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and dressy; and multi-purpose with ease. We have a lot of slip- ons without working buckles coming into fall. We are also seeing a resurgence in heels." Ayelet Lax Levy President, Naot USA "ere's no doubt that over the past year we've seen a spike in dress and what we'd call 'polished casual' shoes. We've seen demand for Rockport's 'e v e nt - re a d y ' c at e g or y of shoes pick-up, and the past three months show an 18% increase compared to last year. Professionals headed back to the office, even in a hybrid model, are investing in new work attire and are excited to do so. Recent Rockport data shows nearly half (48%) of professionals are very or somewhat excited to dress for the office again." Lisa Laich Chief marketing officer, Rockport "We are seeing this for both men and women. Customers are l o ok i ng for a f ash i on comfort causal shoe that can easily transition into a dressier shoe if, and when, needed. We accomplish this by using mixed materials, hardware, and neutral colors." Rich Rask President, Rieker Shoe Corp. "Hälsa is starting to see a change in attitude for versatile fall styles with fashion/comfort so that the consumer can go from the office to going out. Bold, fresh looks are what Hälsa is offering; along with a fully removeable insole so it's like a vacation on their feet." Tony Adams VP of sales, Hälsa "During the 2020 and 2021 seasons there was a major pen- dulum shift to comfy casual, easy-on, easy-off disposable footwear. We see this currently swinging back to something more in the middle. Due to more social and group settings to cel- ebrate weddings, graduations and the like, dress shoes are in high demand. is category will return to being about 25%-30% of our total business, where it dipped aer the pandemic to almost zero. As some people go back into the office, this category will continue to grow, although now in a more balanced way." Frank Cammarata Founder, The Enjoiya Group "e past two years have empha- sized a trend that was already ongoing: comfort has become an essential element of the modern living. Today 95% of the world's population wear rubber-soled shoes, for leisure and also for business or formal occasions. anks to our special patented technologies and our Italian DNA, we offer people stylish and extremely comfortable shoes, be these sneakers or more formal styles." Mario Moretti Polegato Founder, Geox "We couldn't agree more! e consumer is tired of wearing her sneakers and slippers; she's ready to step back into her favorite heels. We are responding with fresh silhouettes with feminine details, bling, rich materials like velvet, and bringing back dress boots in a big way for fall." Danielle Kalish Senior director of design, LifeStride "Finding the sweet spot between dress and comfort has been a focus of the Spring 2023 collec- tion. Arcopedico as a brand is known for being a great travel shoe, but we shied away from that message during Covid. Now we are happy to get back to that brand message." Sydney Simas VP of sales and marketing, Simco Imported Shoes "For Fall/Winter 2022, we remain centered in comfort but are premiering a group of luxe leathers on our wedge bottom that definitely dress up our Sereniti clog silhouette." Megan Gold Design director, Alegria "Both fashion and comfort are intuitive to ECCO. Over the next seasons, the brand will collec- tively lean into this dressed up comfort segment by building out our existing franchises of such offering (Modtray and Shape for women, Helsinki and City Tray for men). e brand will launch new products adhering to the overall market need, yet true to the core of the brand—comfort heels for her, hybrid footwear for him; all perfect for dressing up or down, for work or leisure." Kevin Isbell Studio director, ECCO Studio at the Brooklyn Navy Yard "is is a big trend we're seeing. Vionic has several new styles that address the consumer demand for returning to the office, like the Angelica city sandal (modern style, versatility, comfort) and the Brookell (woven metallic upper for shine and refinement, statement-making buckle). Vionic provides a curated se- lection of travel-perfect styles, with polished, versatile sandals including the Kaila." Scott Radabaugh Senior design director, Vionic IT'S TRUE CONSUMERS HAVE DECIDED THAT NOW IS THE TIME TO REFRESH THEIR WARDROBES AND PURCHASE NEW SHOES. 24 • September/October 2022 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com

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