German womenswear designer Marcel Ostertag showed his Spring ’18 collection on the final day of New York Fashion Week (NYFW), with models touting his designs from head to toe, including his footwear collaboration with Tamaris.
Models marched down the runway in Ostertag’s ’70s-inspired collection, dressed as ethereal disco babes in sheer gowns, transparent wide-leg trousers, sequined rompers and patterned pants, all paired with the designer’s latest colorful collection with the German footwear brand. The designer’s latest line of shoes offers an array of orange, turquoise and metallic colorways spanning styles like booties, heeled loafers, ankle-strap heels, sky-high platforms, sneakers and more.
Ostertag’s first collaboration with Tamaris launched online and in stores across Europe and Russia in August with nine styles. The designer says the collection will expand two-fold next season. Ostertag has a seven-season agreement with the brand.
Vamp spoke with Ostertag before his NYFW show to talk about his design inspiration and why he and Tamaris are a good fit.
VAMP: Why did you team up with Tamaris?
Ostertag: We’re the perfect match. I was looking for a shoe partner and they were looking for a fashion designer. We met and we really connected on the first meeting. And we have the same, I think, vision of what happens between us. Fashion doesn’t work without shoes and shoes don’t work without fashion. The team is great. They produce everything [based on] how the sketches look. [They use] beautiful materials and they have a huge network which is really good for me as well. After we met we discussed the first collection and they asked ‘could you imagine to work long-distance with us.’ And I said, well you know… for me it’s more like coming home to a family with them. The first season we started with the smallest capsule collection…the next collection will be much larger. It’s about 25 styles, and for the next season it’s about 30 or 40 designs and styles.
Related Stories
VAMP: What’s the overall inspiration for the shoes for Spring/Summer ’18?
Ostertag: It’s completely linked to my [apparel] fashion collection. The topic is called Freedom. It has a ’70s disco-vibe going on. For the shoes, we have some transparency in the heels. We use some fake leather which has the surface [like that of] a disco ball. It’s really cool. We have really sexy party shoes, high heels. We have sneakers again because they are selling really well. We have little booties, and we have some retro high heels. A huge plexi heel that is transparent. It looks amazing, I love them so much.
VAMP: How do you put your stamp on the shoes?
Ostertag: It’s a split I have to make. Because there is the already existing Tamaris client and there is already my existing client. To combine them is not that difficult. I was thinking about it—it’s all beautiful women who have beautiful shoes and beautiful clothes and they want to have comfort and style as well. I tried to not make it too crazy and not make it unwearable. I wanted the shoes [to be able to be] worn every day for every woman… I don’t like to say ‘this is just for models, this is just for celebrities.’ I want to say ‘every woman on this planet can wear my shoes.’ And, the design process was easier than I thought it would be because it’s a good fitted shoe, [made] out of good material with good quality made for good people.
VAMP: What’s your favorite shoe in the collection and how would you style it?
Ostertag: The favorite shoe is the high heel with the plexi, see-through acrylic heel. That’s my favorite one. I would style it during the day with boyfriend jeans and a really lovely cashmere jumper and a great poncho. And, for the night, I have a really nice high heel which is open. I would combine [for] a cocktail evening with a floating caftan with just some sexy lingerie [under] it. We have many styles you can combine, even just if you go to work with a jumper and loose denim jeans.
VAMP: Who’s the type of woman you see wearing your shoes?
Ostertag: The funny thing is my youngest client is 12-years-old and my oldest client is 88. I think it’s women who have fun with fashion and fun with style, who are not just looking for that piece that everyone is wearing. They are quite special. They are quite unique. They all have special identities beneath their clothes and I like that.