Their clothes are fresh, funky and urban, with an edge that outweighs all of the other denim brands on the high street. Officials from the brand continuously establish that they have a close matrimonial affair with the product itself and not with trend following. The result is a finished product of designer quality at a reasonable price, an equation that is encompassed in their latest range of footwear for men and women.

Working with Overland Shoes fortifies the brands already established identity for the footwear market with the excellent reputation of its management team in design, production and distribution for brands such as Caterpillar ad Paul Smith. G-Star Raw Footwear is the very first license that G-Star has entered into. This highly unique move in the licensing world is a reflection of the trust and goodwill between two businesses, G-Star Raw Footwear is an extension of the G-Star Story and not just an accessory to the brand, something other brands have missed as a vital factor for subsequent sky high sales and a great finished product.

"The difference with this line is down to the level of collaboration" explains Matthew Griffiths, Marketing Manager for the brand "G-Star Raw have not just stuck our logo on a range of shoes we know very little about. We have been involved at every stage to create a finished product close to the parent brand."

This uniqueness that exudes from G-Star Raw denim has been captured by the 200-piece collection which bridges menswear and womenswear, covering four categories: Military- a collection of unique Goodyear Welted footwear, taking their inspiration from First World War uniforms, taking their cue from the apparel collection; Utility-a line with an urban fashion identity, including simple uppers and more subtle detailing but with accents of the G-Star styling; the Night range of traditional shoes such as classic brogues and sleek black shoes with a G-Star edge; and finally PT Sport- three classic sport shoes featuring part leather lining and vulcanised styles that are made from G-Star apparel textile or garment leather.

"The theme behind the collection is authenticity." Explains Griffiths "It is a combination of this functionality with a fashionable edge"

Taking looks from the street such as military and biker boots and adding touches of G-Star styling are a credit to the brand, the fastidious level of design for each pair is evident at a far away glance, creating a real premium level product.

"G-Star is a power brand on the high street in terms of apparel." continues Griffiths. "We cannot lose this on the footwear, which is why we made sure that the shoes have a real custom made look and feel to them"

What is unequivocally surprising is the price points of the range. PT Sport is priced from £60-£80 and Goodyear Welted products from £100-£170. The range is therefore offering what other big brands cannot- a quality product that looks and feel fantastic, but does not break the bank.

"The philosophy of the G-Star Raw brand is one of honesty to its market" says Griffiths "we could have upped the price and made a larger profit but we know this will be against our philosophy."

Launching at Bread and Butter in Barcelona was a natural step for G-Star Raw Footwear. The funky, cutting edge feel to the show epitomises what the brand are about, and their very own G-Star tent holding chic fashion shows throughout the day aided the appeal of their bustling stand.

"Bread and Butter is the biggest show in Europe for fashion" explains Griffiths "G-Star have always had a presence here. We could have launched the footwear lines earlier but we decided to hold back until this event."

With orders coming in hard and fast for Europe, and plans to launch into the USA very soon, G-Star Raw Footwear looks set for unprecedented success. A small selection of the brand will appear in stores from March 2007 and the full launch which will cover Fall 2007 will reach stores by August of this year.

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