For Footwear News Emerging Talent 2017, the fashion team selected 32 of the most promising and progressive names in shoes to know right now. The specifications we looked for were both formalized and guided by editorial instincts, drawing us to a diverse mixture of personalities that fused originality, intuition, verve, business savvy, on-point branding, quality, point of view, personality, cool factor, unwavering style and passion. Read on.
A.ANDREASSEN
LAUNCHED: 2015
BASE: “London. With Hampstead Heath our doorstep, I am reminded every day of my Scandinavian roots and appreciation of nature.”
MADE IN: “Portugal. We use vegetable-tanned leather for our mules and natural Italian wool felt for slippers. The wool is 100% recyclable.”
YOUR SHOES IN THREE WORDS: “Craft, comfort, timeless.”
Watch on FN
CREATIVE PROCESS: “I want to make things that endure. I like mixing traditional craft with a modern approach. Storytelling is also a key element to my designs, although I like to integrate this in a subtle way.”
COMPETITIVE EDGE: “A. Andreassen incorporates the ideals of Scandinavian design for the humble slipper.”
INSPIRATION: “In Scandinavia at Christmastime, it’s traditional for children to make paper baskets in the shape of a heart, to fill with sweets that hang on the Christmas tree. This inspired us to create the signature love heart at the toe of the slipper, a gentle nod to our guiding belief: Home is where the heart is.”
SHOP TALK: Direct-to-consumer plus Harrods and Fortnum & Mason.
BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT: “When we realized that the slippers were more than just comfort house shoes and that even ballet dancers from the National Opera in London and beyond were choosing to wear our footwear during their rehearsal breaks and out and about. We were also pleased to be on the front page of The Guardian as an introduction to hygge.”
WISE WORDS: “I tend to be very skeptical when someone advises that anything is supposed to be easy. Sometimes it’s the simplest things that end up being the most complicated.”
Want more?
Meet the Next Generation of ‘It’ Shoe Designers
How Solovière’s Alexia Aubert Takes A Couture Approach To Shoes
How François du Chastel Is Growing His Quintessentially Parisian Loafer Label Chatelles
