One main difference between menswear and womenswear is the share of sneakers in their assortment. Retviews’ data show that leading luxury brands put a stronger focus on men’s trainers, which make up 48% of their assortments. This is partially due to brands like Gucci and Prada tapping into streetwear and offering a more extensive assortment of sneakers. Despite the continued prominence of sneakers in luxury footwear, Retviews data clearly show that the shoe’s presence in collections is slowly decreasing to make room for loafers and high heels.
Retviews data show the formalization phenomenon of men’s footwear, as loafers stand out among leading menswear styles. Loafers were introduced on runways back in 2021 and the trend doesn’t seem to be fading away. They have confirmed themselves as the footwear go-to both in menswear and womenswear. The luxury market (with brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Ferragamo) has increased the preppy shoe’s assortment share, by 12% YoY, for Fall/Winter 2022 collections.
As in-person events and special occasions return to pre-pandemic levels, heeled shoes are very much on the rise with high heel sandals and pumps accounting for 34% of the overall women’s share of assortment, thus surpassing the leading sneaker category. High heel sandals have become increasingly present in brand collections, their assortment share increased by 25% YoY.
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The sneaker frenzy
Thanks to the elevation of streetwear, luxury brands hopped on the sneaker bandwagon by collaborating with reference sports brands like Adidas and Nike. From Dior’s Air Jordan 1 and Prada’s Adidas Superstar to the Nike x Jacquemus Air Humara, although decreasing, sneakers still represent luxury brands’ strongest footwear category.