FICE is pleased at buyer interest in high-quality, unbranded Spanish produce
01/10/2014
Called Co-Shoes, the idea behind the exhibition is to help Spanish manufacturers link up with customers who want to source well made shoes from Spain and put their own brand-names on them.
High-end Israeli footwear designer Kobi Levi said earlier this year that he will source a new “factory-friendly” collection in the near future, with Spanish manufacturers among the likely partners he will turn to. New York-based label Stuart Weitzman has made all of its shoes in Spain for decades. And recently, a new handmade footwear label from New York, Jack Erwin, hit the headlines when major player Brown Shoe bought a stake in it. Jack Erwin was only set up in 2013; a major factor in its early success is that it is sourcing high-quality shoes from family-run footwear businesses in Spain as its partners.
FICE said in advance of the inaugural edition of Co-Shoes that more than 300 buyers have signed up to attend, including representatives of major brands and retailers from France, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Russia, China and Japan. They will travel to Elche on October 22 and 23.
The association said it aims to run the event twice a year, in March and October. It also said it believed many of the same buyers had a keen interest in sourcing high-quality, unbranded bags and other leathergoods from Spanish producers.
Image: Jack Erwin
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