Sarah Zigrand  is a design consultant and head designer Woman Shoes Collection at Jil Sander.  Andrés Lejona 

Sarah Zigrand is a design consultant and head designer Woman Shoes Collection at Jil Sander.  Andrés Lejona 

In her 2023 fashion and style forecast, design consultant Zigrand expresses her delight at the growth of the sneaker market in Luxembourg, which she says is a major driving force in footwear innovation.

Abigail Okorodus: What key fashion trends would likely mark 2023? 

Sarah Zigrand: Key trends in footwear next year will be bigger volume, oversized shoes.. sneakers have been moving in this direction for some time, and this is crossing over into sneaker-casual hybrid shoes. The whole 'Crocs' phenomenon of fully molded, mono material clogs & easy slip-on shoes will also continue. New technology in 3D printing is changing the approach to shoe construction, and with this will come new shapes & diverse aesthetics.In a more elegant sense, sandals with flip-flip straps are coming back, as flats & also mid-heels variations. 

AO: Do you see the sustainable fashion sector growing stronger as we head into 2023? 

Absolutely. Without any doubt, the whole industry is moving slowly but surely in this direction. However, there's still a long way to go in footwear in particular because even eco friendly, sustainable material options are usually bonded together. And whilst advances have been made with more environmentally friendly glues, if the individual materials cannot be easily separated, then recycling is almost impossible. Again, the way forward will either be stitch only constructions, or mono-material forms. 

It's great to see more and more specialist sneaker stores popping up here in Luxembourg.
Sarah Zigrand

Sarah Zigrand Design consultant and head designer Woman Shoes CollectionJil Sander

AO: What innovations will you like to see in your sector in Luxembourg next year? 

The sneaker market is the main driving force in footwear innovation, so it's great to see more and more specialist sneaker stores popping up here in Luxembourg. But more than innovation I think the most important factor looking ahead, is a need to shift our attitudes to consuming so many products. What I'd like to see in Luxembourg in terms of fashion is more re-sale, more vintage, more acceptance of the circular economy.