Home ›› 19 Jan 2023 ›› World Biz
Once the preserve of nerds and stuffy young conservatives, loafers, moccasins and other formal shoes are increasingly taking over from sneakers as the first choice for fashion-conscious men.
Romain Costa, a 32-year-old Parisian architect, is spoiled for choice as he considered the footwear options in his Montmartre apartment: sturdy-soled black loafers, funky-coloured brogues, leather or suede, with or without tassels...
He finally opts for a tricolor pair, that he matches with baggy jeans and an expansive black sweater, before hopping on his bike and heading off to work.
For him, sneakers were what he wore as a teenage skater.
“I like having adult shoes. At work, it’s reassuring for clients. It makes me look more serious,” he told AFP.
“And they age better than sneakers,” he added.
The trainer boom of the last decade is still going strong, but there are signs of a slowdown.
Data from industry website Business of Fashion showed 45 percent of well-heeled American and British men were planning to buy dress shoes in 2023, compared with around a third who were opting for sneakers.
And formal styles are all over red carpets and catwalks sported by trendsetters like rapper ASAP Rocky and US actor-director Donald Glover.
French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus -- so hot right now, as the fashionistas say -- wore black loafers and dressed his models in them for his last show in December, despite his high-profile sneaker collaboration with Nike.
Some are still struggling to get over the old connotations.
“There are never loafers at a Hermes show,” said Pierre Hardy, who heads up shoe design at the French label. “It was really the preppie, right-wing, reactionary shoe.”
They might not strike the right vibe for the catwalk, but Hermes still produces and sells loafers, and Hardy understands why sales have been spiking.
“After the lockdowns, people grew tired of everything being cosy. Now we have permission to go out and we want elegant, chic things,” he said.
