What shoes will be in style in 2020? Any new shoe companies on the horizon? Recently, I attended the FFNY Market Week, held at the Warwick NY Hotel in New York City, to find out and share with you.
What I found was that there wasn’t much innovation and more of the same styles as in 2019. However, I did meet a few interesting companies that I thought were worth mentioning here.
Bearpaw
Bearpaw was the first company I visited and I spoke with John Pierce, President of the company. Bearpaw makes a wide variety of boots and sandals to meet any lifestyle. The company, located in Sacramento, CA, has the motto — “Live Life Comfortably.” (I love that!)
“Everything is about comfort,” Pierce said.
John Pierce showed me several different new styles and said that all of his shoes come in size 5 to 13 for women. He even has a new pair of shoes that uses Pineapple leaves as straps and cork on the bottom for his fall vegan collection.
Another interesting shoe was something that looks like an Ugg boot but has the toe and heel cut out. “We made these for surfers who get out of the water and feel cold. They are actually for spring 2020,” Pierce said.
Bearpaws are sold at Macy’s, Dicks Sporting Goods and at DSW. All of the Bearclaw shoes and boots retail for under $100, except some of the boots that use real fur. They retail for under $300.
Western Chief
Talk about a variety of rain boots! Western Chief, the Seattle, Washington shoe company, has rain boots for boys, girls, and women. The sales rep told me that they are mostly sold in the midwest to “farm families,” the boots can be found at Cosco and Amazon. They range in price from $24 to $50.
Birkenstock
Although I’ve never tried a pair, if you ask anyone who owns a pair of Birkenstock shoes, they will tell you the Birkenstocks are the most comfortable shoe in one’s closet. The company had a large display at the FFNY event. They were showcasing three new styles — for outdoors (on trails), wedges and essentials (EVA Foam Sandals in bright colors).
All Black
In their 14th year, All Black has some interesting and unique shoes. They primarily sell their shoes in Anthropologie. I found a couple of cute ones I liked.
Musse & Cloud
These shoes were incredible. After walking around the city in heels, I couldn’t wait to take them off. The sales rep from Musse & Cloud was extremely hospitable and allowed me to try on several pairs of shoes. Each felt like I was stepping on a marshmallow.
Naot
I’ve heard a lot about Naot but I never tried them on either. They are an Israeli company and the products are made on a Kibutz. They had some interesting new styles with and without a little wedge. I was excited to learn that their corporate headquarters was on Long Island in Melville.
Spring Footwear Corp.
I was excited to meet the folks at Spring Footwear Corp. They make the following lines: Azura, Flexus, L’Artiste, Patrizia and Spring Step. They have different lines for different buyers.
I told the reps I had bought six pairs of the La’Artiste brand to add to my collection. I love my L’Artiste shoes!
Here are some more shoes I liked…
Have any favorite shoes? Let me know which ones you like in the comment section below.
