Footwear Insight

T he trend toward sneakers and athletic styles in the healthcare sector, particularly in nurse shoes, continues strong. "e biggest shi in the world of healthcare is in footwear," says Michael Arce, national sales manager, Xelero. "Traditional clogs have gone the wayside to athletic footwear. Like every trend the pros and cons will reveal themselves with time. e reason clogs were such a staple in the healthcare field was because of the benefits they provided for all day standing on hard surface floors. At Xelero we built our footwear on stability and motion control that mirrors the benefits of a clog but the all-day comfort of an athletic shoe." Alegria has multiple athletic offerings in its line that are developed specifically for healthcare workers. e brand's ReBounce collection, for example, offers the lightness and styling of a typical tennis shoe, but with arch support that mirrors those found in leather work clogs. And the ROK n ROLL line features a true rocker bottom with stain- resistant uppers. "We also have a shoe called the Duette that is a clog/sneaker hybrid on our tremendously successful Sport Rocker bottom," explains Megan Gold, design director, Alegria. "e Duette has been one of our top 10 selling styles for over five years; it's priced very competitively, and its hybrid features resonate with the customer." "Long shis demand shoes with excellent cushioning, arch support, and materials that are easy to clean. ese attributes are easily found in more traditional work shoes however, Healthcare workers are ditching these traditional silhouettes for sneakers," footwearinsight.com July/August 2024 ~ Footwear Insight • 33 PUTTING SNEAKERS TO WORK: HEALTHCARE + MORE Depending on their occupation, consumers have a range of comfort and style needs in their workplace footwear. Here, we take a look at a few of the top styles and key trends to watch in the months ahead. VERSATILITY AND COMFORT RULE FROM THE OFFICE TO THE HEALTHCARE WORLD. THE WORKPLACE FOOTWEAR EVOLUTION

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