New Style Idea

Luxury sneaker fans now have a new sustainable sneaker to shop. The newest look from London footwear label Duke & Dexter is the Ritchie, a stylish sneaker handmade in England with sustainably-sourced materials and built for those looking for comfort. “By definition, we want to ensure that every single component is sustainably sourced, meaning that each individual item can continue to be produced, in principle, forever without any ongoing damage or net negative environmental impact. This is indeed the case with the Ritchie,” Duke & Dexter founder and CEO Archie Hewlett told FN. “What’s more, every component for the Ritchie is ordered to use — simply meaning there’s zero wastage or leftover. And of course, as with all D+Ds, they’re completely handmade in our UK factory where we source locally to minimize the amount of travel time involved for each pair of shoes and we offset our carbon emissions from deliveries to customers.” The Ritchie was created for the “anti-runner,” the

For anyone thinking that this year’s unique holiday season of anticipated Zoom Thanksgiving and holiday parties will be sweatpants and slippers, Amina Muaddi’s latest capsule for Rihanna’s Fenty may have you making other plans when it comes to holiday dressing. The shoe designer and fashion icon — who will be receiving the award for Collaborator of the Year at the 2020 FNAAs on December 8 — released their second capsule today for Fenty and it’s even sparklier, strappier and more colorful than their sell-out debut collection from this summer . The Corset Pump, a PVC-line stiletto from the new Amina Muaddi for Fenty capsule. CREDIT: Courtesy of Fenty There are four new styles in the second capsule, with a new lace-up stiletto playing the hero. The aptly named Corset Pump has a PVC upper (a feature reminiscent of a popular slingback style from Muaddi’s own award-winning line ) and a vamp with a dramatic lacing system that continues from nearly the to all the way up to the back of

Two days after Vice President-elect Kamala Harris stepped out in Manolo Blahnik nude pumps for the biggest speech of her life, the legendary designer is full of praise for the game-changing U.S. leader. “ What a privilege to serve such a divine woman — she has incredible style, suitable for any occasion. Kamala Harris is a barrier breaker ,” Blahnik told FN exclusively today. For her victory speech alongside President-elect Joe Biden, Harris paired the pumps with a suffragette white suit from New York brand Carolina Herrera — and the entire outfit was full of symbolism as the nation celebrated Harris’s history-making moment. Of note, Blahnik and Herrera are close friends, and he has often crafted shoes for her runway shows. Wes Gordon, the current creative director of Carolina Herrera, designed Harris’ suit on Saturday. In her speech, Harris — who is Black and of South Asian descent — recognized Biden for paving the way for her incredible rise. Kamala Harris steps on stage in Ma

You may know Dre London as Post Malone’ s manager, however, his talents don’t stop there. After years on hold, he has officially launched his own women’s shoe brand called Kruel London. And how he got here isn’t what you’d expect. The London-born music executive was looking to break into the music industry in 2008 when he made his move from the U.K. to New York. By the time 2012 came around, he hadn’t taken off in the way that he had hoped so his vision started to shift. “Sometimes in life something hits you, smacks you, with a passion that you didn’t even know you had,” he told FN. Despite no experience with shoes, London decided to take action. After admiring women’s shoes day in and day out on the streets of New York and seeing a Bullets 4 Peace necklace one night, London was inspired to redesign a traditional women’s heel and replace it with a sleek, modern bullet. “I just started building off this idea of women’s empowerment and creating a shoe line that would empower women in

Buzzy luxury label Pīferi makes its big debut tomorrow at Harrods in London, where it will be sold exclusively for the next month. A pop-up will get prime placement with a rotunda at the center of Harrods’ Shoe Heaven. “For me, Pīferi was the launch that stood out this year,” said Alberto Oliveros, Kurt Geiger’s GMM, who oversees the Harrods business. “I love that it’s a vegan collection. Sustainability is becoming more important and relevant for every single customer. But I also love that the shoes are super feminine, dreamy and unique.” The rising talent behind the made-in-Italy brand is Alfredo Pīferi, who was most recently head of design at Jimmy Choo and also built his resume with gigs at Burberry and Kanye West. “He’s a shoemaker — he has knowledge of the last and how the product is made. The shoes are fabulous, but at the same time comfortable,” Oliveros noted. The Merlin silver boot CREDIT: Courtesy of Piferi While the designer initially planned to launch the Harrods

When the chemical explosion hit the city of Beirut’s port on August 4, it destroyed Andrea Wazen’s nearby flagship and offices. The Lebanese designer posted shots on social media of the shop’s ceiling caving in, wires everywhere, the front nameplate torn from the facade, laying on the ground. “Everything was on the floor. It was like an apocalypse,” Wazen told FN shortly after the event , which killed at least 200 people and injured more than 5,000. “As soon as I walked on the street, I could remember every single day, walking from my office to my store. And suddenly I’m just walking on glass.” Wazen was already in the middle of sample production on her spring ’21 collection, which she usually shows by appointment during Paris Fashion Week. But the designer decided to quickly pivot, shelving the existing samples and starting from scratch. The result was a collection inspired by and dedicated to the city of Beirut and all of the architectural legacy that its residents are now work

FN is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month. Observed from September 15 to October 15, the occasion recognizes the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. FN invites you to follow along as we shine a light on Hispanic-American shoe designers and entrepreneurs making big waves in the fashion industry.  L.A.-based shoe brand Mia Becar has kept busy since launching just two years ago. The direct-to-consumer label made its debut at Milan Fashion Week last fall and held a successful pop-up shop in L.A . last December. The brand’s styles were also featured in fashion designer Bibhu Mohapatra’s runway show during New York Fashion Week in February, and have since been worn by big name celebrities like Lizzo and Hailey Bieber. Creative director Betsy Gonzalez says she and co-designer Carolina Lujan (whose first names, along with those of Gonzalez’s two daughters, were combined to form the

Recent discussions of racial inequality within fashion have resulted in an outpouring of initiatives with the the goal of turning a tangible page on the inequitable structures in place throughout the industry. The past four months have birthed collectives such as the Black in Fashion Council, the Black Fashion & Beauty Collective, the Kelly Initiative, RAISEfashion, and designer Aurora James’s 15 Percent Pledge — in addition to renewed attention on the work of Harlem Fashion Row and new equality measures put forth from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, reinvigorated by CaSandra Diggs, the council’s first Black president. The latest initiative is IN THE BLK, a global collective for Black creatives that launched earlier this week at the conclusion of Paris Fashion Week, with members such as designers Virgil Abloh, Carly Cushnie, Fe Noel and Stella Jean to executives like Lagos Fashion Week founder Omoyemi Akerele. To debut the 501(c) organization, the group released a fiv

FN is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month. Observed from September 15 to October 15, the occasion recognizes the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. FN invites you to follow along as we shine a light on Hispanic-American shoe designers and entrepreneurs making big waves in the fashion industry. Collectiva founder Concepción Orvañanos always wanted to get into footwear. So when a shoemaker won a local government-sponsored huarache-making contest in her home country of Mexico, the entrepreneur — who, along with creative director Huguette Hubard, released the brand’s first collection just a year ago — got into her car and drove four hours from Mexico City to his town of Sahuayo in Michoacán. “I went to his house with my children, knocked on his door and stayed with him to see the whole process [of making the shoes],” Orvañanos said. “I asked him to make a few changes, to make t

Plenty of American fashion and footwear brands are gearing up for the 2020 presidential election with gear that conveys the simple, direct message of the season:  Go vote. But Louis Vuitton’s spring ’21 collection proved that even international brands are jumping on the PSA now. At the French luxury house’s show closing out Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday, the runway concluded with a look that sent the simple four-letter message, with a “Vote” tee tucked into a pair of oversized khakis, a pair black leather brogues on foot. A long-sleeved “Vote” t-shirt at Louis Vuitton spring ’21. CREDIT: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton For those familiar with the relationship of parent company LVMH, U.S. President Donald Trump and Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquière , the t-shirt was not a surprise. The message was not the only one conveyed in the collection, and the past, present and future of virtual reality seemed more of a top line theme. A clear ’80s vibe once again influenced e

FN is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month. Observed from September 15 to October 15, the occasion recognizes the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. FN invites you to follow along as we shine a light on Hispanic-American shoe designers and entrepreneurs making big waves in the fashion industry. Alepel designer Adriana Epelboim Levy launched her Miami-based shoe brand six years ago and is seeing recent growth, despite coronavirus challenges. With footwear made in Brazil and hand-painted with various designs, Epelboim Levy said her sales have doubled year-over-year. She credits her shift to focusing more on her direct-to-consumer strategy, which was in the works prior to the current health crisis, for the success. “We did that with enough time in advance,” she said. “And it’s been an amazing year because we’re finally doing what works for us. Working through our direct channel