top of page
1 min read

SS23 Women's footwear trends

Trendstop brings FashionUnited readers an insight into the key emerging runway trends informing footwear design for the Spring/Summer 2023 season.


Swati Bhat

Hermès SS23 footwear. Image: Trendstop


Footwear follows apparel, tapping into the key seasonal influences in highly creative and unexpected ways. Metaverse inspirations bring digital aesthetics into the physical realm, whilst DIY and crafted elements offer the human touch of handcrafting. Comfort is key for consumers, fulfilled by shoe designs featuring wide proportions, rounded profiles, and soft materials.

Digital design IRL

As with apparel, the virtual world influences physical footwear design. Playful styles with exaggerated, pumped-up proportions are ultra-creative and unexpected in their rendering. Moulded-look constructions and bulbous, rounded sole units inspired by the metaverse appear as though ready to be worn by an avatar. Soft gathered sock effect-booties and glittering crystal studs add to the other-worldly feel.

Rounded bumper sole

Exaggerated forms are recreated in more commercially realisable styles based on consumer desire for comfort. Wide-fit bumper styles with chunky, moulded wedges or flatform soles have greater wearability than high heels, are gently rounded and come with integrated footbeds for maximum comfort. Buttery padded leathers, semi-translucent rubbers, and mattified finishes give an elevated sense of protection and softness.

Upcycled footwear

The trend for upcycled constructions translates to footwear with designs crafted from pre-existing recycled pieces, deadstock of waste components and found objects or materials. Midsoles are mixed and matched into sandwich layers, lace trims and duct tape become straps, and Velcro and laces from different designs are used to create new fastening techniques. Hand drawn graphics applied to soles add to the creatively crafted DIY aesthetic.




3 min read

Metaverse Fashion Recap: RLTY x The Fabricant x World of Women Event

Thanks to The Fabricant and World of Women for making this event so special and bringing nothing but good vibes to the metaverse fashion world.

Swati Bhat

Let’s take a collective breath and take a recap of the best metaverse fashion event of 2022. After a week of meeting so many game-changing players in the space, we will also share some of our thoughts on the future of digital fashion through the lens of virtual events.


Digital avatars from around the world

The three-day event represented all walks of life, with thousands of attendees worldwide jumping into Decentraland throughout the week. From dancing to runway walking, we saw designers, builders, artists, and fashion enthusiasts come together to share ideas and learn from each other in a budding fashion tech industry.


Our Twitter design contest, led by the Fabricant, got 100+ participants. We received some impressive entries that exceeded our expectations, so it was tough to pick a winner. Congratulations to K3, Supernina, and SUNO on some magazine-worthy photos and outfits.


The Fabricant x World Women takeover metaverse fashion

Shout out to The Fabricant and World of Women teams, particularly special guests like Anna Dart and Adriana Hoppenbrouwer-Pereira of the Fabricant, Christine Theriot of BFF, and Diani-Luk Y. of World of Women for making the event so memorable.


The Fabricant is working on so many fascinating projects, it’s hard to keep up. And World of Women just keep bringing amazing campaigns and utility for their community.


Virtual events like the WoW Fashion event present countless new opportunities for industry leaders to connect without having to be in a physical location. Plus, attendees who want to hear from speakers and share ideas may not have the availability or resources to meet in person.


At RLTY, we understand how digital landscapes allow us to collaborate and form deeper relationships in places never possible before. With a more diverse range of people to connect with, events like last week offer more interesting and enriching conversations than one-way live streams on social media or webinar calls on Zoom.


A reflection of Synth Ave, the Fashion Metaverse HQ

Synth Ave wasn’t built in a day. RLTY worked around the clock to create a virtual experience worth remembering. The colossal fashion metaverse headquarters included pop-up shops from leading digital fashion brands and a massive screen for in-depth conversations and panel discussions.


We see fashion brands using the metaverse to connect with their community and prospective buyers. By creating virtual spaces for community members to interact with each other, brands can use interactive and dynamic virtual reality experiences to:


  • Build hype on upcoming drops

  • Sneak preview releases

  • Connect and get feedback from customers

  • Showcase past work

  • Network and socialize

  • Offer rewards, discounts, and incentives

The Future of the Fashion Metaverse

As we touched on above, this week got us thinking about the future of fashion technology and the role of the metaverse in growing fashion across the world.


Sure, Decentraland has its limitations. And the technology has a long way to go before it rivals online shopping experiences from big retailers like Amazon.


With that said, thousands of participants were eager to try out something new. Even without the perfect user experience, thousands of people stuck around and were patient enough to try and make it work. And we think that is significant in the broader perspective of adopting new technologies like the open metaverse.


If users are willing to bear with the cumulative beta version of metaverse technology, we can only imagine what mass adoption might look like as platforms constantly improve their UX/UI.


The fashion world has been quick to adopt web3 as a way to engage more creatively with consumers. And we at RLTY think they (as an industry) will benefit greatly from that foresight in the coming years.



1 min read

Manish Malhotra hosts the first "Fashion Soiree" ever.

Manish Malhotra, a fashion designer, presented his newest men's and women's occasion and wedding dress collection, "Khaab Couture," during his first-ever "Fashion Soiree." The occasion also honoured Manish Malhotra's flagship store in New Delhi's ninth year in business.


Swati Bhat

The company declared on Facebook on December 14 that it was hosting "India's first ever Fashion Soiree," which was "hosted by our trailblazing founder and reformer, Manish Malhotra sets the stage for a high aesthetic experience to celebrate nine years of the Manish Malhotra flagship store Delhi with cocktails and couture representation where intricate craft, zeitgeist artistry, and youthful hues dominate the evening."

While customers enjoyed the festive ambiance, models walked the runway in the Delhi flagship shop. Some women's event wear outfits showed bare skin and lavish glitter decorations, while other outfits sparkled just as much but were covered up in kaftan-like fashions. More pastel-colored gowns gave the event a more youthful vibe, while silver, white, emerald green, and black created a rich colour palette.

For the men, a sparkling collar or tie-neck shirt, or more extravagant details like white lace and enormous bows, elevated elegant black suits. The women's bridal ensemble from the collection included layers of sheer, ruffled fabrics, a voluminous lehenga, and a dazzling blouse that shone from beneath.

Bollywood star Vaani Kapoor strutted down the catwalk in a crystal-encrusted top with eye-catching 3D, hand-encrusted, and crocheted shoulder ruffles. According to the brand's Facebook post, this was worn with an ivory narrow thread-work skirt and a trailing silk skirt that was layered over it and fastened with a hand-embellished pearl belt.


bottom of page