A little while ago, on my Instagram, I had posted some custom shoe news about Nicholas Kirkwood’s “Beya” Flat & Loafer Customization site launch, especially since they considered larger women footwear sizes (up to 12). These popular shoes will finally be able to offer each of our inner designers space to create our own vision for such an popular style.

While this might be just an extended experiment of the brand’s earlier testing of consumer demand, Nicholas Kirkwood ,along with a handful of other major non-luxury retailers, is definitely making their mark in history as a pioneer in customized footwear. I’m a bit of a footwear nerd in that I pay attention to the Footwear Distributers and Retailers of America (FDRA) to learn of the trends and trade agreements that would ultimately affect us end-users. From my understanding, I’d suspect in the next 5-10 years that a nice size percentage (maybe 10-25%) of global retailers will be using more customization options in their business models. With the rigorous development teams (Nike, Adidas, etc.) working to perfect 3D printing, I believe that we’ll all get a chance to get in on the customization footwear deal. Of course, there will be inevitable scaling/ growing pains as retailers and designers try to perfect this new business model, but I’m sure it’d be worth it.

So, Queen Feet ladies, while we aren’t there quite there yet with extensive customization options to choose in styles, fit, and sizes; these things I am forecasting are to come sooner rather than later. Right now, companies like Shoes of Prey, Solely Orignial, and Lonia Shoes are just a glimpse of the future of footwear. Learn more about retailers like these in my bespoke post here.