Design as a factor for success

Knowing what customers want before they know it themselves. Discovering and interpreting trends and turning them into finished products: in the fast moving shoe industry one needs passion, a feeling for fashion and a vision and of course many years of experience and craftsmanship skills.

Marc Tüchthuisen has all these qualities and has been designing shoes for Deichmann for five years.

The trained shoe designer and development modeller grew up in the “shoe city” of Kleve on the Lower Rhine. During his childhood, he spent a lot of time in the shoe shop of a friend’s parents. Inspired by the smell of leather and the very different collections, he knew what he wanted to do from an early age. The ambitious designer used his training at a children’s shoe manufacturer as a stepping stone for studying shoe design and for learning the skills of his dream job starting from the bottom.

Designer Marc Tüchthuisen

During his career, Marc Tüchthuisen has designed shoes for almost every foot and every occasion: from children’s shoes for Elefanten via Romika ladies’ and men’s shoes up to sport shoes from Puma. Having covered the whole range of shoe styles, the so-called line-builder knows what is needed in each case. However, his private passion is sneakers, which take up quite a bit of space in the shoe designer’s and shoe lover’s wardrobe.

From the creative idea to model trend

Interview

Questions to designer Marc Tüchthuisen

Does a shoe designer privately collect shoes?
Yes, a shoe designer has probably more pairs of shoes than other professional groups - I think that is normal. A kind of “occupational hazard” so to speak.

How many pairs of shoes to you have?
I am not quite sure, I guess about 400 pairs.

What are your favourites?
Actually, sneakers and sport shoes.

What is your favourite styling epoch?
I personally love the complete 80ies and 90ies. During this period, I was very aware of different shoe fashion topics.

Which trend would you like to revive again? 
The fashion industry and with that also the shoe industry are very fast moving; I have the feeling somehow that currently everything is allowed - whether jeans tube or full, pepped up cable pleated skirt. For the shoes: pointed last forms or rather rounded soles, sneaker types, moccasins or cowboy boots - everything is trendy somehow. There is no need to revive a certain trend, because everything is available at the moment.

What are the trends for the coming season?
I believe that the next shoe collections will be dominated by two important trends: on the one hand, the more elegant shoe type, moccasin style, stitched shoes and boot models in high-quality and fine leather look; on the other hand the so-called natural types with flat and light soles, simple linen fabrics, Espadrilles, boat shoes and plaited inserts in natural look will be very popular.


What is important when one creates shoes for such a large clientele?
A great advantage surely is the ability to recognise a current trend and being able to implement it.

More and more computer programmes and apps let laymen become “designers”. What do you think of this virtual gimmickry?
Nothing to be honest. I believe that creativity, design, creative skills and everything, which is necessary for developing a product, require a certain degree of know-how. For me those skills are precious; they cannot be conveyed on the internet, any apps or on crash course pages.

Would you regard it as interesting to get direct customer feedback through channels such as Facebook & Co.?
Direct customer feedback is always interesting and helpful.

Do you work with young designers or fashion colleges?
No, I work mainly on my own, sometimes, when I really need it I get some additional help from a design studio.

Deichmann is a global enterprise. Do you look at the various “tastes” in other countries? Do you consider these in your designs?
As we travel a lot abroad - going on information trips, attending fashion fairs or visiting our own branches - we obviously soak up all information and let it flow into the Deichmann collection.

Is it possible to detect various styles within a country? For example, is there a Ruhr area shoe, which is only accepted and sold in this region?
Yes, there is! Warm winter boots sell much better in Southern Germany that in the flat Lower Rhine region - a lot depends on the weather conditions. But often we can also observe a difference between the taste in East and West Germany: some models are bestsellers in the East, where as they don’t move off the shelves in the West - and vice versa.

What shoe should one invest in because it is and always will remain a classic?
The sneaker!

Would you like to create a completely crazy, loud and visionary shoe?
That would be a stroke of genius!

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