Shoe trends S/S 2023 – The new Gabor collections

Ever more colourful and all dressed up – that’s how women’s shoe fashion for the S/S 2023 season can be summed up in a few words. Sportiness is still very important, but at the same time, the demand for modern business fashion and occasion wear is noticeably increasing. New power colours are enlivening the scene. 

Gabor, the leading supplier of women’s shoes, presents a firework of innovations in its new collections for S/S 2023 and remains true to its brand philosophy: high-quality and comfortable shoes that embrace current trends and deliver style confidence, guaranteed. 

Gabor also realises many innovations with regard to the topic of sustainability, for example, interchangeable footbeds and midsoles made from recycled materials, certified leathers from environmentally friendly tanning, DriTan leathers that are characterised by particularly low water consumption, or 100% vegan shoes.

Shoe types
Loafers and slip-ons
The so-called college types – loafers and loafers – are the rising stars of the season. Gabor has once again significantly expanded its successful range. 

Monochrome looks, in which the upper and sole are harmoniously coordinated, give loafers a whole new look. The outsoles are also striking. Accessories – for example, large chains or leather straps – are often used as decoration, but cleaner looks are also in the range. There are also loafers with striking white or multi-coloured soles.
Classic loafers have thinner outsoles and come with leather trims, snaffles or with the typical tassels. In addition to many light colours, they are also available in robust colours or in black, dark blue and various shades of brown. The new square shapes are particularly fashionable. Versions with perforations also make loafers suitable for high summer. 
 

Sneakers and slip-ons
Sneakers remain the perfect footwear for many occasions in S/S 2023. New high-top variants are important. With a range that provides the perfect mix of premium quality, stylish designs and exceptional wearing comfort, Gabor spares no effort in providing the retail consumer with everything they need in a shoe. 
 
Sneakers in the “power colours” green, cobalt blue, pink, orange and lime or in denim look new and fresh. Calmer colour variations in light and natural often have flashes of colour, for example, on the heel or tongue. All-white sneakers remain important, the colour combination black with white soles is also very much in demand. 

Sneakers live from their sole design: Gabor offers a wide variety of running, retro and cup soles. Coloured stripes in the soles or balloon soles are further design elements.

Ballerinas
Ballerinas are back in fashion. With soft edging, they offer an optimal fit, sporty soles give a modern look and even more wearing comfort. Some variants also have a bit of heel burst. 

Pumps and Slings
After returning to the office and for many occasions, more elegant shoes and pumps are in greater demand again. Gabor is known for its outstanding fit and brings a lot of renewal through new materials, colours and shapes. 

Power colours like green, blue, pink and orange lend new impulses, and classic colours like black and blue are not to be missed. 
For example, chains are seen as decorative elements. Square shapes and stretched trim set the tone, as they go perfectly with the new, wide trouser shapes. 
Sling pumps, high-front slings and open-jointed versions are also on the rise. 
The heels are varied: blocky, slim or kitten heel. 
  
Summer ankle boots
For early delivery dates from December onwards, Gabor offers light ankle boots in elegant designs, e.g. with kitten heel or sporty as Chelsea and biker boots. 

Open shoes
There is also a trend towards greater elegance in open-toed shoes – sandals, mules and clogs. Checked stitching, kitten heels and bold colours are particularly fashionable. Closed heel caps lend better support and give an interesting silhouette. 

All of Gabor’s sandals and mules boast exceptional comfort with features such as adjustable Velcro uppers, soft, cushioned footbeds, flexible soles and, in some cases, even interchangeable footbeds.

But sporty variants are also still very important. The sole variants are diverse: from balloon shapes, sneaker and trekking soles, block-like platform soles or heeled platforms to wedge soles, the range goes on. 

Adjustable velcro straps at the ankle and the vamp ensure wearing comfort and a perfect fit. 
The variety of backless slippers is also enormous. They shine in bold colours or come in harmonious tone-on-tone colour combinations, in natural shades or classic black or white. 
New flats, accentuated soles or heel variations bring plenty of variety, as do new square shapes. Organic footbeds made from real cork become a fashion statement with sophisticated uppers. 
Velcro fastenings on the backless slippers also ensure a top fit for both more robust and slender feet.

Clogs in the typical 70s look are a fashion must-have. With their non-slip wooden-look soles and real nails, they are reminiscent of the hippie era. Brown tones are typical, but bold colours such as cobalt blue are new.

Colours 
Overall, there is clearly more colour in the collections. Cobalt blue, pink, orange, lime and green are the trend colours of the season. 
Natural tones such as cream, beige, reed, olive or brown, as well as light pastel shades, reflect relaxed nonchalance. 
White, dark blue and black are the most important colours in terms of quantity. 

Materials and embellishments
Depending on the type of shoe, different pieces of jewellery are used: Large chains are popular for loafers and ballerinas. Leather – bandages, bows or loops, as well as large buckles are being seen on open-toed shoes, as well as loafers and ballerinas. Tassels and cords are common on loafers.
Accent or tube laces give sneakers that extra something.

Sustainability
For Gabor, sustainability is a big issue. That’s why many of the leathers we use are certified according to environmental standards such as the LWG (Leather Working Group) or EMAS (EU Environmental Management). We also use leathers that have been tanned using DriTan – a process which uses minimal amounts of water, among many other benefits.
As well as this, we use increasing amounts of recycled materials. For example, the cork which is used to make Gabor footbeds and veneers is made 100% from leftover cork. Gabor also uses recycled material in its interchangeable footbeds. 

Gabor manufactures a large proportion of its shoes in Europe, observing the strict EU environmental regulations, and availing of short transport routes. We already obtain a substantial percentage of the electricity we use from renewable sources, such as a sizeable photovoltaic installation at our Gabor production facility in Portugal.
 
Features
Gabor prides itself on fashionable shoes that are exceptionally comfortable. In addition to selected, supple uppers and a soft, underpadded interior, functional interchangeable footbeds made of recycled material and step-cushioning outsoles ensure unrestricted wearing comfort even in the more elegant city environment. Gabor even offers heeled shoes, sandals and backless slippers with interchangeable footbeds.

Special shoe constructions such as sacchetto or moccasin are exceptionally comfortable and highly flexible. Models with air cell soles (based on the hovercraft principle) ensure even greater comfort and an improved feel. 

Gabor pumps also boast a further design feature with their Soft & Smart system. Here, the insole has soft padding from the heel to the toes, with extra cushioning at the heel and ball of the foot.

Fit
Gabor aims to be able to offer a perfectly fitting shoe for every woman and every foot. Therefore, Gabor shoes are available in different widths (F / G / H) and also in oversizes up to size 11 (46). 

A special feature is the “Best Fitting” fit concept. Here, for the standard ball width (F), the tread area has been widened, thus providing more comfort for the forefoot.