcing the point that mid height shoes are on the rise
  • A newer trend for this category is the lace-less/slip-on style boat shoe
  • Sperry still owns this traditional category but brands such as Timblerland, Born, Bedstu, Sanuk and Vans have taken their interpretation and showed that this is no longer a shoe for your dad but for the more fashion minded




Slip One On”

  • The newest category to hit the streets in terms of quantity is the uber fashion Tom’s like slip-on
  • By far was surprised to see this many different types of slip-ons
  • Canvas is clearly the only material for this style
  • Definitely a brightly colored package but with navy and white being the most popular colors
  • Jute-wrapped/Espadrille midsoles are also making a comeback for the more fashion confident consumer
  • Several brands have a lace up vamp or even a tasseled vamp for a different type of look
  • Traditional flat sheet stock outsoles were shown but vulcanized and a few shell molds made the cut as well



Key Material…Canvas Country” 

  • Canvas dominated the casual category from vulcanized, cement, 
    to sport casual
  • Biggest patterns were CVO’s, lace-to-toe and Tom’s like slip-ons
  • Did not see any Vans like slip-ons
  • Grey, charcoal, brown and navy were the top 4 colors
  • Saw a larger presence of denim type materials, mainly navy with a few black/charcoal ones
  • Almost every pattern was a solid canvas, seeing less and less color blocking
  • Some plaid and striped linings were noticed but mainly solid colors
  • Green and a variation of navy/bright blue were the 2 strongest secondary color hits, especially in the lining and or o’sole color.
  • Contrast stitching is also a popular detail, especially if it had a moc toe


Boots to Boot”

  • Tons of boots were still out this time of year over there
  • Cap toe, moc toe, plain toe, side zip, Chelsea side gore were among the favorites
  • Less military/rugged types…more Redwing moc toe and wingtip styles
  • Burnished and oiled suede’s were popular, still plenty of rugged type leathers
  • Some material blocking with canvas and leather
  • Brown, chocolate, toffee/caramel and charcoal outweighed all over black uppers
  • Cream colored rubber and or EVA blocker outsoles were also shown in every style in every city


Ready to Wear - Apparel”
  • The preppy plaid/American look was very popular in every country visited
  • Navy and red plaids stood out amongst the tonal colorways
  • Larger buffalo style plaid is down trending while the smaller gingham remains strong both in apparel and shoe linings
  • Camouflage is still prevalent and is being shown in new non traditional patterns: Hawaiian prints, floral patterns and computer digitized
  • The new print of the month is the “Fairisle” organic/tribal pattern combination on heavy fabrics for sweaters, jackets and long sleeves
  • A fair amount of collegiate jackets, cargo shorts and American t-shirts adorned the window displays along with West Coast-California/L.A. type sings and displays
  • Tailored/skinny jeans are the top choice in London but regular cut became evident as we travelled further away
  • London by far had the most fashion conscious consumer wearing jeans that ranged from extremely skinny to regular cut with scarves and funky styled hats. You can tell they actually think about what they’re going to wear every morning
  • The Modern Vintage look consisting of military style jackets, plaid shirts, faded jeans and chukka boots also stood out across every city as well.
  • Garment dyed apparel is up and coming especial in the denim/chino department with colors as mint green, pale yellow and bright toffee.
All in all it’s an overwhelming American influenced look with European accessories: scarves, hats, and suspenders. Casual comfort footwear is on the rise with Tom’s like and Boat shoes owning the majority of this category. The Wingtip Oxford and plain toe Chukka boot is the working class’s go to casual dress shoe with the allover plain canvas sneaker rounding out the 3 shoe collection. Moc toe work boots and plain toe mid heights remain the leaders but seeing more and more Wingtip boots for the higher end fashion minded consumer. By far London and Copenhagen were tops for the most fashion conscious consumers I have seen anywhere...they've got it right and look good doing it! Thanks for the read...a few pictures from my journeys and favorite stops...

London's Oxford St.
Downtown shopping in Cologne Germany

Bikes and Boats:the only 2 ways to get around Amsterdam!

Typical 20 degree day with the frozen causeway in Copenhagen!

Salami heaven at the quite large local market in Barcelona

Friday, March 4, 2011

MAGIC Trade Show In Vegas and L.A. Spring Fashion Review!!!


Open for Spring
Hello everyone again...back at it and this time took a trip to the world famous MAGIC tradeshow out in sunny Las Vegas then finished the week off by shopping the L.A. area seeking out the latest in footwear and fashion of course. Magic or The Magic Marketplace which was founded in 1933 as an annual show hosted by the Men's Apparel Guild in California, has become the largest, most comprehensive men's apparel, accessory and footwear trade event in the U.S. At its spring and fall events, MAGIC delivers retail buyers from around the world, representing the largest gathering of buying power in the U.S. MAGIC exhibitors represent every major category in the men's apparel industry- designer, contemporary, casual, streetwear, active sporting wear, accessories, young men's, and kids- offering MAGIC buyers an all-encompassing shopping experience. L.A. had lots to see with three main areas visited: shopping malls, fashion boutiques and coastal surf shops. Again all in all a great trip with even more to read and see this time...so sit back, relax and enjoy the read. Next off to Europe shopping cities such as London, Barcelona and Copenhagen to name just a few, keep your eyes peeled for that report, should be interesting. Enjoy!

3 biggest looks: “Saturated Bright Colors”/”Vintage Washed”/”Modern Camo”
MMA and UFC gaining more momentum
Saturated Bright Colors:

-2 biggest colors are orange and blue w/ yellow trailing behind
-everything from backpacks, tshirts, swim shorts, athletic, dress to casual footwear, even the Koi Fish were sporting this bright orange color!
-orange is being implemented into the washed and camo look as well but as a subtle detail hit
-larger variety now of an all over brightly colored uppers, in past just red and or navy were used, now seeing more and more fluorescent uppers

Vintage Washed:

-similar summary for “Bright Colors” but now washed and faded colors (red and blue 2 biggest)
-plaids are less prominent and now more tonal and again have washed effect to them
-more and more washed/faded button down dress shirts as well as jeans/shorts
-seeing a smaller retro collegiate trend (schools using older logos, original mascots and colors)
-jeans are ripped/torn/frayed by design
-paint splatter and dripped bleach look on faded jeans and shirts
-farming & train conductor look as a micro trend (overalls, bandannas, conductor striped jackets, rolled jeans)

Modern Camo:

-still traditional color scheme (olive, brown, khaki, black)
-newer patterns and used more in a fashion sense ie. on dress sandals, dress shirt pockets only, Hawaiian prints,
-camo pants worn with denim tops, olive jackets…
-khaki and olive waxed canvas messenger/travel bags continue to show well as an accessory
-drab olive color scheme shown with “bright orange” across the board

Shoes/Boots
Styles: Moc toe work bootsDress Oxfords, Chukka types, High Tops(non skate), and Casual Athletics
-wing tip oxfords, high tops, boots and casuals definitely up trending
-darker and oiled leathers, burnished suede's, washed canvas uppers, washed leather uppers
-athletic type EVA midsole bottoms,
-vulcanized looking shell molds
On feet: Wing Tips, Utility Boots/Alpine’s and Mid Height Chukka Types


 

Notes: Almost in all categories uppers are now all over same material and color. Some fashion brands Diesel/Creative Rec/Penguin are still overlaying, using multiple materials but the masses are cleaner more streamlined. Pure athletic brands Nike/Adidas/Reebok clearly stand out as the color and new material leader.
They are pushing the envelope with developing new materials and using newer/more creative uses of fluorescent as well. Washed and faded cottons/twills are up trending in the casual category finally catching up with the apparel
trend that started last spring season. Vulcanized although still a strong category is loosing a small percentage to the athletic type EVA constructions and shell molds to look like they’re vulcanized. The retro, original, vintage
trend isn’t going anywhere but is finding new avenues such as Farm ware and Train Conductor look
Sandals:
Styles: thinner Die-Cut EVA midsoles, Molded Footbeds and Havaianas are the three biggest constructions (Havaianas are the very thin rubber sandals with the toe post that goes through the midsole)
-more graphics and colors on the Havi’s
-leather and suede socks dominate the die cuts and molded EVA sandals
-traditional thicker EVA midsole types are down trending leading way to the more fashion types of Sanuk, Penguin, Clark’s and Olukai
-Beach flip-flops continue to show strong with Reef, Quicksilver and Ocean Minded
-new and thicker textures/patterns on EVA beach footbeds making the appearance for providing more comfort




Notes: Reef seems to own the sandal category in casual, dress and sport.While Penguin, Sperry and Kenneth Cole to name a few have a strong hold on the fashion category. The American Vintage/frayed look is down trending in sandals where as more focus is being placed on comfort and cleaner styling.

Bright colors, cleaner patterns and washed/faded canvas are this springs initial direction.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Miami & South Beach Shopping/Trend Research Report, first for 2011!!!!!

Hello everyone, excited to finally post my first shopping and trend report for the 2011 fashion season. Started off by flying down to Miami last week to see what was going on for the Winter to Spring transition...and although a little early for the Spring season still a good read to see what's to come for men's fashion and footwear. Read my below notes/comments and preview the collections featuring some of Miami's and South Beach's latest trends.


Places visited: Dadeland Mall, Boca Raton Mall, Island Water Sports, Aventura Mall and South Beach's Collins Ave., Lincoln Ave.


R.T.W. - ready to wear on the racks and on the streets:
-2 biggest looks
A.washed/sun faded cotton shirts and plaids
B. brightly colored swim shorts, cotton tees and dress shirts on shelves (orange, green, blue)
- grey, charcoal, blue, navy sea foam heathered shirts, long sleeves
- dark jeans everywhere and also more faded/washed/distressed looking jeans (grey strong presence)
- on the streets (south beach etc. collared shirts, jeans and or plaid shorts everywhere)
- still plenty of ed hardy, fight club, English Heraldry on the aggressive type male…streets only
- less and less in your face brightly colored graphics on tees, shorts…more stripes or plain then anything
- some camo and faded cargo shorts on racks
- introduction of corduroy cut off shorts transitioning from the pants into spring
- “Resort Collection” was scene at several major retailers…khaki shorts, linen tops, white cotton belts,
boat shoes



Sandals/Shoes:
- biggest sandal look on feet were by far Havaianas, saw more of these on feet from the malls to the
beach then any other construction
- secondly were built up (cup mold) athletic type sandals, Reef, Reef, Reef
- very little flat cut eva, leather sock type sandals either shown or on feet except American Eagle and
A&F
- many athletic type shoes, running, joggers, new and retro types but more new styles then anything
- vulcanized cap toes (converse, nike, adidas) still on plenty of young men and women everywhere
- key colors in all atheletic retailers was black, red, grey and white, still plenty of bright fluorescent
Greens, oranges and blues
- boatshoes (sebego and sperry Lincoln Ave.) dominated the shelves at the more mature retailer with
driving mocs having a large presence as well at all malls
- LaCoste seemed to be the brand that had a front shelf in a majority of retailers showing fusion athletics types and thin vulcanized oxfords
- seeing more and more shell molds from Madden, Nike, Lacoste, True Religion, Nordstrom’s
1901 Pl brand
- the unconstructed Reef moc toe vulc shoe at Island water sports was and is blowing out according to
the young salesmen there, key color by far was the black upper w/ grey cup sock new colors arrived
that day in cream, tan and navy





Notes:
Newest look and trend is the “Fusion Athletic” upper on a thin cup mold or EVA midsole. Skechers, Diesel. Madden, LaCoste. Definitely a direction that will grow stronger as the spring/summer
season picks up. Wellness RTB etc. is still in Skechers, DSW, and seems to still have legs, did not see one person wearing any. Crocs is introducing their version of the converse cap toe. Salesmen at the Lincoln Ave. store sold me hard on the idea that they look exactly like the chuck but are far superior in comfortand that I should def. buy a pr., no thanks. Looks similar but not exactly like…



All in all a good trip seeing how most of the country had snow last week, can't complain in 80 degree weather! Havaianas and built up athletic type sandals ruled the beach while cap toe sneakers take the lead in front of traditional slip on/twin gores.

Enjoy the read and look for my next review at the world famous MAGIC Apparel and Accessories show in Las Vegas on Feb. 14th! Until then...