Roopal Patel — Fashion director, Saks Fifth Avenue
“We are always thrilled to see new creative ideas, fashion and trends in shoes. For spring, novelty, color and embellishment, the new pool slide and everyday sneakers are on our list. As we move into spring, we are eager to see how the designers evolve and move forward from the ideas that we saw in resort market. Shoes are a such a creative category. They yield a strong, emotional response from our customer, who is constantly looking for newness and fashion in the category. Shoes are also a wonderful way for designers to tap into their creativity and signature styles. You can register personality, trends and fashion immediately.”
Linda Fargo — SVP fashion office and store presentation director, Bergdorf Goodman
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“We are looking for emotional fashion. Embroidered and embellished shoes continue to be at the top of our list. We are embracing the expansion of ‘casual’ offerings in the market, with novelty slides, mules, loafers and sneakers. We are always looking for innovation and newness, a brand that has a clear point of view married to craftsmanship.”
Tarek Hassan — Co-owner, Concepts
“We’re always looking for new talent and new ways to interpret trends. Spring is more playful, so how can we make the buys fun and fresh? We want to see designers who have their own point of view. How are they separating themselves from the rest? Does their quality remain high? Are they staying true to their identity, and are they willing to take risks to stand out?”
Elizabeth Kanfer — Footwear fashion director, Nordstrom
“We are excited to see how designers take flats to new places — from ballerinas, slippers, slides and backless loafers, we expect much excitement in this category of business. We are looking for newness, and we want to get excited and inspired by the presentations in market and at Platform. We find that when we push ourselves to focus on fashion and newness, the customer responds well.”
Ana Maria Pimentel — Fashion director for women’s accessories Neiman Marcus
“Emotion. Anything that sparks interest and feels different to what our costumers already own — decorated and embellished footwear so emotional you cannot live without. I am also particularly excited about all the casual fashion in footwear. Fun, fabulous flats, the modern ballerina and decorated loafer, easy slip-on slides and mules, cool sneakers [are important].”
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