World Footwear

World Footwear Interview

Andy Polk from the Footwear Innovation Foundation: changing the industry from reactive to visionary

Premium ContentJul 21, 2025 / United States
We spoke to Andy Polk, Executive Director of the Footwear Innovation Foundation and Vice President of the FDRA, to learn more about the newly established Foundation and its most recent initiative, the Footwear LaunchPad

Eva Haak from AMI: Polymers in Footwear 2025 spotlights innovation and networking

Premium ContentJul 9, 2025 / United States
We spoke to Eva Haak, Conference Production Manager at AMI’s Polymers in Footwear Conference. We learned more about this year’s event, which will happen in Portland on July 16th and 17th

Darla-Jane Gilroy from GFFC: the first anniversary has laid the groundwork, now we are building on it

Premium ContentJun 30, 2025 / United Kingdom
In this second part of our interview with Darla-Jane Gilroy, Founder of GFFC, we talked about the coalition’s reflections on its first anniversary, the inaugural symposium attended by 150 invited delegates and the organisation's view of the future of the footwear industry

Darla-Jane Gilroy: the Global Footwear Future Coalition (GFFC) is uniting the industry

Premium ContentJun 23, 2025 / United Kingdom
We spoke to Darla-Jane Gilroy, Founder of GFFC. In the first part of our interview, we talked about the creation of the coalition, its four main areas of action and the necessity of a collaborative, pre-competitive space to address systematic challenges within the footwear industry

Torben Schütz (HDS/L): the Barefoot European Shoe Fair is the beginning of a success story

Premium ContentMay 26, 2025 / Germany
We spoke to Torben Schütz, Deputy Managing Director at the Federal Association of German Footwear and Leather Goods Industry, to learn more about the upcoming Barefoot European Shoe Fair, the first of its kind in Europe. The preview takes place in the summer in Offenbach, close to Frankfurt

Elizabeth Semmelhack from the Bata Shoe Museum: It has been a remarkable 30 years

Premium ContentApr 30, 2025 / Canada
We spoke to Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator at the Bata Shoe Museum, to learn more about the preparations for the museum’s 30th anniversary. Among other topics, we talked about current and upcoming exhibitions

Maria José Ferreira from CTCP : BioShoes4All aims to position Portugal to lead in the development of sustainable solutions

Premium ContentApr 8, 2025 / Portugal
We spoke to Maria José Ferreira, Director of Research at CTCP and Coordinator of the BioShoes4All project. We discussed some of the current environmental issues affecting the footwear industry and how Portugal is positioning itself to address these sustainability challenges

Paula Maestro from AIMPLAS: the ECOFAP project was born to give a useful life to the waste of the footwear industry

Premium ContentMar 31, 2025 / Spain
We spoke to Paula Maestro, a researcher at AIMPLAS and of the ECOFAP project, which aims to solve the problem of recycling leather offcuts in footwear manufacturing. We talked about the projects’ objective, partnerships and anticipated impact on the sector

Benjamin Majster: Last Engineers supports brands to achieve their sustainability goals

Premium ContentMar 10, 2025 / France
We continued our conversation with Benjamin Majster, CEO of Last Engineers, about how the platform encourages collaborations between design and production teams, sustainability and the future prospects of the startup

Benjamin Majster (Last Engineers) envisions a future where footwear customisation becomes standard

Premium ContentMar 3, 2025 / France
We spoke to Benjamin Majster, CEO of Last Engineers, his French startup that focuses on delivering the “perfect fit” for shoe lasts. In part 1 of the interview, we talked about the fit issue, his solution and Last Engineers’ focus on customer satisfaction

Nikolai Christensen: MOVV aims to build a loyal community of runners by creating products that bring joy and progress

Premium ContentFeb 17, 2025 / Denmark
We spoke to Nikolai Christensen, Founder of MOVV, to learn more about his new minimalist and functional Scandinavian footwear venture. We talked about the company’s mission, challenges and recent initiatives

Katrin Ley from Fashion for Good: shifting the fashion industry towards circularity by championing innovations

Premium ContentDec 9, 2024 / Netherlands
We spoke to Katrin Ley, Managing Director at Fashion for Good, a global platform for innovation. Among other topics, we talked about how Fashion for Good is driving circularity in the fashion and footwear industries through a collaborative approach

Sergio Dulio: all UITIC gatherings are unforgettable, but the next congress will set new standards

Premium ContentDec 2, 2024 / China
We spoke to Sergio Dulio, President of the International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians (UITIC), to learn more about the next UITIC Congress in late August and early September 2025 in Shanghai, China. During our interview, Dulio delves into the significance of the event, its theme and what attendees can look forward to

Horacio Moschetto (CIC): we aim to adapt and position the Argentine footwear sector as a global benchmark

Premium ContentNov 26, 2024 / Argentina
We spoke to Horacio Moschetto, who has headed the Chamber of the Footwear Industry from Buenos Aires since 2003. We discussed the current challenges and opportunities for Argentina’s footwear sector

Florbela Silva from CTCP: how is Portugal modernising its footwear industry?

Premium ContentNov 11, 2024 / Portugal
We spoke to Florbela Silva, Head of Innovation and Digital Fabrication and CTCP FabLab, to find out more about the FAIST project, which aims to drive a significant reindustrialisation of the Portuguese footwear industry. During our interview, we discussed the project’s objectives, tools to be leveraged, partnerships and main outcomes
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