Bags / Shoes & Accessories

With the discussion of fashion inclusiveness attracting more and more consumer attention, footwear brands have begun to introduce gender free or neutral footwear products. According to Huacheng Import and Export Data Watch, earlier this month, Adidas and Stella McCartney jointly launched a black and orange neutral sports shoe. Nike collaborated with Sabrina Ionescu, a star of the Women's Professional Basketball League (WNBA), to develop a unisex sneaker, Sabrina 1, which was launched later this summer. Wolf&Shepherd is a footwear brand that lies between sports shoes and luxury shoes, and launched its first gender free series, Cruise, in early March.

According to Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation, like neutral clothing, neutral footwear products are beginning to be sought after by mainstream and high-end fashion consumers. In the traditional footwear industry, shoes are classified as men's or women's, but more and more brands are creating shoes that they believe will appeal to everyone. In an interview with Modern Retail magazine, Circana shoe analyst Beth Goldstein said that in terms of the market, so-called "neutral shoes" have existed for many years. Dongdong Shoes, Converse, Birkinstock, and many other brands have produced the same shoes in the same color for their customers. However, they are usually divided into men's shoes and women's shoes. Nowadays, in the fashion industry, people are more concerned about "gender neutral" or "neutral", especially young consumers who do not view gender in the same way. Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation reports.

NiK Kacy founded her own shoe company with the same name in 2013. In an interview with Modern Retail, Kacy said, "I have been trying all my life to find shoes that not only fit my feet, but also fit my gender expression." Kacy began to focus on building her own brand. For several months, Kathy has been commuting to Europe to do research and produce samples. However, it is difficult to find a factory to produce their shoes. The shoe industry is very traditional, and their response is usually that we know there is a problem, but it is not worth it. "Or, 'Do you want to make a pair of men's shoes for a woman?'"

Finally, Casey found a shoe manufacturer who, despite their doubts about the shoes, agreed to produce them. Casey said that the epidemic has led to changes in people's home office and shopping patterns, and the company's business has slowed. "However, in the past two years, sales have rebounded, and the challenge now is to raise sufficient funds to meet the growing demand of the market, and how to expand and develop the business."

Wolf&Shepherd was founded in 2015 as a brand that originally produced men's shoes. However, as more and more women begin to like wearing their brands, Justin Schneider, co founder of Wolf&Shepherd, began creating a sexless shoe, the Cruise, and launched three different styles in early March: Lace-Up, Mule, and Tre, as reported by Huacheng Import and Export Data Watch.

In an interview with Modern Retail, Circana's Goldstein said that it was expected that more neutral footwear products would appear in the market to meet consumer demand. Retailers are also beginning to rethink how to classify products. Currently, most retailers still divide their stores into men's and women's wear areas. In the future, how to sell such gender free products in a more attractive way deserves retailers' consideration. For example, it is best not to divide men's and women's clothing areas, but to focus on display. The final result will be determined based on consumer preferences. Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation Report.