The development director of lasts at Salvatore Ferragamo has said he thinks the footwear market needs a dose of pragmatism.

During a visit to the Lineapelle exhibition in Milan, Stefano Ferragamo told World Leather that he thought the industry had seen plenty of imaginative and colourful design ideas from brands in recent seasons.

He said he thought it was now time for companies to concentrate on producing “shoes that people will want to wear”.

Mr Ferragamo explained that outlandish design ideas can be interesting, but that footwear sales will benefit more from collections that consist of shoes and boots that ordinary women, children and men can wear day to day.

“Look at cars,” he said. “Almost everybody wants a car that they can rely on and drive every day, rather than rare, vintage cars that will form part of a private collection. It is the same with footwear. Most people don’t want shoes that are collectors’ items. They want a product that they will get good use from.”