The A’s and B’s of desirable ladies’ footwear.

Why A’s and B’s.  They are the initials of two footwear brands that caught my eye at the new Platform premium shoe show in London earlier this week, which debuted at the Westbury Hotel.

First of all, A is for Air & Grace,  a new ladies’ shoe brand designed by Claire Burrows, who modelled one of her designs here at the show, as seen below.

These comfy ballerina are made with the busy lady in mind, that let them literally walk on air and look graceful.  That is because the shoes are designed with hidden technology to provide comfortable wear and make them stand out from other ballerina brands on the market.

Claire explained that crafted into the design of each shoe are layers of foam and thus the trademark: Tender Loving Air. Cut a cross-section of a Air & Grace shoe, and you’ll see that it has three layers of foam.  The top layer is made of memory foam tht moulds to the shape of your foot, while the lower two layers are slow-releasing form that provide cushioning, help to absorb shock and proper posture.  

The round-toed design of the shoe means there is plenty of room to wiggle one’s toes.    Just love these tender-loving details.  For more information, go to the Air&Grace website.

Now, B is for the brand Beyond Skin, designed by Heather Whittle.  Unlike Air&Grace, which is new to the market, Beyond Skin has been around since 2001.  

The Beyond Skin brand provides ethical footwear while working closely with factories in Spain and Portugal, using high quality faux leathers and materials with an eco ethos.   The designs are of signature use of prints and weaves – bespoke fabrics in bold colours glistening with metallic threads.

A new model shown at Platform is a platform shoe made with Italian fabrics of cotton / polyester and the sole is part recycled resin.  Another is made of “Dinamica” 100% recycled bottletop to create a faux suede.  The designs are to die for.

Newly launched for autumn/winter 2014 is their debut trainer, called Rocky, featuring a selection of key fabrics, like a camouflage inspired designs shown above.

The brand has already won many awards and for more details go to their website.  
Photos by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.