We have a love for all aspects of the footwear business here and SLO Motion Shoes and that is no secret. We could not have been more excited to attend the FN Platform Spring/Summer 2016 show in Las Vegas to learn about the future of footwear, updated business practices, and see the new lines from customer favorite brands!

Science and fashion have never been so connected in the footwear industry. There seems to be a closer connection with the function side of shoes and that is a great thing to anyone who doesn’t just want to look good, but also feel great. More people are becoming familiar with shoe construction and comfort features as brands try differentiate themselves and inform the consumer why they should pay a premium for their product. This is very important in the day where consumers will not hesitate to choosing one product over the other or shop online to save a few dollars.

This trend has been seen in the athletic footwear industry where people are becoming familiar with terms like over-pronation and stack height. As the world around us becomes more technology based and people run down a list of technical features before making a purchase we we will see consumers becoming familiar with shoe construction and not settle for only good looks. Comfort brands will be in the forefront of this trend and one example is Taos and their expanded cork footbed S/S 2016 line coming off the huge success of their Trulie sandal.

The Taos Trulie sandal was very popular here in SLO Motion Shoes thanks to its perfect balance of support, comfort, fit, and looks. It comes as no surprise once we see the technical inner working of the shoe in a cutout provided by the Taos. We see the emphasis on technical terms as its not just a rubber outsole , it’s a Rubberlon outsole. Not just a cork midsole, but a light PU Cork midsole. Not only that but the heel is cored out to reduce weight and increase shock absorption. Features and descriptions like this are very common in athletic footwear but are now starting to be seen in casual footwear as consumers become educated and want to know what they are paying for.

We were very excited to see more sandals from Taos that incorporate this amazing midsole and outsole for Spring/Summer 2016. With a total of seven sandals using this construction we anticipate many ladies wearing Taos sandals perfect for our weather here in the Central Coast.

We saw only a glimpse of the future of footwear at FN Platform this year which included wearable electronics, mass customization, and smart materials. Stick around with us in the SLO Motion Blog to find out more about these topic and more and feel free to leave a comment below. We love to interact with our customers and readers!

– Cesar C.