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FASHION & CONSUMER DEMAND
WF
I
talian footwear brand Geox has lured London-based
designer Patrick Cox back into the shoe business. Mr Cox,
absent from the footwear scene since 2007, has designed
a capsule collection for Geox’s spring-summer 2012 season
comprising 20 styles for women and 18 for men. Uppers are
made of high-quality leather and a special additional shoe
made, at the designer’s insistence, from genuine python skin
will follow.
Designs include classic wing-tip moccasins and derby
shoes, but all come with Geox’s breathable soles. The
shoes went on show at the Geox showroom in Via
Speronari, Milan, during the autumn edition of the Micam
exhibition. Mr Cox was also in Milan to show off the
collection and told
World Footwear
the new partnership
with Geox will be ongoing.
Canadian-born Patrick Cox is one of the star graduates of
the former Cordwainers College in London (now part of the
University of the Arts), finishing the course in 1985. He
collaborated on footwear collections with high-profile
fashion names including Vivienne Westwood and John
Galliano before launching his own label in 1986. Michael
Jackson, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Tom Cruise, Nicole
Kidman and David Beckham all became customers and
the designer won the British Accessories Designer of
the Year Award in 1994 and 1995, and the
Fashion Medal of Honor from the
Footwear Association of New York in
1996. In terms of the shoes
themselves, the launch of the
Wannabe loafer in 1994 is
something Mr Cox still talks about as
a real highlight.
Patrick Cox told
World Footwear
that
he worked happily for 18 years without
investors, but found that when
investors did become involved with
his label in the second half of the
last decade, he “couldn’t get
along with them” and left. The
label itself subsequently closed
down. It took until September
2010 for Mr Cox to come back
to business, but not the
footwear business; he has set up
a cake shop in Soho, London,
called Cox Cookies & Cake.
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Italian footwear brand Geox asked former
high-profile shoe designer Patrick Cox if
he knew anyone it could work with to
build up its presence in the UK market. It
didn’t have to look too far.
Patrick Cox is back
with a bang
With the emphasis
on London’s urban
vibe, the new
capsule collection
from Patrick Cox
represents
something of a
departure for Geox.
ALL CREDITS: GEOX