Designers illustrate children’s perfect school shoe ideas in new artwork

Designers have created a series of illustrations which bring to life the imaginative ideas of schoolchildren and what they would like their school shoes to look like

Designers have brought children’s school shoes to life with these new illustrations. The imaginative artwork captures the fanciful concepts of school kids, showing shoes with disco lights embedded in the soles, mood-responsive colour-changing laces, and a hidden compartment for treats.

It comes after a survey of 1,000 six to 11-year-olds found 46 per cent would love built-in trackers so they never get lost, while 44 per cent wanted a camera feature to snap pics with friends. More than half wished their shoes could give them the speed of a cheetah, and 47 per cent wanted the power to teleport anywhere.

Springs in the soles were a must-have for 38 per cent to help them jump higher, while 37 per cent wanted wheels so they could skate to school each morning.

Simon Wilson, managing director at Deichmann, which commissioned the research and is offering Buy One Get One Half Price across all kids’ school shoes, said: “The imagination of children should always be celebrated.

“They have some many fantastic ideas, which we’ve really enjoyed seeing brought to life in this illustration. Yes, some of the suggestions are a bit far-fetched, others seem surprisingly practical.”

Other inventive features included voice activated laces and magnetic clasps which snap together automatically.

When it came to colour, 31 per cent felt traditional black should stay – although many girls wanted flowers or stars to give it a little sparkle.

Boys, on the other hand, mostly preferred a single colour, with some suggesting camouflage or bold shapes for decoration.

While they couldn’t agree on the pattern, over half of boys and girls felt their dream school shoe would look better than anything currently in shops.

For two thirds, looking good is the priority, although not top of the list when it comes to what they wear on their feet, as the majority (80 per cent) said comfort was the most important thing to them.

Parents also agreed, ranking comfort as their number one priority too, followed by quality and durability.

It also emerged half of parents think buying school shoes is the most annoying part of back-to-school prep – but almost half let their children have a big say in the decision.

They also look for stores offering good value as a priority (61 per cent), a wide range of sizes (55 per cent), and easy-to-reach locations (54 per cent), according to the OnePoll.com data.

Simon Wilson, at Deichmann, added: “We know getting kids ready for Back to School can be a tricky time for parents and offering the best value school shoes is top of our priority list too.

“Although the summer holidays have just started, thinking about this now could help avoid the last-minute rush in the weeks before the new term starts.

“It’s important the shopping process is as efficient as possible – parents want to know they can select from a wide range of styles and sizes and find footwear that is great quality and durable.”