World Footwear

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US Retail: fashion retail under pressure despite signs of recovery

Although overall retail sales increased in the first half of the year, fashion sales fell, weighed down by weak demand in the early months, inflationary pressures and new tariffs. In this context, the online channel remains a bright spot, as consumers increasingly seek convenience and discounts. At the same time, footwear imports in the first seven months of the year recorded higher values but lower volumes, as average prices climbed under tariff pressure. Despite glimpses of improvement, retailers face a challenging road ahead, with fragile consumer sentiment and uncertain trade policy

BioShoes4All took centre stage at MICAM

Sep 19, 2025 / Portugal
BioShoes4All, a project coordinated by the Portuguese Footwear Technology Centre (CTCP) focusing on the development of sustainable footwear, presented its main results at the last edition of MICAM

Kering appoints Francesca Bellettini as President and CEO of Gucci

Sep 19, 2025 / France
The France-based luxury group has appointed Francesca Bellettini as the new president and CEO of Gucci. She has the task of leading a turnaround for the struggling luxury brand

The best moments of the 22nd UITIC Congress

The World Footwear attended the 22nd edition of the Congress of the International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians (UITIC) in Shanghai at the beginning of this month. Today we bring you a short film with the best moments of the event, which gathered shoe industry technicians from all over the world

VF Corp announces sale of Dickies to Bluestar Alliance

Sep 18, 2025 / United States
The US-based outdoor and activewear group has entered into a definitive agreement with the management firm Bluestar Alliance to sell the Dickies brand for 600 million US dollars in cash

Daphne Wattiez from AKVO: when people, materials and time are valued, the result is more meaningful

Premium Content Sep 18, 2025 / France
We spoke to Daphne Wattiez, the Founder of AKVO. This unisex footwear brand employs artisanal craftsmanship and bio-sourced materials, inspired by the Mediterranean beauty. Among other topics, we talked about the brand’s challenges and her perspective on the industry

FAIST: main results to be presented at SIMAC Tanning Tech 2025

Sep 17, 2025 / Portugal
Taking place on the 24th of September during the SIMAC trade fair, in Milan, the FAIST seminar will present its main results. Speakers from CTCP will be in attendance, as well as representatives from the project’s participating companies

Primark's sales improve in UK and Ireland in second half

Sep 17, 2025 / United Kingdom
Ahead of the release of the full year results, the parent company of Primark provided a trading update that highlights sequential improvements in the UK and Ireland region

Brazilian footwear exports decline as Chinese imports surge

Sep 17, 2025 / Brazil
While Brazilian footwear exports declined in August, mainly due to the impact of the 50% tariff imposed by the United States on Brazilian goods, imports from China surged

Skechers goes private following 3G Capital acquisition

Sep 16, 2025 / United States
The Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital has completed its acquisition of Skechers. After almost three decades as a public company, Skechers has gone private

Kyaia expands portfolio with the acquisition of AsPortuguesas

Sep 16, 2025 / Portugal
The Portuguese group has acquired the eco-friendly footwear brand AsPortuguesas, also from Portugal, for an undisclosed sum. Kyaia already owns the Fly London and Softinos brands

International cooperation takes central stage in Simac Tanning Tech 2025

Sep 15, 2025 / Italy
The footwear and leather technology fair, happening in Milan from September 23 to 25, will welcome over three hundred exhibitors, emphasising global collaboration, sustainability, and innovation in machinery and production processes

Footwear as a Medical Device in the EU: Can classifying shoes as medical devices unlock new opportunities?

JUST RELEASED! Read the latest World Footwear Innovation Paper on footwear as a medical device within the European Union. Learn more about the EU's regulatory framework, the challenges and opportunities for footwear businesses

Inditex announces first half results

Sep 12, 2025 / Spain
The Spain-based fashion retailer posted a 1.6% year-on-year sales increase in the first half of the year. Early figures for August and September suggest a more significant increase in the months ahead

Asos and ITF sign landmark agreement to safeguard transport workers’ rights

Sep 12, 2025 / United Kingdom
The online fashion retailer has signed a legally-binding agreement with the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) to protect the rights of transport workers across the supply chain

MICAM and MIPEL close on a global high

Sep 12, 2025 / Italy
Celebrating MICAM’s centenary edition, the Milano fairs drew strong international participation, showcased new trends and confirmed their return to the Fashion Link Milano calendar for February 2026

Dick’s Sporting Goods closes Foot Locker acquisition

Sep 11, 2025 / United States
The US-based sporting goods retailer has finalised its acquisition of the footwear and apparel retailer Foot Locker, which was announced in May and valued at 2.4 billion US dollars

Designer Brands sees recovery signs despite second quarter sales dip

Sep 11, 2025 / United States
The US-based footwear group reported a 4.2% year-on-year decline in the second quarter, but said that there were signs of recovery fuelled by the back-to-school season within the US retail segment

Italian footwear exports grow in volume but shrink in value

Sep 10, 2025 / Italy
According to the latest data released by the Italian footwear association (Assocalzaturifici), exports grew in volume by 3.2% but decreased in value by 2.7% in the first five months of 2025

Caleres reports quarter-on-quarter improvement

Sep 10, 2025 / United States
In a challenging market environment, the US-based company saw its sales decline in the second quarter, albeit to a lesser extent than in the previous one. Stuart Weitzman’s acquisition has been completed