World Footwear Reports
Aesthetic Digital Personalization: Valuing Craftsmanship and Driving Business Value in Footwear
NEW PAPER RELEASED! Beyond functional engineering, digital personalization is unlocking new commercial opportunities and visual creativity in footwear manufacturing. A new World Footwear innovation paper explores how digital decoration, flexible printing, and on-demand workflows are elevating traditional craftsmanship while meeting evolving consumer demands.
Functional Digital Personalization: Engineering Precision, Health, and Sustainability in Footwear
NEW PAPER JUST RELEASED! Beyond aesthetic customization, digital personalization is driving a major technical shift in orthopaedic, medical, and high-performance footwear. A new World Footwear innovation paper explores how 3D foot scanning, biomechanical simulation, and additive manufacturing are establishing new standards for functional precision and sustainable production
Digital Personalization in Footwear: Valuing Craftsmanship in a Customer-Centric Era
NEW PAPER JUST RELEASED! The shift from mass production to mass personalization is redefining the bond between footwear brands and consumers, blending traditional craft with digital technology. A new World Footwear innovation paper focusing on this transformation is now available for FREE download
EU–Mercosur: A Practical Guide for the Footwear Cluster
World Footwear’s new guide is designed to help companies on both sides of the Atlantic examine what the agreement could mean for the products they sell, source and manufacture
EU–Mercosur: What Does the Agreement Mean for the Footwear Industry?
The EU–Mercosur trade agreement is now in effect. A new World Footwear study examines the implications of the agreement for companies in the footwear, components, leather goods, and hides and leather sectors
Retail Flash: Footwear trails broader retail across key markets
The retail landscape in the Netherlands, France, Spain, Germany, the UK, the US and Japan remains uneven, with the footwear sector often trailing behind broader retail and fashion categories. Fragile consumer confidence, varying pricing power and cautious inventory management continue to weigh on the sector, while stronger digital sales have yet to translate into a broader footwear recovery
Japan Retail: Higher rates meet an uneven fashion recovery
Against a backdrop of renewed price pressures and a weaker yen, the Japanese fashion market has experienced an uneven recovery. Interest rates have continued to rise, and consumer confidence remains subdued. Within the fashion sector, clothing inflation has outpaced that of footwear. Commercial sales also diverged, with textile sales enjoying a strong rebound, whereas apparel and accessories only returned to marginal growth. Meanwhile, despite falling volumes, footwear import value held up, supported by higher average prices
US Retail: Footwear remains under pressure as consumers turn to value
The US footwear market started 2026 under pressure. Footwear inflation accelerated beyond headline inflation, while sales lagged behind those in the wider retail and fashion sectors. Additionally, a rebound in imports in late spring contrasted with weakening consumer confidence. Together, these trends point to a market where rising prices, uneven demand and recovering supply are creating a more challenging environment, with consumers becoming increasingly selective and value-conscious
Average worldwide footwear export price reached $11.65 per pair
JUST RELEASED: In 2025, rising export prices continue to underpin global footwear trade, as reveled by the new World Footwear Yearbook 2026 recently released by APICCAPS, the Portuguese Footwear Association
Global footwear exports remain stable despite slight contraction
JUST RELEASED: Global footwear trade remained broadly stable in 2025, but subtle shifts between Asia and Europe reveal important changes beneath the surface. Check all details in the new World Footwear Yearbook 2026 recently released by APICCAPS, the Portuguese Footwear Association
UK Retail: Footwear market faces broad-based weakness
Although clothing sales remained resilient and online fashion retail continued to grow in the first half of the year, the footwear sector faced a more challenging environment characterised by ongoing price deflation, weak retail sales, and subdued household spending. A sharp contraction in footwear imports also suggests greater caution among retailers and distributors, suggesting that pressure has extended beyond consumer demand to inventory and replenishment decisions
Asia accounts for 56% of global footwear consumption
JUST RELEASED: The geography of footwear consumption is evolving, with Asia consolidating its dominance. Check all details in the new World Footwear Yearbook 2026 recently released by APICCAPS, the Portuguese Footwear Association
Germany Retail: Footwear remains under pressure
The German footwear market is under increasing pressure due to declining sales, rising prices and weakening consumer confidence. While total retail and online sales have remained relatively resilient, footwear and leather goods have consistently underperformed. Meanwhile, retailers have become more cautious, as reflected in declining imports and weak retail confidence, which points to a challenging environment for the sector
24.6 billion pairs: global footwear production in 2025
JUST RELEASED: In 2025, global footwear production remained broadly unchanged, recording a marginal increase of 0.1% to a total of 24.6 billion pairs, according to data from the World Footwear Yearbook 2026 recently released by APICCAPS, the Portuguese Footwear Association
Global footwear production holds steady in 2025
JUST RELEASED: In 2025, global footwear production remained virtually unchanged, recording a marginal increase of 0.1% to a total of 24.6 billion pairs, according to data from the World Footwear Yearbook 2026 recently released by APICCAPS, the Portuguese Footwear Association. This follows a revised estimate for the production figures in 2024, which now indicates a robust growth of nearly 10% for that year. While international trade volume saw a slight dip of 0.1%, the total value of exports rose by 1.6%, reaching 172 billion dollars-
-
World Footwear Public Calendar
Click here to subscribe an updated version of the calendar displaying the footwear trade shows.
-
-
-
Media Partners
Media Partners
-
Schuhkurier
SHOES-MAGAZINE.COM
La Conceria
Shoe Intelligence