Latest news with #Neo-Romantic
Fashion United
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion United
Cultural shifts shaping spring summer 26 footwear
As we look toward Spring Summer 2026, four distinct footwear directions emerge that will respond to evolving consumer needs and cultural shifts. These directions blend emotional resonance with functional design, offering footwear that honors both heritage traditions and contemporary innovation while addressing the desire for authentic expression. Author Written by Anush Mirbegian, Director of Footwear and Accessories at Future Snoops Sandy Liang SS25 Credits: Via Future Snoops An emerging Neo-Romantic movement celebrates emotionally driven design as consumers seek reassurance in human artistry and skill amid an AI backlash. This cultural sentiment drives demand for pieces that leave an emotional impression. Translating this sense of romance at a market level, brands like Simone Rocha and Sandy Liang have introduced bridal-focused footwear and accessories to younger, fashion-forward consumers, while men's runway themes show a continued move away from heavy streetwear aesthetics toward renewed romance. Key silhouettes include flatforms, sweetened ballet flats, retro suede trainers, and embroidered desert boots. Design details add a charming sweetness through satin rosettes on square-shaped toes or as EVA snap-on elements. Bows in various shapes and sizes adorn in multiples or act as trompe l'oeil embellishments. Suedes and leathers are supple and softened, rendered in calming neutral tones, with pink emerging as a driving key hue for this direction. Fendi SS25 Credits: Via Future Snoops Consumers increasingly recognize the destabilizing impacts of production processes and seek products crafted by people and systems that work in harmony with nature. The ascension of AI and concerns around digital well-being welcome a shift toward permanency and slow, low-tech solutions. A return to respected artisanal wisdom comes through in techniques like weaving, braiding, and embroidery. Key silhouettes include plaited leather sandals, woven strap trekking sandals, and embroidered slip-ons. Weaving extends into full grain leather crafted into open work uppers, or hemp and cotton blends creating ribbons and tapes for details. Strands of carved beads layer onto active-inspired footwear, while centuries-old natural grass jute braiding yields espadrille soles. Chloe SS25 Credits: Via Future Snoops Social media overwhelm and tech distractions have left consumers emotionally numb, while growing global crises encourage an emotional reconnection. The elements serve as both healing metaphor and modality to explore awareness, reinforcing the need for balancing practices like mindful self-regulation. This direction demonstrates the influence of natural forces in footwear through silhouettes like jelly flats and injection molded slides. Water-friendly recycled and renewable materials include bio-based EVA derived from sugarcane and Bloom, an innovative algae-biomass material. Moiré watermarked silks add opulent touches to linings and sandal straps, while gradient-effect crystals and glitter PVC lend glints of sparkle to footwear. Isabel Marant SS25 Credits: Via Future Snoops As social media continues to push culture to the middle, a counter-resistance emerges along the fringes, placing the focus on uniqueness and the rise of subcultures. Consumers are drawn to novel ideas and ways of expressing themselves. Small brands like Tigra Tigra represent this new wave of female-led, craft-centered brands that reimagine tradition. Escapism and sensual indulgence drive design that plunges into hedonistic territory. This manifests through silhouettes like beaded ankle straps, embellished heels, basket woven loafers, and animal printed trainers. Surfaces and details harness summer's sensuality through leathers coated with glossy finishes or crafted with peek-through laser cut perforations. Embellishments including knotting and beading are layered for ultimate visual impact. Lush tropical florals inspire saturated color combinations, visually representing the contrast of embracing pleasure during somber times. These four footwear directions for Spring Summer 26 reflect a broader cultural shift toward authenticity, craftsmanship, and emotional connection, addressing consumer needs ranging from romantic sentiment and artisanal wisdom to elemental healing and hedonistic escapism.
The Guardian
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Audrey Hepburn and Marc Bolan among stars to get London blue plaque
Audrey Hepburn, Marc Bolan and Una Marson are among those receiving a blue plaque for their impact on London's cultural landscapes, English Heritage has announced. The charity paid tribute to Hepburn, whose global fame brought international attention and prestige to the capital; Bolan, whose 'glam rock' innovation redefined the city's music scene in the 1970s; and Marson, the trailblazing Jamaican poet, playwright, broadcaster and campaigner for racial and gender equality. Other figures being recognised by plaques are Alicia Markova, who was instrumental in positioning the city as a centre for world-class ballet, Barbara Pym, the renowned British novelist whose works such as Excellent Women captured a slice of postwar London's social fabric, and Graham Sutherland, the influential British artist known for his Neo-Romantic landscapes and his controversial portrait of Winston Churchill. The English Heritage curatorial director, Matt Thompson, said: '2025 marks an exciting year for the blue plaques scheme as we honour these outstanding individuals who transformed the cultural fabric of London. 'From literature and art to dance and music, these figures helped shape the London we know today. Their contributions not only had a profound impact on their fields but also continue to inspire generations.' Bolan, the enigmatic frontman of T Rex, was known for his flamboyant style and electrifying stage presence. He captivated audiences with his fusion of rock, folk, and glittering theatrics, making hits such as Get It On and Ride a White Swan staples of the era. His iconic look, featuring sequins, feather boas, and platform boots became the quintessential aesthetic of Glam Rock, and also challenged traditional notions of masculinity. The plaque will mark one of his west London addresses. Hepburn's early years in London, during which she transitioned from ballet to acting, will be commemorated with a blue plaque in Mayfair. During this formative period, Hepburn landed her first film and stage roles, including her Broadway debut in Gigi. It was also while living in the city that her Oscar-winning portrayal of Princess Ann in Roman Holiday (1953) cemented her status as a Hollywood icon and an enduring symbol of grace and style. Marson was one of the most influential Black figures of the 20th century. As the first Black woman to be employed as a programme assistant, and later as the first Black producer at the BBC, she spearheaded a wave of change in British broadcasting. This included creating and producing programmes such as Calling the West Indies, which connected Caribbean service personnel in Britain with their families back home, and Caribbean Voices, which became a vital platform for emerging Caribbean writers. Pym became known for her witty, insightful portrayals of single women's lives following her debut novel Some Tame Gazelle (1950). She will be commemorated in Pimlico, from where her best-loved and best-known novel, Excellent Women, draws its inspiration and setting. Sutherland captured the essence of natural and human forms in ways that challenged traditional artistic conventions. His 1954 portrait of Churchill highlighted his ability to provoke and engage with public discourse. The plaque will mark his childhood home in the suburbs of London. The blue plaques scheme, which celebrates the link between significant figures of the past and the buildings in which they lived and worked, runs on public suggestions. English Heritage said all blue plaques were subject to full property owner approval.
