2023 Fall Fashion Trends - Let There be Leather
Timeless, Trendy, or both
Observations about fashion and fashion trends have been percolating inside us since we began our own leather accessories business, Embrazio, a dozen years ago. From a strategic standpoint, we needed to decide early on whether we’d follow the latest trends or focus on being timeless. We decided to do both.
By “doing both,” we meant designing and delivering products that would in fact be timeless and also align, or at least not conflict, with new and emerging trends. That requires we take a hard look each year at what’s new and trendy. We’ve just completed our latest review of such for Fall of 2023 and thought our readers might like to get a few first impressions via this article.
We can’t possibly chronicle all the new trends in every category so we’ve chosen to cherry pick a few we think will be of interest to our followers and others like them. For each trend we point out, we’ve also selfishly included an Embrazio product to show to our readers and ourselves just how we fit in. All of this is done with a bit of “tongue and cheek” we hope you’ll find amusing. Here we go….
You’ll Be Seeing Red (leather)!
OMG, red ain’t dead! In fact, the color red is by far the most consistent trend we identified across all of the major fashion mags and influencers we reviewed. It also seems that any shade of red will do with some preference going to the “bolder the better.”
We’re also big fans of red and have developed a red leather with blue undertones we use in our belts and bags. Here’s Embrazio’s Perforata handmade red leather belt in red as just one example:
Leather Is In All The Way Round
Another common theme for 2023 fashion trends is leather. From belts & bags to jackets & shoes, leather as a desired material is definitely on trend for the coming season. Designers love the flexibility, color possibilities, and durability of this natural element.
Leather comes in very different thicknesses, density, and textures giving designers many options from which to select just the right base for the product being created. For example, belt leather is typically dense and fairly thick whereas leather used in jewelry and jackets can be extremely thin. Most leathers take chrome or veggie dyes very well and can be sealed against color leaching also known as crocking.
Here’s another example of thin leather, this time used in a jewelry application in Embrazio’s Toco leather bracelet:
Pants & Footwear For Fall
Two other trends we spotted are in categories in which Embrazio doesn’t participate but are worthy of mention nonetheless. Classic blazers with jeans are a must have and the jeans most on trend are called “Horseshoe Jeans.” One look and you’ll understand why the horseshoe name:
While we don’t offer jeans, we do have several styles of natural colored handmade curved leather belts, including the starlight studded Brio belt with horseshoe buckle shown below, that would go great with any pair of jeans you choose to wear.
In the footwear department, clogs are making comeback bigtime and it ain’t just for Polka Dancing. Called “modern clogs,” this foot friendly style comes in many different shapes, colors, and materials like these synthetic clogs with leather uppers attached just below:
In addition to modern clogs, this Fall will see the welcome return of the cowboy boot … this time with a bit more color and flair. These are the boots we liked best from among the many appearing in “what’s on trend” articles around the fashion industry:
The Days Of Dainty Are Coming To A Close
…well, at least that’s true as far as jewelry goes. The trend over nearly the last decade in jewelry has been dainty little gold and silver necklaces and bracelets. Some were so small you could hardly make out the shape of the individual pieces or links.
Now “chucky” jewelry with pearl and large gemstones and beads are taking the spotlight. Take a look at these gifts from the sea:
…and theses beads and thick chains:
Embrazio offers handmade substantial designs that might even be more on trend than what you see above. Just two examples include the Gemstone River Necklace:
…and the Scott Bracelet:
By the way, The Scott Bracelet was specifically designed for men as another developing trend is pearl necklaces and bracelets for men. As you can see in the picture above, the Scott features a large baroque fresh water grey pearl offset by gold and turquoise beads. Given the nature of these farm raised pearls, no two bracelets are exactly alike!
Don't Forget Big Totes & Backpacks
Maybe in line with the trend toward big jewelry comes the trend toward bigger bags, specifically Totes and Backpacks. Quite frankly, some of the Totes we’ve seen for this season would take an NFL linebacker to “tote around.” Others, however, are quite practical and stylish if you like/need to take along more than can fit in the average purse or crossbody.
Here’s one 2023 tote in the “maybe too big if you put anything in it category” but we do like the style:
Embrazio has created handmade leather totes for years with several revisions and refinements adding to the look, feel, and functionality of a larger bag. The most recent design is called the Semplice Tote and it comes in four luscious leather colors: black, cognac, coffee, red.
Here’s the Semplice in cognac followed by a one in black with a model so you can get a feel for the size:
Along with large totes is a trend toward backpacks as an everyday bag. We’re not talking about the synthetic swiss army type backpacks that have endless pockets, sleeves, and carabiners. The trend calls for stylish bags, often with flat plains, minimal pockets, but still plenty of functionality for daily wear.
Often in leather, these backpacks can have a “polished” and consistent texture like this one below:
Or, they can have a more varied texture with color shading like this on trend handmade red leather backpack called The Revival from Embrazio:
The Revival has proven so popular that it now comes in ten different colors including zebra and leopard prints.
So, that’s a bit of trend talk for 2023 and we hope that you’ve found something that catches your eye enough to pull the trigger on an addition to your closet collection. The red theme should make for a colorful fall, and we love seeing large jewelry and bags come to the front of trending styles. Finally, even though we’ve been talking about trends, we still firmly believe in designs and materials that are built to last functionally and from a style perspective. With this in mind, view your next move as an investment instead of just another purchase and you’ll love it for a lifetime!
About the authors:
Scott Schaefer and Stephanie Boyles are a happily married couple who have also discovered they have fun working together. In 2012, they co-founded Embrazio in Boulder, Colorado. Embrazio is a leather accessories and jewelry company whose line is carred by over 300 discerning boutiques nationwide and in Canada, Australia, and the Carribean.