US footwear sales are projected to increase till 2021 on account of strong growth in the sport leisure category, according to a new report from The NPD Group. Sport leisure, which is dominated by athletic-inspired casual sneakers and also includes sport slides and skate shoes, is expected to surpass fashion as the largest footwear category in 2020.

The report, titled ‘The Future of Footwear’, said shifting fashion attitudes towards athleisure have benefited the leisure footwear space at the expense of the fashion and performance segments.

According to NPD’s Retail Tracking Service, in the 12 months ending August 2019, sport leisure footwear grew by 7 per cent, while fashion declined by 5 per cent and performance footwear sales were down by 7 per cent.

“I expect that in the upcoming years, more brands will effectively respond to the shift away from performance and fashion footwear to focus on what has become the new norm: athleisure footwear,” a company press release quoted Matt Powell, senior industry advisor, sports, as saying.

Sport leisure’s growth is poised to be driven by running- and basketball-inspired styles, which are shoes with a performance-based heritage that are intended for style as opposed to sports activities. The men’s market is expected to lead the sales growth in sport leisure, with heavy contribution from kids as well.

Fashion is forecast to decline through 2020, but rebound slightly in 2021 on account of growth in comfort-oriented silhouettes such as fashion slides, slippers and drivers. On the other hand, sport-inspired trends will have a negative impact on the thong, flip-flop and ballerina segments.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)

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