Diamantes dominate for Eid, but sales are dropping off

At Charles & Keith, heels in the classic tan, black and beige colours are all the rage

KARACHI: Salons and shopping markets are reporting less traffic this Ramazan, and the newest additions to the list of people worrying about sales are the managers of shoe stores.
Shopkeepers told The Express Tribune that shoe shopping, usually a key activity before Eid, was not picking up and there were few customers in the
stores.
At Charles & Keith, heels in the classic tan, black and beige colours are all the rage, but there are fewer people shopping.
“Till last year, people used to come and buy as many as two to three pairs of shoes, now hardly anyone buys a single pair,” Imran Khan, the store manager, told The Express Tribune. “The reasons for this could either be the flood or the economy or just people’s inactivity. The shopping activity slowly picks up after Iftar.”
Diamante-studded shoes have yet to die out from shoe stores, given that they are still selling consistently. At Stella, diamante-laden shoes in a variety of colours are available on sale. Flats were priced from Rs995 to Rs1,995 and heels were priced Rs850 to Rs1,895.
Ayhani’s store manager Khan Mohammad says, “Stones and diamantes are in this season. We thought the trends would have changed by now, but they haven’t.” He reiterated that there were fewer shoppers in the stores this Ramazan.
Samia Azmay Shahzada also bore a forlorn look, but the label has forgone diamantes in favour of simplicity.  Flats were priced at Rs1,800 to Rs4,500, high heels from Rs4,200 to Rs8,800, whereas short wedges were priced at Rs 3,800.
Charm, another Malaysian import, also has a bridal range this year which starts at Rs4,500. According to a salesperson, “There are fewer sales this year for Eid as compared to last year, when we opened the shop. We expect more people to come and buy more shoes.”