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05/22/2008

Designs take inspiration from nature

Pu. Shoes Dress shoe companies in mainland China and Hong Kong are releasing pumps and sandals in a variety of patterns, uppers and heels.In line with footwear trends, suppliers are dyeing or silk-screening fabric and leather uppers with cheetah, leopard, zebra and other animal-skin patterns. Some makers are using checkered, floral and geometric prints as well.Designs that have fabric uppers adopt color-blocked or printed satin, or canvas with houndstooth and other checkered motifs. These two types of fabric may be combined or trimmed with genuine or synthetic leather piping.PU, PVC and split leather, and top-grain oxhide, calfskin, goatskin and pigskin uppers are treated with patent or metallic finishes. While some come in plain solid hues, the majority have color blocking or prints.Regardless of material, patterns are often shown on the entire upper. Some designs, however, feature motifs on just the toe box or counter, while others have prints extending to the lining and even the heel.In terms of style, court pumps are giving way to peep-toes and d'Orsays. Some pointed-toe models are still available, but most now have rounded or square-shaped boxes.Dressy sandals with slingbacks or ankle straps are produced in large volumes as well.For enhanced comfort, many designs are fitted with kitten heels that are no more than 1.5 inches tall. On the extreme end, however, are stacked, Spanish, Continental or sexy stiletto heels with heights that can reach 4 inches.Among the mainland suppliers in this report, Huizhou Yuteng Shoes Co. Ltd adopts metallic and patent PU leather, satin and small-grain canvas in its range of women's dress shoes. D'orsays and peep-toe slingbacks feature zebra-skin or floral prints.The company's five designers and 20 sample makers finish countersamples in three to five days. In most cases, buyers approve the samples for production on the first try. Between 30 and 50 prototypes can be made monthly.Shenzhen Dongyu Shoes Co. Ltd uses waxed calfskin and two-tone patent leather as uppers for its court and peep-toe pumps. Mary Janes are available as well. Most models have leopard- or cheetah-skin prints.The eight designers, 30 sample makers and 12 technical specialists in the R&D team complete prototypes in three days. About 2,000 samples can be finished in one month.PU leather, horsehair and canvas are the main upper materials adopted at Golden Lily Co. Ltd. The court, slingback and peep-toe pumps feature various types of animal-skin patterns.Rising Sun International Co. Ltd employs zebra-, leopard- and floral-print PU leather and microfiber on its sandals and peep-toe pumps.The 18-member R&D team, which includes six designers, finishes countersamples in seven to 10 days and releases 200 to 300 prototypes monthly.In Hong Kong, Circe International Ltd offers Mary Janes, court pumps and peep-toe d'Orsays with 3 or 4-inch stiletto heels. Some d'Orsays feature platform soles as well. Designs have animal-skin, floral, checkered or geometric patterns on PU leather, fabric or pony leather.The R&D team has one laser printing, one computerized embroidery and two laser cutting machines at its workshop. Such equipment allows the group to boost product development and sampling efficiency.At Nisun International (Group) Co. Ltd, the best-sellers are court and peep-toe pumps with 2 or 3-inch Cuban or setback heels. Most shoes have PU leather or fabric uppers with houndstooth, geometric or floral patterns.

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