A Conference Note From Lois Sakany

• Athletic footwear dominated; ADS GR, NKE, KER FP's Puma most clearly benefiting from lifestyle-driven trend
• Bohemian looks still major trend for women, though customers swapping out ankle boots for lifestyle sneakers, creating continued challenges for fashion footwear category
• Denim goes darker and more tailored, shifting away from last year’s distressed looks creating opportunities for retailers who lead on the trend
• After another balmy winter, customers trade in heavy coats for bomber jackets

Sneakers Dominate
At the various Vegas trade shows, the clearest trend that popped out was the prominence of athletic footwear as a fashion trend. Among men attending the shows, sneakers have always been the dominant shoe of choice, but this year, there was a palpable brand mindshare shift with Adidas AG showing a big uptick versus prior shows, with attendees swapping out Nike Inc. and Jordan retro with Adidas styles like the Stan Smith as well as newer Boost and Tubular silhouettes. And while booth attendance is not the greatest metric, at the Liberty Show, Kering S.A.'s Puma’s Rihanna and Meek Mill-emblazoned booth clearly was making a big splash and was filled with attendees as the brand builds on the momentum it created with several well-received launches in 2015, particularly Rihanna’s Creeper sneaker.

Bohemian Updates With Athletic Footwear
The wider embrace of sneakers really stood out in the women’s contemporary section of Advanstar Communications Inc.’s Project Show. Many attendees clung to their pull-on ankle boots, but just as many wore jeans, skirts and dresses with black, white and gray lifestyle sneakers by Adidas (especially the Superstar and Stan Smith), Nike and the aforementioned Puma Creeper.

Although the embrace of sneakers was a growing trend, several vendors at the show lamented the female consumer’s stubborn refusal to back off of the bohemian apparel trend -- a look whose staying power has been driven by its ability to offer laid-back and distinctly feminine tops and dresses that are also comfortable because they are not overly structured, which one vendor described as a “growing trend toward dressing sloppy.”

Some also blamed the enduring popularity of the bohemian trend on leading retailers, who refused to experiment with new looks, instead choosing season after season to pick only proven sellers. A couple of vendors were particularly critical of Nordstrom Inc., describing it as “the biggest follower” and saying its buying teams had lost touch with new trends since shuttering its regional buying offices.

An unwillingness to step outside the box was especially palpable in women’s footwear, for which brands including Steven Madden Ltd.'s Dolce Vita had booths filled almost entirely with variations on the theme of women’s ankle boots. And while many women’s shoe brands showed commitment to the ankle boot, one boot vendor said the trend was at its peak and the industry was badly in need of new direction. Within the fleece-lined boot category, one vendor said the lack of winter weather had hit demand, but brands offering more fashion were benefiting from retailers on the hunt to replace Deckers Outdoor Corp.'s sagging Ugg sales.

Newness in Denim
Even though women’s vendors continued to show relaxed looks, the latest denim trends are a shift away from the torn and frayed looks that dominated 2015. Instead, the most forward brands and attendees wore darker or raw denim featured on slim or straight silhouettes. Among women, brands added newness with higher waists and cropped bottoms (whether straight or slightly flared), and while the skinny jean is still prevalent, attendees wearing the classic skinny denim jeans paired with an ankle boot have begun to look as though they are behind the curve. Outside of denim, vendors also showed a lot of twill in darker colors with a cut that was straight or just slightly tapered.

Ath-Leisure Still Very Important
Sport-influenced tops and jogger bottoms remained a big look at the shows, especially among men’s vendors (though Project had a small section -- as has become the trend at trade shows -- entirely dedicated to independent women’s activewear brands). Just as the relaxed comfort of the bohemian trend appeals to women, so does the jogger trend for men. Similar to denim, the look of jogger pants has evolved to a more cleaned-up look with less stretchy fabrics and a darker color palette.

Giving Up on Traditional Outerwear
After the second year in which winter temperatures barely arrived, vendors said consumers are continuing to shift away from heavy coats and insulated jackets, trading them in for very trendy bomber jackets (yet another trend started by Kanye West), nylon coaches jackets (a big push for Nike this year) and for more forward customers, vintage-looking embroidered satin and military jackets.