Isabel Marant enlists Gigi Hadid to open show of soon-to-be-cult shoe styles and clothes sure to populate the Primrose Hill school gates next spring

Marant's astute understanding of her customer has seen the business transform into a super force
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Emma McCarthy30 September 2016

Fashion fans on the hunt for next season’s must-have accessory need look no further than Isabel Marant. Unveiling her latest collection in Paris, the French designer delivered a host of soon-to-be-cult shoe styles all vying for It-status.

On the wish lists for next spring are leather sock sandals - which also came in a thigh-high version - and ruffle-front stilettos.

The designer has form when it comes to creating an instant sell-out shoe sensation. Previous hits include the wedge sneaker, launched in 2012, which prompted a stream of high street knock offs.

The wealth of variations in her most recent footwear offering - with styles available in metallic and floral print leather and heel heights spanning flat to kitten to vertiginous - suggest that she's savvy to the fact that her customers look to her to tick all the boxes when it comes to their footwear requirements.

EPA/Etienne Laurent

But there was more than just shoes on the agenda in last night's showcase.

Founded in 1994, Isabel Marant is often credited with pioneering the off-duty bohemian-tomboy aesthetic which has come to define insouciant Parisian style.

Set to prove as popular among celebrities as it is with the label loving North Londoners who have long flocked to Marant for metallic trousers and Gallic inspired outerwear, the designer's latest offering is bursting with ready-to-wear bestsellers. Among the items sure to populate the Primrose Hill school gates come next spring include slub cotton boiler suits and floral print day dresses.

EPA/Etienne Laurent

The designer also showcased a roll-call of her failsafe signatures, including ruffle-front blouses, high-waisted tapered cargo pants and metallic mini skirts.

Model of the moment Gigi Hadid opened the show wearing a padded belted mac which looks set to appeal to shoppers looking to invest in practicality as well as style.

This astute understanding of her customer group has seen the business transform into a super force.

EPA/Etienne Laurent

In July, the brand announced it had sold a 51 per cent stake in the business to French private equity firm Montefiore Investment, who plan to develop the brand’s digital and bricks-and-mortar presence.

Last year, the brand posted wholesale revenues of 150 million euros of which 80 per cent was generated internationally.

Hoping to capitalise on the popularity of the brand outside France, the brand has announced plans to expand it’s retail distribution in Europe, the US and Asia alongside the launch of it’s first e-commerce store in partnership with the Yoox Net-A-Porter group in 2017.

It seems Marant's trademark heels will be treading new territory soon.

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