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• The important trade fair platform for entry into the Chinese consumer market with China's most influential consumer group for the fashion and beauty sector with the strongest growth in consumption - the millennials - as target group
• The international fashion showcase for decision makers with an overview of na-tional and international fashion brands
• Strategic market development through comprehensive visitor marketing for inter-national brands at CHIC

 
CHIC, China International Fashion Fair presents around 800 exhibitors in an exhibition space of approx. 50,000 sqm (CHIC in March 100,000 sqm) in two halls from 27 to 29 September 2018 at the National Exhibition & Convention Center in Shanghai.
The current conditions for international fashion companies in the Chinese market offer significant improvements for international brands. Import tariffs will be lowered from 15.9% to 7.1% to further promote the import and upgrade of the industry.  

The McKinsey study "THE `Chinese consumer´ no longer exists” defines Chinese consumers no longer as interested only in low prices, but as selective, healthconscious with diverse shopping hab-its and preferences. The fashion awareness changes to an individual sense of style, influenced by international and national trends. China's millennials are the WORLD'S most influential consumer group, with a 16% share of the population, driving consumption growth in the Chinese market and contributing more than 20% from today until 2030.  
 
According to the edition's motto "New Makers", Asia's leading fashion fair is picking up on the latest changes in the Chinese fashion market and providing the essential tools for the Chinese market. The new, young design of the fair, which was launched in March this year at CHIC, is being ex-panded. The individual sections of CHIC present the latest trends in the Chinese and international fashion market. CHIC connects and brokers partnerships and launches the new generation gar-ment industry, which builds on high-tech strategies and interlinks industrial production with modern information and communication technologies, relying on intelligent, digitally networked systems in self-organized production.

The individual fashion areas of CHIC  
FASHION JOURNEY puts the focus on interna-tional exhibitors. In addition to the large Italian pavilion, the French pavilion "Paris Forever" and the Korean show-inshow "Preview in China", in-dividual participants from Poland, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Japan and the USA use CHIC as a bridge in the Chinese market. The next German group participation is planned for March 2019, whereby Germany will also be rep-resented with individual brands such as ESISTO in the area NEW LOOK.

IMPULSES, CHIC's designer section, features emerging designer brands such as Junne, Hua Mu Shen, King Ping, Anjaylia, Mao Mart homme, Tuffcan, etc.

The SUSTAINABILITY ZONE, first showcased at CHIC in the fall of 2017, is receiving even greater emphasis due to the increasing environmental and health awareness of Chinese consum-ers, featuring sustainable supply chain solutions, sustainable innovation and sustainable fashion collections. Programs such as Chemical Stewardship 2020, Carbon Stewardship 2020, Water Stewardship 2020 and Circular Stewardship 2020 are presented. The womenswear section NEW LOOK of CHIC presents next to the leading Chinese brands like AVRALA, and CMH also international brands like Saint James from France, ESISTO from Ger-many, Trenz Eight from Canada or PN JONE, USA.

Beside the suppliers of classic menswear, URBAN VIEW, the menswear section, also includes casualwear brands like NRDMA and SUPIN as well as bespoke companies like H. Pin& Tack, Jin Yuan Yang, Fa Lan Qian Mu, Long Sheng and DANDINGHE.
CHIC YOUNG BLOOD shows young lifestyle brands, KID'S PARADISE offers e.g the largest fashion group in China for children's fashion XTEP KIDS.

SECRET STARS (fashion accessories), SHANGHAI BAG (bags), HERITAGE (leather & fur), SUPERIOR FACTORY (ODM) and FUTURE LINK (services) complete the fashion offer at CHIC. FUTURE LINK gathers fashion service providers for among others supply chain solutions, smart retail and smart production, RFID, laser technology and data utilization.

Visitor management
On the rise in China's retail scene, multi brand and custom stores are the fastest growing offline sector. The number has increased significantly in the last five years from less than 100 to more than 5,000 stores. Exclusive shopping experiences and an individual offer are important. Custom-ers value a wide range of products: a mix of international and national exclusive brands is the most common concept.

The high investments of the CHIC organizers in the visi-tor management for the fair pay off: CHIC has a per-sonalized trade visitor database of over 200,000 con-tacts, which are used intensively for the visitor marketing in the run-up to the fair for a commercial matching for the exhibitors. At the fair, VIP match making activities will take place especially for selected international brands, that will have the opportunity to present them-selves there and make the relevant contacts in the Chi-nese trade. Meetings are organized among others with multi brand stores and buyers such as The Fashion Door, Dong Liang, Jing Dong, VIP Shop and department stores, and retailers such as Carrefour, Amazon, De-cathlon, Wang Fujing, etc. An important tool for the CHIC visitor marketing is social media; for this special programs are run, in which individual brands are pre-sented to prospective visitors.    

CHIC is visited by representatives of all distribution channels for distribution in the Chinese market, at the last event in autumn 2017 more than 65,722 visitors from all over China and other nations were registered at the CHIC, with a significant increase in multi brand stores.
 
Seminars and shows
The future of fashion business in China will be discussed in a panel of experts as part of CHIC TALKS. Furthermore, a trend seminar from WGSN for FW 2019 and a workshop on bag and shoe production from the Moda Pelle Academy are planned.

CHIC shows provide an overview of selected international brands.

CHIC is organized by Beijing Fashion Expo. Co. ltd. and China World Exhibitions, supported by China National Garment Association, The Sub-Council of Textile Industry (CCPIT) and China World Trade Center.

• Sales increase of 4 to 6 per cent targeted for 2018
• Population favors traditional shopping experience

Hong Kong (GTAI) - Hong Kong's favorite pastime is shopping. Chinese tourists also visit the city just for shopping quite often. The demand for jewelry, watches and cosmetics in particular is booming. The retail sales of the Special Administrative Region (SVR) is expected to rise to around USD 60 billion in 2018. The status-conscious consumers prefer Italian and French luxury goods. German providers can score in certain categories.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) retail sector experienced one of its worst years of recent history in 2016. According to the statistics office, sales shrank nominally by 8 percent compared to the previous year. On the one hand, domestic consumers showed themselves buttoned-up side in the face of a rather sluggish economy. Private consumption rose in real terms by just under 2 percent.
 
On the other hand, the number of foreign visitors decreased. The tourism authority counted around 57 million arrivals in 2016 only, which was almost 5 percent less than in 2015. Three quarters of the tourists traditionally come from the neighboring Chinese mainland and are particularly eager to buy. But in 2016, they restricted their purchases.

Domestic consumption rose in real terms by nearly 7 percent in the third quarter of 2017
However, the second half of 2017 brought the turnaround. The overall economy of SVR revived noticeably. Consumer spending in the third quarter increased by nearly 7 percent in real terms compared to the same period of the previous year. The number of tourists also rose again. From January to December, the authorities registered a growth of more than 3 percent.

*) Forecast
Source: Hong Kong Tourism Board

Retail sales rose in 2017 as a result by just over 2 percent to more than USD 57 billion. Especially at the end of the year, business had developed very briskly. In the fourth quarter, revenues increased by nearly 6 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year. That leaves the economic researchers hoping for 2018. The auditing company PWC, for example, expects a market growth of 4 to 6 percent. As a result, the total revenues should rise to around USD 60 billion. It would thus be on about the same level as in 2014, but only in nominal terms.

*) Forecast
Source: 2014 til 2017: Hong Kong Statistical Office; 2018: PwC

The individual sectors of the retail trade developed very differently in 2017. The demand for electronic articles was weakening. But the business with jewelry, watches and cosmetics flourished. These are small and light goods, that Chinese tourists usually can take across the border without customs clearance. The equally lively sales of food and beverages as well as motor vehicles is mainly due to the greater spending pleasure of domestic consumers.

Source: Hong Kong Statistical Office
 
For German providers of consumer goods, the former British colony is a not unattractive market. Although the population of 7.4 million is quite small, it has a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita that is at the level of Germany. Since there is virtually no manufacturing industry, almost all goods need to be imported. The Chinese tourists increase the volume of demand. In 2017 45 million visitors from the People's Republic came to Hong Kong. Many of them came just for one day, whose only goal was shopping.

German consumer goods are quite popular with both domestic consumers and Chinese tourists. However, there are big differences between the different sectors. Apparel, leather goods and cosmetics are dominated by French and Italian brands in the upper market segment. For furniture (especially kitchens) or stationery German suppliers however play a significant role. Also body care and food "Made in Germany" enjoy a great popularity.

Big chains dominate the market
The retail sector is predominantly in the hands of large corporations. In the food sector the chains Wellcome and ParknShop dominate, in the drugstore area Watsons and Mannings as well as in the electronics division Fortress and Broadway. The e-commerce however has undermined its dominant position a bit.
However - the population still prefers the traditional shopping experience. Purchasing via the Internet does not yet play a major role for the end customer as in other countries around the world. But it has changed the business in the B2B area. In the meantime restaurants and hotels mostly shop online.

Megatrends are becoming increasingly visible in the way we live.
Be it globalisation, urbanisation, digitalisation, individualisation or neo-ecology: German and international manufacturers are keeping pace with the times and are offering more and more options in their range of furniture and fittings. Customer needs can no longer be deduced from socio-demographic characteristics and target groups alone - people's lifestyles are too different for that these days. The megatrends influence the directions in which the additional options develop: They drive things forward and point out new directions at the same time.

The megatrend of individualisation has intensified in the furniture sector on at least two levels: The catalogues are bursting with diverse options and the internet is the first port of call to get an idea of what's on offer. Several portals offer tailored advice or allow you to furnish your own home in a virtual reality setting.

The megatrend of digitalisation has also impacted on the way we live in two very clear ways. When it comes to the products themselves, the "smart home" is becoming increasingly important. Many household appliances, doors and windows, white goods and heating control systems now come with applications that improve comfort and convenience in everyday life. The second element has far-reaching effects on our mood. The honest ones among us will admit their overexposure to various media. Within a minute of waking, most people have their smartphone in hand as they start their day. The sensory overload immediately begins, if not with a smartphone then with the television or radio triggering constant distraction and a desire for a multitude of things. We lose ourselves in the face of so many options (the weather, the stock market, breaking news, emails, recipes, music). When the back of your mind wakes up too - and with that a torrent of terms such as digital transformation, chatbots, bitcoins, blockchain, dash buttons begins to flow - you suddenly feel an urgent need to get a grip on reality. Old favourites are making a come-back. Vinyl records, classic cars and filter coffee are all enjoying a boom. In home furnishing, models from the "good old days" are hugely popular: the vintage look, retro, boho-chic, mid-century design. In our fast-paced age, it comes as no surprise that many people in the developed world have fallen in love with this style of furnishing. In the virtual world, we are looking for something real, or at least something purportedly real … and Pantone declares ultra violet the Colour of the Year 2018. It is an old acquaintance: clerical power, feminism, extravagance, drama, creativity, "the last attempt", mystical and spiritual, both future-oriented and traditional, but a counterculture most certainly. Denmark has given the world the "Hygge" phenomenon, a countervailing measure that brings cosiness back into our homes.

Two-thirds of Germans want their home to exude cosiness. Most people find that easier to achieve with an organic design language, authentic materials and warm colours than with cool, angular and minimalist furniture designs. Colourful combinations of furniture, wall colours, wallpaper, decorations and accessories are also popular because they help express the desired feeling of individuality.
 
Good lighting is becoming ever more important for the overall atmosphere in the home. LED lighting technology is now cost-effective, and can be found in the glass display case, behind the shelf or under the bed, making an important contribution to the home's cosy lighting ambience. The lighting industry's latest highlight is improved LED light batteries with long run-times. These flexible, portable and cable-free light sources are very handy for small apartments. This kind of small lamp can be used as a functional light in the kitchen, as a reading lamp at the table and as indirect illumination when chatting in the evening. In former times, candles were carried around the home, today we carry cutting-edge LED battery lamps. Talking about candles, the consumption of real candles has been growing steadily over the last five years. According to the European Candle Association (eca), each EU citizen consumed an average of 1.45 kg of candles (+6.2%) in 2016, with further growth expected. Opulent, Baroque-like candlesticks are in fashion, and help to create cosy living spaces. Candlelight is highly prized. Indeed, we could speak in terms of a digitalisation by candlelight. There is a close link between living style and the longed-for attitude to life. In times like these, it is not surprising that more and more people divide their world in two. On the one hand, they have a "private shire", as Stephan Grünewald from the Rheingold Institute calls it, in which they feel snug and safe. Then they have an external "grey country", an often frightening world of terror, globalisation, food scandals, Brexit and capricious political leaders. The private sphere is often designed as an idyllic retreat to make it easier to filter out the external world. This idyll is the counter-world to the hard and digital reality. It's all about nest-building, comfort, security and cosiness - a means of escaping the often-overwhelming anonymity of the external world.
 
Before the backdrop of globalisation, the home becomes the central location of identity. Furnishing their homes in a personal way gives people a sense of belonging. Identity is a matter of self-creation, not only in terms of the personality but also of the private environment. We form our identity on a day-to-day basis through the way we live. Many people perceive the world as an excess, and they see their own home as an identity-forming protected zone. The home is guarded, fashioned and loved. Security technology and creativity are spreading and the home is becoming the only enclave of informality. Following the maxim "The world is too much for me, I'm enough for myself", the home is a retreat, a refuge and an idyllic world.
 
In the modern age, populations tend to move from rural areas to the cities. For the first time in history, more than half the world's population now live in urban conglomerations. Major cities face two challenges that have long been identified: The constant need to find more living space, and managing the growing volume of traffic. When it comes to the way we live, the megatrend of urbanisation becomes more concrete in a number of respects. There is already a growing longing for ruralisation among city dwellers, while - paradoxically - new digital innovations are making possible new ways of working and living, far away from the smoke and smog of the city. It is already possible to work without a fixed base in a number of occupations. In future, the toilet lid in the smart home will regularly test the urine for signs of disease, taking care of prevention and making medical care plannable. Villages could experience a renaissance when drones deliver shopping, and electric driverless cars take children to school.

In the season ahead we will see the introduction of more organic forms, especially in the seating furniture sector. Organic design takes its cue from organic nature. Dynamic curves and powerful cambers come to the fore as striking characteristics. Organic design is soft and is therefore distinct from geometric and functional shapes. A wide range of natural fibres is on offer as upholstery fabrics for padded furniture, with corduroy and velvet playing a prominent role.   

The blue colour spectrum - from European blue and light blue to turquoise and petrol - remains popular. Blue represents harmony, imparts a sense of reliability, and has a pleasant calming effect. Olive green is the new trend colour, representing naturalness, spring, hope, health, youth, nature and vegetation. However, olive is not gaudy; the grey aspect in it makes it a quiet and inconspicuous choice.

Linoleum is making a come-back. The material was invented in 1860 and consists mainly of linseed oil, ground cork dust and jute fabric. It was originally intended for use as an elastic floor covering and it is still used in that way to this day. The furniture industry utilises linoleum as a tabletop surface, sideboard front and bureau inlay. It is a robust, green material that stands for healthy living.

Solid wood is about to strengthen its position further. The designs for tables, cupboards and sideboards are delicate and elegant, having moved away from the rustic look of the past. Oak remains the top seller, but walnut and cherry wood are maintaining their position. Wood combined with other natural materials such as glass and metal is also a popular choice for the visible parts of cabinets.

The visual quality of furniture in all price categories is generally improving. In future, furniture that looks cheap in whatever way will not sell well. With the smart home, the bathroom show and the lighting show - in addition to all the other furniture and fittings exhibited at imm cologne 2018 - we will experience an explosion of innovation and inspiration. By passionately opening oneself up to something, that thing is freed from the vortex of the ordinary and everyday. That is just as true for good food as it is for good furniture at imm cologne. Only those who dare to do so can discover the new.

Innovative solutions are still waiting to be discovered 

The latest edition of the study: Curtains, Screens and Sun Protection has been published. In February 2017, the market researchers and analysts from Marketmedia24 and NoceanZ wanted to know it exactly: How do consumers think in terms of curtains, screens and sun protection? A fashionable and emotional factor is accounted by almost 46 percent of people buying such products. Desire for a new decoration or the discovery of a great new idea is initiating shopping. For many consumers this happens even every five years.

The power of emotions plays a decisive role - the trend professionals know and recognize in the new "hygge-like" lifestyle (derived from the Danish happiness philosophy Hygge) the return of the consumers back to familiar, even magical worlds – say back home. Where, by the way, one does not go back to the times of cocooning, but rather enjoy live with family and friends in security and individuality.

However, consumers showed the marketing strategies of the sector the red card: The technological added value of modern articles is hardly significant, brands have a just marginal importance, therefore purchasing happens primarily priced-oriented. Eva Barth-Gillhaus, a member of the authors’ study team, is certain: "Our consumer survey reveals clearly that in the sales orientation of the manufacturers the communication with consumers missed out. This is regrettable because many brands have a lot to offer.

For the brave, however, a wide field opens up for brand strategies to add emotional appeal, pointing out added value and innovation. The value of habitation and the potential of modern products provide an ideal basis. B2C communication undoubtedly is a tour de force, where creative viral strategies and the use of social media may help to save some advertising EUR." The expert predicts that sector campaigns, especially breadthwise, could bear fruit more quickly, but at the same time she has to limit the feasibility: "Perhaps an illusion, but the alternative is interchangeability, dependence on the market partner and the primacy of the price."

Eight sales channels are mainly responsible for the sales on the German market for curtains, screens and sun protection. Handicraft and converters represent the strongest market power, followed by the retail trade. The furniture stores are the number one for the majority of the res-pondents when it comes to purchasing of curtains, screens and sun protection products. However, this result is not a true reason for joy for those persons involved. Men prefer to buy (about 21%) in hardware stores while women (just under 25%) prefer furniture stores, but only if they do not prefer to sew the curtains and decoration shawls themselves, what is favored by at least 5%. As number two online providers came out of the total survey.

Anyone who is familiar with the life span of furnishing articles will be surprised about the renewal rhythm at the window. While, for example, living room luminaires with an average hanging time of 15 to 25 years prove to be extremely long-lasting, curtains, screens and sun protection products seem to be fast exchanging. After all, almost 39% say they replace the products every five years. A similar group of the same size changes even more frequently.

At first sight, functional and fashionable buying impulses are balanced. It does not seem to be surprising that 58% of the interviewees call protection from the sun and about 40% the desire for dim-out as purchase reasons. On the other hand, the high number of those who can be infected by "great" discoveries is astonishing.

When asked, "Which brand names do you know spontaneously?", the respondents named more than 180 brands. Among them Ado and Goldkante or Otto and My Home as two separate brands. But also stationary and virtual shopping sources were used as brand names for curtains, screens and sun protection such as Amazon, Bon Prix, Textilshop.de, Ikea, DM, Obi, Poco, Tchibo and interior decorators.

The fact that in a representative survey consumers also named Nivea and Nivea Sun as brand names for curtains, screens and sun protection products, and that the furniture retailer Ikea, after Velux and Ado reached the third highest degree of recognition, shows a dilemma that not only gives the manufacturers / suppliers of the sector a reason to think about.
With such a low degree of brand awareness it is not surprising, that brand products can seldom be found on the shopping lists of consumers. For a real desire this low brand awareness is not sufficient enough. Therefore almost 50% decide on the price. Whether it is a known brand name or a brand product is not important.

But in principle the signs bode well , for textile living as well as for the offers of curtains, screens and sun protection. Several megatrends and market factors link together to form a powerful market engine. The construction boom and the general demand for residential space are important drivers. In the first eleven months of 2016 already 340,000 new apartments or renovations were approved, 63,600 or 23% more than in the same period of the previous year.

Who as a manufacturer or supplier in the market for screens and sun protection as well as curtains has to decide about larger investments or product innovations - needs to get as much information as possible about the medium and longer-term market development. What has to be expected for the next eight to ten years, until about 2025? Is the growth of the past few years continuing? Is more growth still possible? Or will it weaken, for example because the market is simply saturated? The new sector report 2017 about curtains, screens and sun protection products provides a solid basis for answering such questions.

• No longer just milk powder demanded 
• Internet important sales channel

The easing of the one-child policy in China will probably not bring the expected baby boom. Nevertheless, the market for baby products is very interesting for foreign suppliers. Because Chinese parents trust these more than domestic products and they are willing to spend money on imports. After this has been already the case with milk powder, now household appliances, furniture, care products for babies and expectant mothers are in the focus. The internet is very important as a sales channel.

Between 17.5 million and 21 million babies are expected to be born every year in China, according to the forecasts of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) within the next five years. This provides a large market for products needed for baby care and for pregnant women. Also baby seats for cars, prams and furniture from abroad are being sought as well.

According to iResearch market research the total sales of products for pregnant women, mothers and babies amounted to RMB 2.3 billion in 2015. (approximately USD 360 billion; 1 USD = RMB 6.39 as an annual average). The growth rate of 25% is expected to weaken in the future, but the demand is still growing strongly. Despite the fact that the birth rates are hardly rising, the "little emperors" are pampered with pleasure. Quality and security promises are the decisive factor for foreign products in the urban middle class.

Quality and safety speak for foreign products 

The share of sales thru the Internet is steadily growing. More than 15% of purchases for the little Chinese are already made via the network. By 2018 the proportion is expected to grow to 23%. This is what market analysts have found out together with the second-largest Chinese online portal JD.com. Furthermore, the per capita purchases are highest in the prosperous coastal provinces. But, for example, mothers in Sichuan in the south-west also spend over RMB 1,000 per year for their offspring.

With China's size, new brands hardly can accomplish a successful market appearance. But the Internet provides a valuable platform and is used by expectant mothers to get information and also to purchase. Leading are the platforms of the Alibaba Group, for example Tmall and the competitor JD.com. There are also specialized shopping portals such as bleibi.com, mia.com and gou.com, as well as social media channels such as WeChat and Internet forums for expectant mothers (e.g. mama.cn or Babytree).

*) from 2016 forecasts
Source: iResearch, JD.com

Alibaba announced in its financial statement about cross-border Internet shopping for 2016, that baby products are already the third largest import category. In recent years this segment has grown considerably, in 2016 imported goods stood already for more than one-fifth of baby products sold on the Tmall and Taobao platforms.

Cross-border trade in baby products is booming

While in the past foreign milk powder brands were in high demand, now bottles, baby seats and care products for mother and child are now in the focus of online shoppers. Chinese milk powder still enjoys little confidence following a large scandal with contaminated milk powder in 2008.

The online trade however also was overshadowed in 2016 by scandals involving counterfeit products, mainly re-packaged milk powder came into circulation. The government therefore is watching the boom in overseas e-commerce with mixed feelings and consumers are becoming more cautious.

In recent years’ diapers, also have been ordered especially from abroad (especially from Japan). While these two categories continue to account for more than half of the sales, baby bottles and child seats experienced explosive growth in 2016. In addition, the mothers like to order cosmetics and personal hygiene, which will not hurt the growing life. This applies in particular to natural cosmetics.

In 2016 the leading countries of origin for online imports were Japan (19.3%), USA (18.3%) and Korea Rep. (13.6%). But Germany was already on fourth place with 8.0%. Particularly popular with "made in Germany" were kitchen equipment (including kitchen appliances), milk powder, baby food and food supplements.

*) HSPos. 9619 Sanitary napkins, tampons, diapers for toddlers;
Source: Chinese Custom

*) HSPos. 1901.10;
Source: Chinese Custom

Sneakers remain the megatrend par excellence in spring / summer 2017. There is no boredom coming up yet. The new shoe collections present themselves varied and innovative: Safari and ethno themes are reinterpreted. Soft romantic and playful decorations set new accents. Newcomers with potential are Mules and Sabots.

While the consumer mood was positive in the first half of 2016 - the shoe retail sector unfortunately could barely benefit of it in many places. Sales in the first six months were two percent lower than last year. The weather conditions were anything but sales promotional: the last winter months were too mild, spring on the other hand was too cool. But this is just one of many causes for the sagging sales of shoe retailing. Deplored also is the loss of appeal of the inner cities and, related with this, the increasing trend of shoe purchasing in the Internet. For the stationary shoe trade this development represents a strong challenge which needs to be mastered. Hope puts the sector on the trend toward shortened trouser forms that lead more attention towards footwear. In the new season the shoe trade has to and wants to invest in target group-oriented shopping ambiance and in marketing methods to provide quality incentives. In many places the product mix has been send back to the testbed. Many traders therefore took advantage of the just ended GDS shoe fair in Dusseldorf in order to learn about the new trends for spring / summer 2017.

Sneakers continue their successful rise and belong to the generational and gender comprehensive trend shoes. The convenient slippers are now being used as footwear for the whole family, from the youngest to the elderly. This trend has often more to do with a sporty look than a sporty use, for many shoe wearer convenience has become a self-evidence. Clean and purist styled models standing next to styles of material mix: glitter, ornamental stones, mesh, metallics, reptile embossing, lasercut and neoprene come in use for the shoes. White soles are an important feature of the new sneaker.

Mules score in a new variety. In trend are toe gripers as well as mules in tube optics and wide (cross) bandages. For purchase incentives models with an anatomic formed footbed and soft uppers (like cork) should care.

Sabots, Mules and Babouch types are indispensable for the new season. The models are mostly flat and come along with slim borders. Very trendy are open toe shown mules with block heels.

Previously Espadrilles were worn only during the (beach) holiday, in the meantime these flat treads have blossomed into absolute trend-outfits. No wonder, because the new models are not only very comfortable, but super stylish also! Particularly noble shafts in a material mix like leather plus metallics come along. Trendy are also Espadrilles made out of linen, exotic printed, trimmed with stripes or sequins and pearls. Non-slipping rubber soles make the Mediterranean shoes now all-weather fit, regardless whether flat, with plateau or wedge.

Loafer with their androgynous variants like Brogue, Budapest and Monk remain important in the coming spring / summer season. It is important that the shoe is light. Filigree, unlined models made of soft suede compete with models with voluminous bottoms.

Sandals are an indispensable part of any summer collection. In addition to models with platform and wide drums are sportier variants. For innovations are sandals with block heels, T-clips and high-front cuts. Hardly to overlook are Lace-up Sandals, a mix of Roman-sandal and Ballerina.

The ethnic and safari trend remains unbroken in spring / summer. Shaft designs with colorful pompons, tassels, embroidery, pearls and braiding determine the optic. Thick, profiled soles ("Briquette plateau") or soles with "shark tooth" profiles have entered the mainstream. Ideal for women who like to “grow” a few centimeters without walking on high heels.

With the great demand for sneakers, the portion of high-tech materials is growing. Leather naturally will not be relinquished for shoes, especially not as soft nappa and suede. Very smooth and glossy surfaces are there among reptile embossing.

The color spectrum in the spring / summer 2017 is discreet. Monochrome color images produce a sustainably-quality look. From pearl gray to titanium ranges the gamut of grays. In addition there are clear, creamy tones with a touch of rosé, sandy shades and powdery-bright models.

Regardless whether as high heel or sneaker - metallic colors of "subtly iridescent" to "mega-glittery" light up many shoes. Silver, bronze and gold are not only trendy in fashion clothes, even the feet are decorated with it in the new season.