Styles and shoe types: Last season's favourites - all manner of high-legged boots - remain in pole position but will increasingly compete with bootees and ankle boots. Causing a stir here will be new, more feminine boots with platform soles and chunky heels as well as those featuring novel more delicate and sometimes very high heels. Becoming even more important next Autumn/Winter will be court shoes/pumps. Styles range from almost 'architectural' types with a purist attitude and feminine pumps with wide clasps and details stressing the ankle to high-upper styles somewhere between court shoes and ankle boots. Ballerinas will stand their ground on new, tiny heels set back under the sole. Pointed lasts will be revisited offering plenty of creative scope for new bootees, ankle-high boots and delicate Laced boots. Even masculine Oxfords, so-called Dandy shoes, are heralding a comeback. Smooth, clean finishes will be just as much in evidence as typically male styles such as brogues and wing tips.

Colours: In terms of colour the new shoe fashion takes a generally reserved stance. Black and brown shades moving between camel, curry, Kenya, cognac and testa di moro set the tone here. So-called animal-skin colours exude that certain sophisticated chic. Grey has finally parted with its comfort-shoe charm. Dark asphalt or soft taupe nuances are most attractive when used for suede or laminated materials. Furthermore, a rich Barolo red, bottle green, midnight blue, petrol and purple - especially as a brilliant plum shade - make a colour statement here for dull winter working days.

Materials: True innovations come primarily from materials here. Two-tone looks as well as crinkled leathers add life to surfaces. Patent returns as laminated pull-up leather while shiny brushed leathers - some with a black finish - and nylon are also in for a brilliant comeback. Finely buffed nubuk features solo but also in a mix with shiny materials. Nubuk is ideally suited to show off the new colours to their best advantage. Mock croc, also in patent, exudes elegance. Lizard prints look exquisite while pony skin adds sporty chic. Here innovative Looks are produced by mixing and matching predominantly matt and glossy materials. There are no Limits to imagination: felt is combined with patent, brushed Leathers clash with nylon and waxed linen a la Barbour meets with soft nappa.

GDS has defined three trend themes for the 2008/09 Autumn/Winter season:
Smooth - Smart - Sampled

Smooth (Women)
Modern Luxury and relaxed elegance. Silhouettes are soft and round. The colour spectrum features warm brown and leather tones. Curry, saffron and orange set accents here. Boots continue on course for success: the novel styles are a touch more elegant. Clean and classy styles dominate polo boots looking very authentic thanks to their higher, asymmetrical legs and metal clasps. Grainy 'carroarmato' (profited) soles offer sufficient support on rough terrain. Mock croc and ostrich as well as supple pony skin look both elegant and sporty. Retro looks are projected by platform pumps with wide clasps and now again more delicate high heels. Dandy- style Oxford shoes with high uppers are a perfect complement for those up-and- coming Marlene pants.

Smooth (Men)
Naturalness is true Luxury. In this theme men's fashion follows a colour scheme revolving around brown and light, greyish shades, highlighted by rich olive tones. The sporty elegance of this theme is underscored in shoe fashion by hand-welted shoes such as monks with two clasps, brogues or Chelsea boots. High-quality materials including boxcalf as well as brushed leathers with captivating two-tone effects are used here alongside suede and Crosta leather. Lasts feature both rounded styles with slightly raised toecaps and long, drawn-out shapes.

Smart (Women)
Urban chic meets visible utility. A straightforward, high-tech and sharp cut focussing on essentials characterise this fashion theme. Logically, it is dominated by dark colours revolving around black, grey and silver-shine metallics. These are complemented by dark olive brown and brilliant violet. Boots have an army feel to them: massive clasps in silver or gun metal are typical details. Ankle boots rest on platform or wedge heels while court shoes focus on purist, architectural versions. Concealed platforms appear to bring down some of the extremely high heels by at least a few 'felt' centimetres. This monochrome picture is spiced up by graphic expanses in a two-tone look. Shiny materials are a must: patent and brushed leathers set the trend here. Sneakers and flat Chelsea boots are the perfect companions for urban working life.

Smart (Men)
Clear, slender proportions and tone-on-tone Looks from silver to anthracite exude a cool, smart business feel. Trendsetters wear their very figure-hugging outfits with slim-cut footwear. High-polish, brilliant Chelsea boots and purist, oblong loafers or Oxfords are preferably worn in black. Grey frees itself from the comfort-shoe image and ascends to the upper class of good style thanks to attractive wiped techniques and two-tone effects. Hip and functional at the same time: biker boots with sturdy profiled soles and metallic accessories. Sneakers and novel sneakers boots are "modernised" with metallic effects or shiny, top-stitched details. Beyond this, matt/shine material mixtures make for compelling looks.

Sampled (Women)
Street styles and cross-culture elements are mixed. A multi-coloured blend of styles determines the street fashion spirit with unconventional twists and stylistic influences from other cultures. This theme very clearly reflects the influence of globalisation on fashion. And shoe fashion is as non-mainstream and individualistic as clothing here. Doc Martens and laced boots, fur-Lined chucks or even (rubber) boots with knitted tops make for a total Look by making original fashion statements. Asymmetrical forms for shoes and boots add a personal, if not slightly "eco" touch here. There are no limits to imagination and choice of colour when it comes to designing boot Legs: tartans, colour blocking, graphic designs in 80s style or patchwork are just some examples of the rich diversity of this theme. Young girls may even slip into soft, 'crumpled' Robin Hood-type suede boots or ones with Red-Indian type fringes.

Sampled (Men)
Multi-cultural influences are also echoed by men's fashion injecting some colour into the generally rather dark fashion scenario for next winter. Here east coast sportswear clashes with the London Feeling of the Beatles' days. Matching these Looks are rough Doc Martens, stylishly worn with tops and not completely laced up, extremely rounded (worker) boots with raised toe caps or casual chucks. The dominating materials include pull-up, crinkled leathers but also waxed cotton in combination with leather. The predominant colours of this theme are rich leather and wood tones.

All activities related to GDS/GLS can also be found on the Internet at:

www.gds-online.com
www.gls-fair.com

Press release
GDS-GLS
Düsseldorf, 20. February 2008