The largest international fair of leather, shoe material and leather goods located in Asia is gradually changing its face and reacts more to the practical needs of buyers, producers or even to the needs of European companies, which have their collections made in China.

It was announced on Wednesday that a new trade fair initiative in India to be launched by APLF Ltd, FOOTWEAR, MATERIALS, MANUFACTURING  & TECHNOLOGY (FMM&T), will take place in Delhi in the Spring of 2009.

Over 300 exibitors are expected at the next edition of LE CUIR A PARIS to be held from 23 to 26 September 2008 in the hall 4 of the Parc des Expositions de Paris Nord Villepinte. Among the new exhibitors, the Italian participation will be reinforced with 13 new comers as well as the come back, after a period of absence, of CONCERIA INCAS and ITALHIDE. Also to be noted, the first-time participations of JSC VILNIAUS KAILAI (Lithuania), SRI SINN FAH TANNERY (Thailand) and TANNERIES MEGISSERIES DU MAGHREB (Tunisia).

Research by ingenious footwear company Redfoot, has revealed that over 70% of women have left a party or a night out early, because of the pain of the killer heel! Well girls, you may suffer no more as the sole-saving experts at Redfoot have listened to our cries, and have designed an ingenious pair of folding pumps to make burning feet and blistering heels a thing of the past!

The Maserati can wait another year: the space age kitchen can be put off (yet again). Instead, how about a new leather bag, or a pair of shoes?  Leather is indeed a luxury product and, at times such as these it's one that remains affordable. As if this was ever in doubt the 24th APLF Leather Fair, held in Hong Kong, March 31 - April 2, 2008 underscored how those in the leather and fashion accessory industry are more than holding their own despite the forecasts of economic uncertainty elsewhere.  Forward orders show a buoyant confidence in the up-coming Winter 08/09 and Summer 09 seasons.

Officina delle Pelli has been supplying quality leathers and furs to the fashion business since 1980. A young and dynamic company founded by Mauro Tonelli, it is duly capable of satisfying its clients form the pret-a-porter to the haute couture lines with fine materials develped from stat-of-the-art methods of tanning, finish and workmanship. It is not by chance that Officina delle Pelli supplies major fashion houses with leathers and furs for their clothing, leathergoods and footwear lines. Clients profit from the continuous research for new means of “interpretation and concept”...

Since 2002, Conserve, a non-profit organization, has embarked upon the path of assisting the marginalized urban poor through the development of a model that utilizes urban plastic waste to produce high-fashion products. The genesis of these products lies in their endeavour to help clean up the urban environment while providing income for the poor. Conserve has trained people from urban slums of Delhi to process waste into recycled sheets, using a proprietary...

To complete this analysis, we would like to conclude with some final considerations in favour of technology. The first one is based on the assumption that technology is certainly one of the most powerful modernity factors in nowadays shoemaking. Making shoes is an old business, with traditional rules and, most of the time, traditional vices that shoe companies, mostly used to work as they normally do and very reluctant to give up this old habits in favour of an unknown and unpredictable future, very seldom seem to be willing to abandon.

Having outlined the most relevant technologies available today to support the design process, we now focus our attention on the manufacturing of the shoes. If giving a complete description of what are the possibilities and detailed functionalities of the design tools, was a complex task, summarizing in a few pages the whole range of diverse technologies that enter into the manufacturing phase is virtually impossible.

In order to start dealing with the technologies that are used in this process, we must give a definition of where its boundaries are; by design process of a shoe we mean the sequence of phases and operations that go from the first style concept of a new footwear, through its complete design (engineering of the shoe), to prototyping its components, making the first samples and running preliminary production batches to accurately estimate time and costs of production. These various operations, possibly iterated a few times and repeated for each new product and for each new collection, define the so called “product development”  process. We will not go in details in describing the goals and nature of each of those activities; we will rather concentrate on listing the most relevant technologies that are nowadays available to support this part of the work.

The upswing of the Düsseldorf trio of shoe trade fairs drawing to a close on Sunday – GDS/GLS and global shoes & accessories 14 from 16 March – has continued. The three days of the trade fair were characterised by a busy, satisfied mood, good turnover, avid interest in the presented trends and, above all, packed stands. Compared to the previous year’s event the number of visitors was up by approximately three percent – with 34,000 visitors...

Technology has always played a key role in virtually all manufacturing activities, and shoemaking is no exception. It was the “technology” of the first machines, thought to alleviate the  labour of the human workers and to make it faster and more efficient, that allowed the transition of shoe making from a craftsman business to an industrial venture, and it is again technology , in terms of product contents, added value and innovation potential that allows shoe producers to be more or less competitive in their outlet markets. Technology is then a necessary condition for success, although it is not sufficient as such to guarantee success and long life to modern footwear companies.

Young Designers’ Trendy Platform presented in Space-Age Design.
Design Attack is reaching for the stars. From 14 to 16 March this unconventional area within the Young Fashion Segment at GDS/GLS – International Event for Shoes, Leather Goods & More – will once again be showcasing 100 selected design newcomers and their trendy collections and lifestyle products beyond the fashion mainstream. Awaiting the international trade audience are independent fashion, urban and streetwear creations in their own fashion galaxy. Under the design and event motto MOONWALK with its space-age styling, neon effects and electronic sounds visitors will enter a futuristic science fiction world.

An enthusiastic reception! The Première Vision Pluriel events, which recently closed their doors at Paris-Nord Villepinte (18 to 21 September 2007) demonstrated an exceptional vitality, with remarkable results both quantitatively and qualitatively. Once again, the high numbers of international buyers, coupled with high levels of business exchange, underline the impact of this ensemble, which is without equivalent in the worldwide fashion arena.

Individual signatures, creative designs, highest quality—this is what the German bag labels that together started the "German Bag Designer" project stand for. Labels such as OWA, Sequenza, Gretchen – The Little Pearl and Nicole Pietag show bundled German trend expertise in the exclusivity area in hall 9 at GDS/GLS from 14 through 16 September 2007. The labels are using GDS/GLS to present themselves as a community to the international trade audience.

With its new Fall 2007 line, UGG Australia becomes a leader in the fashion world, while continuing to be the premier in comfort and luxury. This season offers a tremendous variety that spans from dress basics to high fashion for Women, Men and Kids. The versatile Soho Collection features beautiful materials such as leathers, suedes, sheepskin and even tweed. This collection satisfies a variety of...

A “new aesthetics” is asserting – reaching from the interior over architecture up to culture. These things that form our ambience also inevitably influence fashion. Clear outlines and new volumes characterize the look. Lengths and widths shift towards all directions. Narrow versus volume. At the same time rouses a “new bourgeoisie” – expression of a reversion to moral values thus creating impulses that enforce a turn towards “old values”. The fundus of “Queen Mum” is all the same plundered like the trunk of a British hunting party.

The Berlin designer Julia Lipinsky develops under the name of ZABOT new and innovative hybrid clogs. Zabot combines the look of Scandinavian wooden dogs and the shape of elegant and narrow closed sandals, which are producing inimitable silhouettes. ZABOT combines the features of timeless shape, high-quality materials of wood and leather, trendy colours and extraordinary patterns. Fascinatingly moulded leather and anatomically welcoming...

The launch of the first SALEWA footwear line was extremely successful. Now the leading all-round supplier in outdoor and mountain sports is presenting its first winter collection with appealing new colours and a special model with the winter proven Thinsulate liner. Thanks to the smart leather construction, exceptional lightness and the unique multiple last sizing, all shoes come with the striking 100% blister free guarantee.

The global leather industry may be changing, but it is also booming and expanding into new exciting – and profitable - markets.  That was the clear message from the twin APLF exhibitions, Materials, Manufacturing & Technology (MMT) and Fashion Access (FA) recently held over March 28-30, 2007. With the traditional leather industry merging into the vast international apparel and fashion industry both MMT and FA focus more and more into providing market intelligence, fashion and trend forecasting, and drawing in a far wider selection of buyers than ever before. 

Each season EJECT presents new innovative and extravagant models, without losing the brand identity and with the constant concern of dictating the international fashion tendency. The new Winter 2007 EJECT collection was inspired by the theme "body seduction… “where the seduction games are represented by the hot colors of the desire and the new groups Carol and CowBel reveal the lovers' silhouette melted in only one body, united by unbreakable links.

ispo china winter 07, which was held for the first time in the new location in Beijing from March 14th to 17th, 2007, registered a total of 12,059 visitors (ispo china 06 in Shanghai: 11,098) mainly from the complete Asia-Pacific Region. 300 brands from 20 countries presented their products and brand philosophies at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center in Beijing on 16,500 square meters.

“The new concepts have restored GDS to its former glory. The path chosen is the right one and should be pursued further.” Exhibitors and visitors at the ‘GDS/GLS – International Event for Shoes, Leather Goods & More’ and ‘global shoes & accessories’ fairs that drew to a close on Sunday were largely unanimous: Düsseldorf has regained importance in the international shoe and leather goods industry.

Fashion Access is one of the largest international fairs presenting shoes and leather goods. The fair takes place twice a year in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and it is a part of the APLF (Asia Pacific Leather Fairs). Contrary to similar exhibitions in Europe, which on relatively small space fight for a place in the calendar of fairs...

OutDoor in Friedrichshafen offers a wide range of new services: Free WLAN throughout the entire exhibition grounds – Direct hotel reservations via trade show organizers – A catchy advertising campaign with good slogans. "We handle even big matters fast and efficiently… and we have the most attractive setting imaginable." With a catchy campaign, the OutDoor team promotes its strengths and clearly addresses customers in their own language: "We offer a personal and service-orientated approach that is still very relaxed", explains Project Manager Stefan Reisinger, referring to the special dedication of the entire trade show team, which has made the ...