For the first time ever, the world’s footwear production exceeds the 20 billion pair barrier (Source: World Footwear Yearbook 2011). China strengthened its role as the main protagonist in the sector, guaranteeing 62.4% of production, the equivalent to 12 597 million pairs in 2010. In total, the Asian continent guarantees 87% of footwear production. The footwear export numbers at a world level amount to 13 billion pairs, worth 85 billion dollars, which represents a growth of 12% in relation to the previous year. Also at this level, China is the clear leader with a market share, in terms of quantity, of 73.4% (the equivalent of 9 930 million pairs of footwear exported in 2010). In terms of worth, however, China’s relative weight is substantially less, the equivalent to just 38.5% of the total.