What’s new?
The brands to keep an eye on for S/S 2024
The recent fashion and accessories shows emphasised that creativity knows no bounds and remains an inexhaustible source of inspiration that has a positive effect on us all. The Accessories Collections editing team has explored shoemakers and bags and accessories manufacturers to take stock ahead of Spring/Summer 2024. The opportunity came with Fashion Week and the trade shows Micam and Mipel, held in Milan last September. These events give Italian and foreign brands the chance to showcase their latest creations and grab major global business opportunities. In this special report we will explore some of the many brands we are keeping an eye on for next summer.
Founded in 2015 in Georgia by designers Sophie Mukhulishvili and Tamo Aptsiauri, Cosmo Handmade has built its DNA on quality craftsmanship teamed with bold, colourful and eye-catching designs, growing into the country’s largest manufacturer of handmade bags and accessories. The brand’s link to its territory is at the heart of its identity: Cosmo bags rework traditional Georgian motifs and local art, creating an undoubtedly original style.
Melissa, the iconic scented shoe you can smell before you even put it on, is tinged with unbridled optimism in a collection that celebrates joie de vivre and fun. Melissa and Mini Melissa footwear teams technological innovation and unique, fresh style, thanks to exclusive scented Melflex PVC – a soft, vegan and 100% recyclable material made in Brazil. The bold touch of colour unleashes a creativity in harmony with Brazilian culture.
Portuguese brand Ambitious, founded in 2008, brings together quality and tradition to produce the excellence that is the foundation of the family business. Every stage of the production chain in Guimarães is overseen to guarantee high quality standards, resulting in a fashion product, not just for men, that balances elegance and innovation, such as the sailor-influenced sneakers and loafers. Ambitious shoes feature a contemporary hybrid style with a particular attention to detail.
Practical and comfortable, Frau footwear represents a combination of style and practicality with timeless modern designs. The men’s S/S 2024 collection explores citywear, with sporty, casual or more formal pieces offered in a natural palette and desaturated fabrics. The women’s shoes come in bold, fresh shades of pink and coral, and even the most refined pieces, such as the ceremony styles, are designed to be versatile. The collection also features a variety of materials, such as raffia and denim.
Valentino sneakers represent the youthful, sporty and trendy side of Mario Valentino’s brand, but while they target a different customer from other lines they have the same level of quality in the materials and fabrications. Founded in the early 1900s by Vincenzo Valentino and in recent years addressing an athleisure market, the brand has made a number of changes, such as the introduction of a capsule bag collection and the opening of a dedicated boutique on the prestigious Corso Venezia in Milan.
Since 2008 Cocco New York has been making women’s timeless footwear and bags with a combination of refined style and quality materials. Driven by the desire to make good products for people, Cocco New York crafts its products in Brazil using premium materials to maximise customer satisfaction, funding social projects and using solar energy to power its processes.
Romit‘s selling points are carefully selected leathers, premium cuts and hand stitching. The 100% Made in Italy brand teams the sturdiness and durability of craftsmanship with a particular flexibility derived from using the patented Blake Rapid Flex. Classic footwear with elegant, distinctive lines plus a contemporary take on athleisure, resulting in formal men’s shoes that aim to stand out in any outfit.
Craftsmanship has always been the beating heart of Passeri, inherent in the concept of each product made in Peru by the skilled hands of local workers. Leather sneakers, boots, ankle boots and loafers with loom-woven fabric insets, for an Andean style imbued with beauty and harmony, promoting human and social sustainability before all else. Every cut of the materials and every stitch is made with passion and with a vision to inspire and empower people to live with greater awareness.
Sculptural, elegant and sinuous shapes are the hallmark of Vicenza, the Italian-sounding but actually Brazilian footwear brand founded in 1992 in Igrejinha by Ariovaldo Furlanetto. Production has expanded over the years into a vast catalogue, including numerous types of footwear, such as sandals, flats, courts, platforms and many more. The brand’s innovative designs use a broad range of materials from raffia to rhinestones, creating up-to-date and glamorous style.
The latest collection from Vizzano features high heels with dazzling metallic reflections and bright colours, inspired by stage lights and designed for a woman who likes to be glamorous at all times. Teaming quality with glitzy fashion, Brazilian brand Vizzano offers everything from day sneakers to sparkling evening sandals to make you feel like a real star.
The men’s shoes from Valentino Shoes, a brand owned by the Mario Valentino family, are created with a specific mission: to create a refined, modern shoe that can be worn on multiple occasions at any time of day, thus meeting the requirements of the contemporary man. Elegant, sophisticated style meets the hectic pace of modern life in a product with beautifully soft, light and premium quality materials.
Symbolising individuality, reliance and strength since 1865, every Stetson hat still embodies the brand’s ideals, confirming it as a classy accessory for every style. From western to country, from classic timeless to urbanwear: every genre has had its own Stetson for over 150 years, bearing witness to the product’s quality and durability. The new season sees a collaboration with French designer duo Gaëtan Guerlais and Anaël Moreau from The Feebles studio.
One of the most interesting contemporary brands to explore is MMCHOKK, which has a bold youthful aesthetic created by Hong Kong-born designer Patrick K.. Women’s accessories and petwear with a playful appeal, for young women who love to stand out and go walking with their precious pet. MMCHOKK’s mission is not only to dress pets but also to safeguard their welfare and the environment, which means selecting sustainable materials such as biodegradable polyurethane and recycled pineapple fibre.
Elegant, refined and sinuous, the shoes and bags designed by Amato Daniele by Leu Locati offer refinement and an almost antithetical combination of materials and colours. A soft shade of sky blue meets fuchsia tweed, silk satin, hammered leather, denim and Japanese fabrics, which are used in two capsule collections. Soft weaves and delicate hydrangeas in leather and beads embellish the collection’s key bags, creating a distinctive range of accessories.
Straight from Brazil, Voices Culture is a footwear brand with a strong identity and style and a long-lasting, eco-sustainable aesthetic. The brand is always in line with seasonal trends whilst staying true to its signature minimalist style. The use of recycled and phthalates-free materials guarantees the quality and sustainability of the products. For S/S 2024 the brand has announced an exclusive collaboration with Brazilian model Ana Hickmann.
J.Reinaldo sneakers are a daring gamble for S/S 2024 with the focus squarely on energy and youthfulness. The contemporary style, vibrant colours and new youthful designs, which champion individuality and freedom of expression, make every J.Reinaldo piece a real statement, taking it beyond the realm of the fashion accessory. Items made with sustainable materials combine modern technologies and comfort, for sneakers suited to every occasion.
The S/S 2024 collection from Pons Quintana offers women’s footwear in an explosion of colours. Referencing the many facets of the island of Minorca, the brand has made colour its distinguishing feature. The collection comes in pistachio, lavender, strawberry and turquoise tints with a few metallic touches, while introducing new innovative shapes and cuts without sacrificing comfort and lightness. The elegant, refined end results are embellished with floral motifs.
The bold, feminine collection from Ágatha Ruíz de la Prada by Picón features colourful espadrilles with a youthful, playful mood. Spanish manufacturer Picón, which has produced espadrilles since 1978, has teamed up with the designer famous for her eccentric, colourful style for a footwear line out next summer and presented exclusively at Micam. Ruíz de la Prada’s signature hearts, flowers and polka dots decorate Picón’s bright espadrilles in an eye-catching combination.
International hair stylist Beppe d’Elia has teamed up with jewellery designer Nadia Missbach to form Beppe D’Elia Hair Jewellery, a jewellery collection designed for the changing needs of the contemporary woman. Hair accessories made in Italy using premium metals embellished with diamonds and precious stones, for everyday or more elegant and formal occasions such as red carpet events and weddings. Elastics, clips and pins teaming elegant, glam style with aesthetic minimalism, for those wanting to shine on any occasion.
Luz da Lua celebrates the arrival of spring and summer with a dazzling collection of bags and shoes inspired by light beams shining into the sky, entitled ‘Reflexos’. The products have a contemporary yet timeless style for everyday luxury made to last. Delicate, natural hues meet gold, silver, metallics and rhinestone for the edgier accessories, while neutral colours blend with the logo for the more urban, contemporary products.
Mario Valentino embraces S/S 2024 with cheerfulness and vivacity, offering a new energetic and feminine colour palette and hoping for a radiant season. The items embody the archetype of the artfully crafted shoe, designed for a woman who wants to be feminine in every moment of her daily life. The brand’s heritage meets the effervescent style of the ’20s, in an opulent and sinuous collection that leaves you breathless.
The hedonistic world of Caryatis pays homage to the marble daughters of Athena and encapsulates an elegant, refined allure. An unmistakable Hellenic identity shines through in the sandals hand-crafted in Greece with sustainable processes. Soles designed for comfort, gold- and silver-plated and rust-resistant hardware and quality natural leathers that age with style and discretion, for long-lasting items with a timeless charm.
