These 7 brands are taking the step towards more inclusive footwear

It was Iggy Azalea who once commanded us to "walk a mile in these Louboutins." But now, it's Zalando inviting us to walk mile in its aptly named new footwear collection, that offers designer footwear to customers with designers in a wider range of sizes – from 35 to 46. The inclusive Walk a Mile collection boasts a raft of seven designer names, with Norwegian label Holzwiler, Rejina Pyo, Elleme, GCDS, Eckhaus Latta, Filling Pieces and Misbhv all joining the initiative by adapting the sizing and fit of the shoes in their spring/summer 2023 collections.

The collection – and correlating campaign starring a diverse cast of talent – reflects an ongoing partnership between Zalando and Helsinki Pride, stemming from discussions in recent years about how fashion can better itself as industry. "We are excited to see that Zalando is taking our conversation from 2021 to heart by launching a collection that is very much in-demand for our community," Annu Kemppainen, executive director of Helsinki Pride Community.

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"The inclusive collection is a perfect example of the significance of such partnership and dialogue between human rights organisation and a commercial operator," Kemppainen goes on. "The collection gives people, who might not fit into the tight norms of the society, a chance to wear the shoes that help them feel their fabulous selves. Everyone should have the right to feel confident and proud in their own shoes."

Below, the seven brands behind the footwear capsule share insights with Vogue Scandinavia on their own design process, the significance of Walk a Mile and the future of inclusivity in the industry.

For Walk a Mille, Holzweiler delivers the a mule heel, crafted in supple camel-toned leather with an open silhouette and lace-up detail. Alongside the mule is the Mimmi boot – a classic ankle style, designed to be lived in all season long. Made from soft-to-touch calf leather with a stacked heel, the Mimmi is a go-to Holzweiler silhouette with timeless charm.

Why did you want to partner with Zalando on Walk a Mile?
Our brand is so deeply rooted in our family, so we see our community and shoppers as an extension of that – it’s exciting to be able to grow the Holzweiler family! Inclusivity in all forms is a part of this family ethos that runs through the brand, so it’s really encouraging to be able to take part in a project that allows more people to find joy through our products.

How do you envision inclusive sizing in the future? What are the challenges?
The industry is moving in the right direction but, as with all change, the move towards mainstream adoption is slow and steady. This is probably the biggest challenge when it comes to large commercial brands who in many cases are bound to produce size runs based on stockist orders. It’s exciting to see Zalando championing size inclusivity and see the opportunity of what the future ‘normal’ could be.

Why do you think the fashion industry has not yet fully embraced inclusive sizing? Any tips you would give to anyone in the process of researching and designing inclusive footwear?
Fashion, culture and society inform each other in tandem, so as general opinion shifts to embrace different body types and sizes, so the opportunity to reflect this in the fashion industry develops. To be able to design inclusively, we like to always keep in mind who will be wearing our products from the very beginning of the creative process; our Holzweiler community is always inspiring us, not just one person. If we can create a product that all the different people in our community can wear and love, that’s our goal!

Related: A family affair: Holzweiler has become the first family of Norwegian fashion

Rejina Pyo's clog for Walk a Mile is a modernised clog that features a playful platform sole and an adjustable slingback strap to be worn two ways - over the top of the foot for easy slip-on or as a slingback for stability. Available in a variety of crinkled leather colours and featuring a signature square toe front with hand stitched blanket stitch details.

What does your creative process look like?
I begin each season by considering the concept, thinking about what I want to communicate, how I am feeling and what I am inspired by. I delve into research and create a mood board which is shared throughout my teams, so all departments are aligned on the mood and direction of the season. I am always considering the person I am dressing and how I want them to feel. From this, sketches are created, fabrics researched and selected, 3-D prototypes are created. Once the design is approved, a first set of samples is created and fitted, analysed by the team to be finalised for production.

Why did you want to partner up with Zalando on Walk a Mile?
We value our relationship with Zalando, and it's fantastic that they've implemented such an industry shifting initiative.

Why do you think the fashion industry has not yet fully embraced inclusive sizing? Any tips you would give to anyone in the process of researching and designing inclusive footwear?
We make an effort to listen to the needs of our customers, their direct feedback is important, especially on size and fit.

Related: Rejina Pyo: A Scandinavian state of mind

Inspired by the diverse community of a rave, Filling Pieces footwear collection is a gender fluid capsule in an inclusive size range, incorporated a black patterned loafer, and a chunky leather ankle boot.

How do you envision inclusive sizing in the future? What are the challenges?
Often styles are made/designed for a specific gender in mind, not only from a design perspective but also taking production and manufacturing into account. Especially in footwear tooling and lasts exist in specific size ranges only, that need to be opened for a new range, which means that quite some investment is needed to make a specific design available to all. Nowadays products that work commercially well are then scaled up or down to match different sizes/genders, which as outlined earlier requires a certain manufacturing investment.

Looking into the future, we hope to base a big part of our collection on inclusiveness and use production synergies that allow us to use existing tooling to make sure the products are made for various sizes from the start.

Elleme is a combination of simplicity and singularity, as resonates in the brand's loafer design for Walk a Mile. The label design and produces its own patterns in-house at its atelier in Paris, and makes sure to always include a small detail to make each piece unique and stand out.

What does your creative process look like?
My creative process expands day-to-day. I take pictures of small things that inspire me from my daily life, vacations, books, movies. I put them together to create and define a moodboard. From this, we start creating pieces around these inspirations, making sure everything is coherent. For me, creation is a cumulation of small ideas, it is a long process.

Why did you want to partner up with Zalando on Walk a Mile?
The concept is so meaningful and inspiring. Once the Zalando team reached out to us about this project, we were 100% in. In today’s fashion world, we talk about inclusive size a lot for clothing, but rarely hear about shoe size, this project gives designers like us a new angle and perspective to interpret inclusive fashion. It works in great synergy with our values and what we stand for as a brand.

How do you envision inclusive sizing in the future?
Zalando’s inclusive project inspires me in my future creation for all categories of products. After this first experience, we will be more familiar with this kind of production. The development will of course take longer time and cost more, another challenge will be the stock and a new merchandise planning. We will do our best anyway to make as much as we can to be an inclusive brand at different levels.

Why do you think the fashion industry has not yet fully embraced inclusive sizing? Any tips you would give to anyone in the process of researching and designing inclusive footwear?
With a trailblazer partner like Zalando, our objective is to pass this message to create more inclusive footwear. We must imagine it as the user, make it beautiful and comfortable for the end-user.

For Walk a Mile, GCDS delivers an over-the-ankle stretch boots made of black vinyl and gold mules, both with a statement 'bite' heel. "This style was first presented in my show, in homage to my favourite book that is Dracula. Reminding me of how scary things are sometimes the sexiest," says Giuliano Calza, the brand's founder and creative director.

What does your creative process look like?
For me, it always starts with two key items: a napkin and a pen. A new idea usually appears when I’m at a restaurant and I ask for a pen to quickly sketch it on the restaurant’s napkin. I have a whole collection of these actually. The process grows with learning: I am very curious and love to broaden the horizons of my culture. When I am inspired by a general idea for a collection, I start going deeper into it and learning various parts of the idea. I need to be intellectually challenged first to be inspired later. It is close to building a puzzle: images, books, music, production and sketching techniques, sometimes even technology.

Why did you want to partner up with Zalando on Walk a Mile?
I am excited by the bold attitude of this silhouette rising confidently over a pair of sharp teeth for any occasion. When I tried to launch these shoes in bigger sizes, I ran into a lot of production problems: then the retailers weren’t interested, yet, I put them up on my ecommerce store in a small quantity. I wanted everyone who enjoys GCDS’s creative codes to be able to wear these shoes and enjoy them as much as I enjoyed designing them. When Zalando came with the offer, I was very excited because I knew they had a strong community and a large reach that could help me get these shoes to more people. I am grateful to be able to share my design with a bigger audience.

How do you envision inclusive sizing in the future?
I can’t wait for it to be an industry standard because who tells you basketball players wouldn’t enjoy wearing a pair of Made in Italy stilettos? But most of the time it is a production issue. The bigger sizing for shoes as for clothes, goes against years and years of industrialisation of the product. Many factories don’t have the tools to work on this. I think that in a couple of years it will become very common and everyone will be able to find their favourite items.

Why do you think the fashion industry has not yet fully embraced inclusive sizing? Any tips you would give to anyone in the process of researching and designing inclusive footwear?
It’s expensive, because all the factories and developers are not used to producing in smaller or bigger sizes. Small, medium, medium-big companies already have endless costs and unless they see a precise demand, they don’t want to go out of their comfort zone of ‘regular sizes’ for supply.

Club culture has been at the forefront of Misbhv's design philosophy since the brand was founded in 2015. For Walk a Mile, an iconic black heeled ankle boot has been developed, using premium Italian leather. Paired easily with any going-out outfit, the height of Misbhv's chunky heel is supported with a chunky platform base.

What does your creative process look like?
Our creative process has always been one that has stemmed from an organic relationship with our people. Our friends and community were what initially inspired the brand and continues to inspire our process on a daily basis.

Why did you want to partner up with Zalando on Walk a Mile?
Zalando has always been one of the most progressive platforms in terms of pushing boundaries especially in our part of the world. We are excited to be aligned with a partner, and on a project that ultimately promotes inclusivity.

How do you envision inclusive sizing in the future?
We value inclusivity as a core value of our brand, and hope that this is the beginning of the new normal. We should be living in a post gender and post inclusivity era where the option to not offer inclusive sizing doesn’t exist.

Why do you think the fashion industry has not yet fully embraced inclusive sizing? Any tips you would give to anyone in the process of researching and designing inclusive footwear?
It’s uncertain why the fashion industry hasn’t yet fully embraced inclusive sizing, however we feel we’re moving swiftly in the right direction. Projects like this one are continuing to push the boundaries and forcing the world to follow suit.

Eckhaus Latta's spring/summer 23 footwear focuses on distinctive textiles and materiality with attention to wearability for all genders. There is a signature blend of the feminine and masculine; with woven textiles sitting next to distressed leather. This creates a sense of the unexpectedness, also evident in the various heel shapes. While Eckhaus Latta plays with the unexpected, it is countered by the familiar: such as tactile materials and square toes.

What does your creative process look like?
Our creative process is very intuitive. It has always stemmed from a place of conversation and inquiry between the two of us and our team. We do not work with direct themes or concrete concepts rather it is more reactionary to our lives and now the work that proceeds it.

Why did you want to partner with Zalando on Walk a Mile?
Inclusivity has always been foundational to Eckhaus Latta, so this project felt like a natural step in that direction.

Why do you think the fashion industry has not yet fully embraced inclusive sizing? Any tips you would give to anyone in the process of researching and designing inclusive footwear?
From our observations of the fashion industry becoming more size inclusive is that the biggest challenge is actual support from retail partners and them prioritising size inclusivity within their buys and then promoting it properly. As a small brand we are only able to produce and support our direct retail to such a level. Without greater initiative from the wholesale landscape it makes it very challenging for us to have all products be size inclusive to the level we would like for it to be, so the initiative taken here is very exciting.