Fiorentini & Baker

Hi Pedsters! I’m fresh off The Atlanta Shoe Market, and besides being exhausted from all the travel, I’m excited to give you a quick summary of The Haps in the industry.

First, (like always nowadays) Covid. Some of you may recall I was in Paris and Milan in March of 2020, when Covid first appeared on stage. Suffice it to say, it scared the bejeezus out of us shoe show travelers. And that’s still at play today. The Atlanta Shoe Market was busy, but not like the days of old. Covid has changed our ways in the show world too, with many buyers opting for online displays and remote ordering (ain’t the internet great?). That said, there was a good crowd; almost back to pre-pandemic levels. But, oohhhh the shoes!

If you’re a loyal Pedster, you’ll know we LOVE color! And Atlanta didn’t disappoint. New designs and designers are loading up on spicy feasts for your eyes, in the way of metallic leathers, multi-toned beauties, and also custom printed leather.

Another fun and funky style buzzing about the show was braided and woven leathers. Many designers are stepping out with their styles, and are embracing contour and texture by using super unique leathers. We have no idea where they get these gorgeous materials, but we definitely say “Yes, Please!” to the incredibly unique treatments we’re seeing.

That’s all for now. As you might remember, many shows are on hold, so we don’t know when the next one will be. But you can be sure we’ll let you know what we see. Just as soon as we see it!

-Dayna