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The CEO of German sportswear brand adidas has said the brand plans to reduce the size of its product portfolio by a quarter to improve overall corporate performance.
Herbert Haine told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in a recent interview that adidas currently sells 46,897 different lines, many of which do not deliver the desired results.
“Twenty percent of our products account for roughly 80% of sales,” he said. “We need to remove the products where margins and volumes are too small. We will reduce our collection by 25%. New ranges for the younger audience, like Neo, will be added, meaning we will need to make greater cutbacks in other areas.”

Sumber : Footwearbiz News

China’s footwear machinery manufacturers had a difficult year in 2011. A report from the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA) has said that sales of locally produced footwear machinery declined in the first quarter of 2011 and experienced little pick-up in the second and third quarters.

Encumbered by excess inventory, machinery manufacturers discounted heavily during the fourth quarter of 2011, sometimes selling machinery to shoe manufacturers at zero margin to make way for new stock in 2012, the CLIA report says.

The association said that new footwear factories springing up in inland locations offer a degree of hope to domestic machinery manufacturers. Although the move of footwear factories to China’s interior from the more developed coastal and southern areas is mostly driven by the availability and affordability of labour, the new factories still need kitting out with machines. It also said Chinese producers were stepping up their efforts to sell machinery to footwear manufacturers in other emerging economies.

Fashion designer Giorgio Armani wants to include more leathergoods and footwear in future collections.

In comments he made at the Milan Fashion Week at the end of February and start of March, Mr Armani told Italian media that he regarded shoes and accessories as “easier”.

Clothes have to change constantly, he said, whereas designs for accessory and footwear ranges are current for longer and provide manufacturers and design houses with higher margins. “Look at the Kelly bag by Hermès or the classic men’s moccasin by Tod’s,” he explained. “They are eternal; they never go out of fashion.”

Some of our most successful footwear partners use our ‘Beautiful Prints’ program to extend their design story to the inside of the shoe. Brilliant upper choices that draw a consumer to a shoe are enhanced by subtle prints inside that immediately seduce her to try the shoe on. Bold stripes, feminine flowers, wild animal prints and daring ikats on any number of Dri-Lex fabrics give you literally thousands of design choices. With a Dri-Lex ‘beautiful print’ inside your latest creation you can offer your customer the best of both function and fashion. Bring something very special to a new shoe design, or new life to an existing shoe. Here’s how:

• Give us some design parameters – a photo of something you saw at Lineappelle, an illustration or drawing that got
  you excited, a swatch from the dust jacket of a book – anything that helps us zero in on what you’re looking for.

• We’ll send you PDF’s of prints selected from our enormous library within the guidelines you’ve given us.
  If we’re off on our first selections, we keep going until you’re satisfied.

• Once you’ve chosen a design, we then create a table sample on the Dri-Lex fabric of your choice.
  The process takes only a few working days.

• Once you’ve approved the table sample and it has worked its way through your internal approval process,
  we move to production either domestically or in Asia.

Italian leather footwear brand Violavinca has shown its debut "Made in Tuscany" collection at the Micam international footwear event. The brand says that it "combines the proud heritage of craftsmanship, sophisticated styles and attention to elegant wearability".



The brand has strong Tuscan heritage, related to the picturesque Torrigiani Garden, the Florentine location of the first Italian high fashion show in 1951. This link, which emphasises the the brand's exclusively "Made in Tuscany" production, also gave rise to the name, a combination of "violet" and "periwinkle", two flowers that can be found in its botanical garden and which evoke elegant femininity.



Sales director Nicoletta Francalanci said: "The collection uniquely combines bold cuts with soft and ultra-feminine structural forms, geometric-patterned damask, carefully measuring chromatic scales, inlays, vivid contrasts, soft and natural colours and vivid tints."

Micam Point, an event that runs parallel to the Micam international footwear fair, is back in central Milan for the 2012 event. There are footprints on the pavements of the city's fashion district, which, if followed, will lead people to Micam Point. Here, people can check their shoe size in front of ANCI's web TV cameras with a collection of red shoes.



Micam Point is the heart of the events of Micam Fashion Week. The venue is divided into five rooms with 18 video workstations, in honour of Italian footwear. Industry experts are present every day to meet the public.

For the second year in a row, Italian brand Vibram, best known for its high performance soles for outdoor, recreational, work and fashion footwear, has been named by US outdoor retail co-operative REI as its Vendor Partner of the Year.

The annual awards programme, established in 1993 by REI, recognises three key vendors for divisional awards and one vendor as its
overall Vendor Partner of the Year. Companies are nominated by the co-op’s three merchandising divisions, camping, action sports and outdoor, for their efforts to build a strategic and successful relationship. REI retail employees vote to determine the winners.

Angela Owen, senior vice-president of merchandising for REI, said on announcing the result: “We recognise Vibram again as they continue to attract consumers’ attention [with] new products. We value their extraordinary commitment to our business partnership as demonstrated everyday through their unparalleled service and support.”

Chinese sports brand Li Ning has announced that it will reduce staff numbers to rein in costs after it had predicted its revenue for 2011 had fallen by 6 to 7% year-on-year.

The company said on its website on 3 February, 2012, that it will streamline the organisational structure of various departments, including those for human resources, information technology and strategic development. That will help it increase its operational efficiency, lower its human resources costs and channel resources into its core business.

Li Ning plans to reduce its human resources costs as a percentage of its sales by 0.5% in 2012, said Demi Luo, who is in charge of the brand’s public relations. The company’s human resources costs as a percentage of its sales were 8.7% in the first half of 2011, he said.

According to China Business News, 4,215 employees worked for Li Ning in 2010, and the total cost of salaries and benefits exceeded $110 million.

“The adjustment will be beneficial to the group’s long-term development,” said Zhang Zhiyong, CEO of Li Ning.

According to the company’s ‘Estimated Results’ for 2011 and Outlook for 2012 issued in January, the group’s revenue had declined by about 6 to 7% below what it was in 2010 because of flat growth in orders and the repurchase of a portion of inventory from distributors.

“Because the cost of resources, rent and labour all rose last year, the clothing industry was greatly affected,” said Zhu Qinghua, an analyst with the CIC Industry Research Centre. “Worse still, sports brand made a wrong evaluation of the market, which caused high growth in reserves.”

A shopping precinct in the US was locked down and evacuated after a stampede of a 150 people who were queuing to purchase US brand Nike’s new Foamposite trainers. Shoppers had been waiting outside a Footlocker store in Maryland to buy the new shoes overnight when people began jumping the queue on the morning of Saturday 4 February.

The Washington County Sheriff’s office said around 15 officers were called to the Valley Mall after a disturbance was reported. Sheriff Douglas Mullendore told local media that the release of the new shoe drew shoppers from as far away as Washington, over 70 miles away.

Mr Mullendore said after the centre was locked down, customers were escorted into the shoe store a few at a time.

Police said some of the patrons claimed they had been in line waiting to buy the shoes since 7.30pm on Friday 3 February. The Foot Locker store had 90 pairs of the new shoes in stock, all of which were sold by 10am.

“When rare shoes are released to the public, people commonly buy them at a store, then sell them for a higher price over the internet,” Mr Mullendore said.

He said the Nike Foam, which costs more than $200, could fetch more than $500 online.

A tannery near Valencia that launched a project last year to use titanium instead of chromium to tan footwear leather has now said it is devoting 25% of its production capacity to the new product.

The company, Industrias del Curtido SA (Incusa), worked with Inescop, Spain’s technology institute for footwear and related industries, and footwear brand Fluchos on the initial project testing the suitability of the leather produced in footwear applications.

Managing director, Silvino Navarro, said in a recent interview that market reaction had been very positive, not only from footwear manufacturers, and that Incusa was now devoting 25% of its production to the product, which it has called Sanotan.

This name is indicative of the comparative lack of health risk that Incusa says some of its client companies perceive the leather to have. Mr Navarro said: “There are many advantages of the titanium-based process; it’s more sustainable as there are larger natural reserves of titanium. It’s also healthier, since titanium is hypoallergenic. There are people who are sensitive to chromium-tanned leather, which can cause various kinds of allergies.”

He said customers had made enquiries about using Sanotan to make watch straps and upholstery for cars and aircraft.

Amer Sports has announced that its Salomon mountain sports brand will open a new flagship US store in Salt Lake City in late March. The store will be located in the City Creek shopping centre.

It will carry Salomon apparel, footwear and other softgoods items. While Salomon hardgoods will not be available for sale at the City Creek location, customers looking for items such as skis and poles will be referred to authorised Salomon dealers around the state of Utah. The company said this would allow shoppers at the store to have the service of its boot fitters and be custom fit for footwear for alpine, Nordic and snowboarding.

“Opening our first Salomon flagship store in the US is a key step forward in offering our consumers a more rounded brand experience,” said Tim Wakaruk, director of retail operations for Amer Sports on making the announcement.

In coming weeks Salomon will announce the date of an opening celebration for the Salt Lake City store. The event will be open to the public and will include a tour, special gifts and drawings and athlete appearances.

Footwear firm Payless ShoeSource has signed two new franchise agreements with partners Emart, a business unit of Shinsegae Group, Seoul, for stores in Korea, and Central Marketing Group, a business unit of Central Group, Bangkok, for stores in Thailand and Vietnam, bringing the total countries which will have franchised Payless stores to 20 countries.

Payless and its partners said that in 2012 they expect six store openings in Korea, as well as five stores each to open in Thailand and Vietnam.

“The franchise model has proven to be a profitable and effective way to quickly reach more international markets with the Payless brand and all it has to offer,” said LuAnn Via, CEO of Payless ShoeSource. “Payless brings the know-how in footwear specialty retailing, a sophisticated sourcing and supply chain system and powerful seasonal product collections. Our franchise partners like Emart and Central Marketing Group bring their strong infrastructure and experience within the local market. Together with these new franchise partners we are truly excited to bring the Payless brand to these three countries and their nearly 200 million consumers.”

Emart has a fundamental retail discounting principle called Every Day Low Price (EDLP) across its markets, and in 2010 declared a new price policy in which the company continuously provides products at low prices throughout the year, rather than short-period discounting such as on a weekly basis.

Central Marketing Group has more than 50 years of experience in distributing and marketing international brands in Thailand and Vietnam. It manages more than 120 brands in six different product categories including fashion and sports apparel, cosmetics, branded watches, electronics and home appliances, IT and stationery and travel goods.

“We see strong alignment with our retail principles and Payless’ model and are thrilled to partner with Payless to bring its store chain to shoppers in Korea,” said Joo Hyung Park, executive vice president, Corporate Strategy and Operation of Emart. “Payless is known across the globe as an American brand that delivers great shoes and accessories for the entire family at a great price. We see strong synergy with Payless’ products when aligned with Emart’s number one competitiveness in the Korea retail market.”

“We are excited to partner with Payless to bring its store chain to consumers in Thailand and Vietnam,” said Vachiranunt Suphakarn, senior vice president, Business Development for Central Marketing Group. “They love fashion, shoe shopping and to get the latest styles at a great price.”

Through the franchise arrangements, Payless will provide both franchise partners with seasonal product assortments, as well as expertise in retail operations, merchandising, marketing and brand strategy. Both Emart and Central will provide retail location strategy, construction, logistics, store training and staffing and local marketing execution.

The chairman of the Council for Leather Exports, Rafeeque Ahmed, has said that Indian companies are keen to buy up western footwear brands if they get the chance.

At a press conference at the India International Leather Fair in Chennai on February 1, Mr Ahmed said Indian companies will snap up European or North American brands when they come onto the market as a way of raising their profile in the international marketplace. He cited Tata’s controlling stake in Move On, the parent company of the Aerosoles brand in Portugal, as an early example.

Buying distribution companies, resellers of big-name branded products, to increase their profiles is another alternative. Brands that want to establish a presence in India through the franchise model should also talk to Indian leather-sector manufacturers, he said, and he promised that the Council for Leather Exports would help companies outside India find buyers among its member companies.

“The Indian leather industry has gone to a different level now,” the CLE president said. “Our manufacturers are strong and they can buy out other companies.”

ASICS Europe has reported a sales increase of 13.2% between January and September 2011, with a particularly strong result in its running category. In running, footwear grew by 21% over the nine-month period, compared to the same period the year before. The company also reported double-digit growth in its tennis footwear lines.

Chief executive of ASICS Europe, Alistair Cameron, said on announcing the results that the company had invested heavily in a centrally managed retail organisation, a strengthened performance footwear team, a fully operational apparel design, development and product marketing team, the complete separation of a new fully integrated business unit focusing on the Onitsuka Tiger footwear brand. “Despite the economic challenges in our region, ASICS Europe is set to continue to outperform the marketplace,” he said.

Footwear retailer Office has appointed Allan Leighton, a former chief executive of UK supermarket group Asda-WalMart, as its non-executive chairman.

On agreeing to take up the role, Mr Leighton said: “Office has built a great brand, known by anyone looking for fashionable shoes, because it understands the customer’s desires and needs. There is still significant opportunity for further growth and I’m looking forward to helping build the business further.”

Office now has 84 standalone stores in the UK and Ireland as well as 52 concessions in Harvey Nichols, Selfridge’s, House of Fraser and Topshop stores, including in New York and Chicago.

In its home market, the retailer has built up a reputation for stocking good quality fashion shoes at prices only slightly above those of bigger fashion retailers such as Next and New Look. One criticism is that Office appears to make little distinction in its pricing for similar-looking shoes that on closer examination come from widely different sources. For example, three versions of a popular style of women’s court shoe were all on sale for around £50 per pair during 2011, even though one was made in China, another in the EU but from recycled leather, while the third bore the ‘Lavorazione Artigianale’ stamp on the sole indicating that it was hand-crafted in Italy.

Chief executive, Brian McCluskey, said on announcing the new appointment: “The business has been performing strongly all year, with 12 month like-for-like growth in excess of 15%. During 2011 we have opened eight stores and eight concessions and all have traded significantly ahead of expectations. This is a very creditable performance, particularly in the current environment and is testament to the incredible team of people we have and the fantastic brands and suppliers we work with.”

He said that i the course of 2012, the company will open at least six new stores and continue to invest heavily in its web business.

Footwear group Wolverine Worldwide has reported record revenue for 2011.

Revenue rose 12.9% to a record $1.4 billion, driven, the company said, by double-digit growth in each of its branded operating groups. Wolverine Worldwide’s Outdoor group includes footwear brands such as Merrell, Chaco and Patagonia. Over the year, the Outdoor group contributed revenues of $551.8 million, an increase of 18% on the year before. The other branded operating groups are Heritage and Lifestyle.

Other branded operating groups are Lifestyle and Heritage, which respectively brought in revenues of $200.3 million and $500.2 million in 2011.

On announcing the full-year results, chief executive, Blake Krueger, commented: “Each of our three branded operating groups and our direct-to-consumer business contributed to the year’s outstanding results. Additionally, all major international regions reported double-digit revenue growth, as our newly created international group focused on the significant opportunities outside of North America. We are very proud of the record performance in 2011 and are excited about the global momentum of our brands, our continued geographic expansion and the impressive product innovations we have planned for 2012.”

Move On, a Portuguese footwear manufacturer with a troubled recent history, has said it is preparing to lay off around 100 of its workers.

Last year, multinational group Tata bought a controlling stake in Move On, manufacturer of the Aerosoles brand of shoes. An insolvency event at previous parent company Investvar in July 2010 led to the government there, in conjunction with the five biggest Portuguese banks, taking the firm into state ownership.

Since Tata became involved, production has taken place at the company’s factory at Esmoriz in northern Portugal and at a factory in India. In an announcement at the end of January, Move On said it had decided to consolidate its Portuguese operations and focus exclusively on using its facility at Esmoriz to create new designs, manufacture samples for new collections and very small production runs of its highest-value models. It said it saw this as the best way to guarantee a future for the business and to give it “a cost-structure that is in keeping with the present state of the market”.

In a statement, Move On said it had communicated its decision to its workforce and committed itself to making the process of laying off some of its employees as quick as possible.

Italian National Footwear Industry Association ANCI led a delegation of Italian footwear firms to the Consumexpo consumer goods exhibition in Moscow in January. Following the withdrawal of funding for Italy’s export promotions agency last year, ANCI took over as organiser of the Italian pavilion at the event.

In total 51 Italian companies used the event to present their spring-summer 2012 collections and previews for autumn-winter 2012–2013 to the Russian market, which ANCI has said is one of the most important for Italian footwear.

Russia is Italy’s fourth-biggest footwear customer, having regained the ground it lost in 2010 when it slipped down to fifth place. Performance in the first nine months of 2011 showed growth of 21.6% in value and of 16.3% in volume for exports of shoes from Italy to Russia. These increases brought total exports for the nine-month period to EUR 424 million and 5.6 million pairs of shoes. An average price of EUR 76.18 euro per pair is also one of the highest in all export markets for Italian footwear and increased by 4.5% over the period in question.

“Consumexpo has lived up to the Italian footwear industry’s expectations,” said ANCI chairman, Cleto Sagripanti, after the event. “The 51 companies attending the exhibition met with highly qualified selected dealers to define the fine print of their last orders for spring-summer and consolidate their business relations.”

Oregon-based footwear company Skora has unveiled its Form running shoe; a minimalist, barefoot-inspired shoe with an upper which is crafted from goat leather and lined with sheep leather, making it one of the only minimalist running shoes with a fully leather upper.

The leather is tanned using Pittards’ WRX100 treatment, which Skora says adds permanent water resistance and allows sweat to breathe outside the leather. The treatment is also meant to keep the leather soft and supple. Skora claims the Forms can be run in without socks.

German sportswear brand adidas has unveiled the new 'adipure Trainer', the first barefoot training shoe designed specifically for the gym.

"A lot of engineering went into making your foot a high performance machine," said Mark Verstegen, founder of Athletes' Performance, which works with high-performance athletes and was a consultant to adidas in the design of the shoe. "To achieve your full potential during a workout, you should focus on how your foot interacts with the ground in the same way you think about how your hands interact with a stick, ball or a bat. Using your foot's natural power and movement will help you strengthen muscles you never knew you had in your feet, lower legs and throughout your core."

Adidas claims its new shoe "activates and strengthens muscles, builds balance and promotes dexterity". It has an independent toe separation design and a minimalistic profile, allowing the foot to be close to the ground for optimal speed, balance and agility during  workout.

The company plans to launch its new 'Strength & Conditioning' program featuring the adipure Trainer and a complete line of training footwear and apparel. As part of the program, adidas has signed on Canadian ice hockey player Mike Cammalleri to promote the line in an integrated marketing campaign that begins 30 January, 2012 and runs through the month of February.

"We're excited to have Mike Cammalleri on our team because of his passion and commitment to training for his sport," said Jeff Cooper, director, marketing communications for adidas Canada. "To compete at the highest level, you have to make each workout count. No matter what your sport may be, the adipure Trainer will help you prepare and ultimately perform better."

"When adidas approached me, naturally I was flattered and I quickly realized how this new shoe could help me when I train," said Mr Cammalleri. "The NHL season is a long one and you're constantly in the gym trying to stay at peak performance or rehabbing the bumps and bruises you get along the way. The adipure Trainer has helped me recover faster because the muscles in my legs and feet are getting a more intense workout. My balance is better and my legs feel stronger."

Chinese sports brand 361 Degrees has said it will open 500 to 600 new stores in 2012, specialising in children’s shoes and apparel.

General manager of children’s product for the brand, Chen Zhicheng, explained on making the announcement that 75% of children’s shoes and clothes sold in China at the moment are non-branded, meaning there is great room for growth in the market.

Enhanced foot care and Medicare coverage for therapeutic shoes are two factors behind a recent US government study that showed diabetes-related amputations in the country have declined 65% over the past decade.

"It's no coincidence that the decline in foot amputations coincides with the establishment of Medicare coverage for therapeutic shoes – that was precisely the intent of that legislation in 1993," said Dennis Janisse, C.Ped, director of Scientific Affairs at Orthofeet. "The study findings validate our mission to provide biomechanically designed shoes that offer advanced protection and mobility to improve quality of life among adults with diabetes."

The study was conducted by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published in the February issue of Diabetes Care. Researchers found foot and leg amputations dropped from 11 to 4 out of every 1,000 adults with diabetes over the period 1996 – 2008. The statistic is even more dramatic considering the number of people with diabetes more than tripled in the same period.   

CDC researchers noted several factors behind the decline, including improvements in blood sugar control, diabetes management and foot care. In fact, the researchers noted an increase in the proportion of adults with diabetes who received annual foot exams during the study period.

According to Mr Janisse, clinical studies indicate a correlation between early preventative care and the use of therapeutic footwear in preventing foot ulcers and, consequently, more serious conditions including amputations. He recommends adults with diabetes check their feet daily for warning signs including loss of sensation, sores or any kind of injury. Mr Janisse also advises they talk with a healthcare provider about the benefits of specialty footwear to minimize injury, protect feet and allow proper blood flow.

"Adults with diabetes will always be at higher risk for nerve damage and foot ulcers than those without the disease," said Mr Janisse. "The message from this landmark study is clear – proactive foot care and protective therapeutic footwear are important components of a comprehensive health, diet and lifestyle plan to help prevent amputations and other complications related to this chronic condition."

Sports brand Fila has announced a product collaboration with specialist retailers in the UK and Sweden to bring back a product that brought the brand big success in the 1990s.

London-based athletic footwear retailer Footpatrol, and Swedish retailer Sneakers and Stuff have agreed to stock Fila’s Trailblazer shoe. Fila says it has worked with its retail partners to “remix the style while keeping true to the century of design wisdom that went into its original form”.

Footpatrol’s general manager, John Brotherhood, said at the time of the announcement: “With the current outdoor-influenced product trends, the Trailblazer, which was designed in the foothills of the Italian Alps, was the obvious choice for Footpatrol’s collaboration with Fila. We look forward to introducing this co-branded Trailblazer collection to our sneaker fraternity.”

Available in two limited-edition guises, the first style, the OG Trailblazer, has a suede upper that is representative of the original. Available in black or red, the midsole includes the Fila logo, hiking D-Ring lace hooks for cord style laces, tonal stitching and the Fila Mountain logo stitched on the mesh tongue.

The second style, the Trailblazer AM, named after the Apennine Mountains in Italy, is a hybrid of the original using the same silhouette but with the addition of an outdoor sole “for an updated twist”. This style, available in tan or navy, includes a brand new blown rubber outsole, tan leather beading, premium smooth nubuck upper, subtle Footpatrol branding on the inner heel and some slight adjustments to the profile.

The limited-edition collection made its debut on January 28 at Footpatrol’s Berwick Street location in London’s Soho district during a special launch event. In Sweden, Sneakers and Stuff will carry the Trailblazer at its Malmo and Stockholm stores. Limited quantities of both styles will also be available for US customers from April from the Fila website.

Now Korean-owned, Fila celebrated in 2011 a century since the founding of the brand in Italy.

Twelve Spanish footwear brands have travelled to Japan to take part in a special promotional event.

Shoes from Spain, which this year takes place in Tokyo on February 1 and 2, is a repeat of a similar exercise that the Spanish National Footwear Industry Federation (FICE) has run in previous years, with the help of the country’s export promotion agency, ICEX, and the commercial section of its embassy in Japan. The 2011 edition attracted 600 visitors.

Figures from FICE show that Japan was the twelfth-biggest buyer of Spanish-made shoes last year, with brands exporting one million pairs with a combined value of EUR 27.1 million in the course of 2011. This represents growth of 47% in volume and of 36% in value.

US sports apparel and footwear brand The Finish Line has announced that Jay Custard has joined the company as vice president of digital marketing. Mr Custard’s responsibilities include leading and directing corporate strategies involving digital customer acquisition, retention and superior customer satisfaction, as well as developing new strategies to support future growth.

He comes to Finish Line following four years with Crocs, where he most recently served as vice president of global e-commerce.

“Jay’s appointment is key to driving long-term growth for The Finish Line through aggressive expansion of our digital business,” said Chris Ladd, Finish Line executive vice president and chief digital officer. “Digital growth is essential as our company continues to execute an omni-channel strategy where customers must have a consistently great brand experience as they interact with us through all channels, including our stores, digital, mobile and social media. Jay’s expertise and insights are critical to pursuing this strategy and resulting digital growth.”

The Hyderabad Leather Footwear Centre (HLFC) was inaugurated in India on 26 January, 2012, to promote the production of leather shoes locally and to discourage imports of footwear.

The representatives of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA), Sindh Small Industries Corporation (SSCI) and Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI), jointly performed the inauguration.

General manager of SMEDA, Muslim Raza, said that Pakistan needs 40 million shoes and sandals per year. Most of the local demand is currently met through imports from China, Mr Raza said.

“The local people have skills and experience of manufacturing quality footwear and they only needed to be equipped with the proper equipment to be able to produce the good in the required numbers,” he said.

Mr Raza said the HLFC was equipped with machinery for manufacturing shoes and hand-made small footwear manufacturing units for training the staff.

Senior vice president of HCCI, Turab Ali Khoja, said that the business community was happy on the revival of footwear industry in Hyderabad after almost two decades. “It is an old industry of Hyderabad but attention was not given to its development earlier,” he said.

The program was attended by Muhammad Junaid, project manager at HLFC, Zeeshan Ahmed, project director at HLFC, Syed Yawar Ali Shah and Adnan Khan, members board of directors at HLFC, Abdul Saleem Arain, vice president of HCCI and other businessmen.

Hollywood star Halle Berry is to design her own shoe collection for Deichmann Shoes, Europe’s largest shoe retailer.

A collection called Fifth Avenue by Halle Berry will go on sale across the Deichmann group in March and, among a surprisingly high total of 40 footwear models, will feature peep toe wedges, high-heeled strappy sandals and vintage slingback wedges.

Ms Berry will also feature in TV advertising and appear in in-store point of sale advertising. In the commercial, Ms Berry gets so caught up in the shoes and changes of outfit in her dressing room that she is late on a film set.

Of the collection, the film star says: “I think every woman would like to be involved in creating a shoe collection. My Fifth Avenue shoes can easily be worn by every woman.”

Heinrich Deichmann, owner of the shoe company, said on announcing the new collection: "We are very pleased that Halle Berry is our new partner. She is an internationally renowned artist and a global style icon.”

In the past, Deichmann has collaborated on shoe collections with the Pussycat Dolls, the Sugababes and most recently Cindy Crawford.

A San Antonio, Texas company is launching a new line of shoes specifically for pregnant women. The footwear is designed to help ease some of the discomfort mothers-to-be experience when they’re expecting.     Swollen, achy feet are a common complaint late in pregnancy. New Life Shoes created its new line specifically to address such problems.     “It allows for expansion of the foot, both lengthwise and vertical-wise, so 360 degree expansion, as well as five different layers of cushioning and support that are customizable,” said New Life Shoes president Mark Connors. “You can put in or take out various pieces of the shoe to accommodate changes in the foot.”     The shoes are designed with a special strap so women can put them on with one hand. Other styles of pregnancy shoes are currently in development, New Life Shoes said. 

US-based Collective Brands Performance has announced the appointment of Rick Blackshaw as president of the Keds brand. Mr Blackshaw has experience with brands including Converse, Timberland and the former division of Reebok, Avia, and most recently served as vice president and general manager for the Chuck Taylor All Star Division of Converse. He started in his new role on January 24 and succeeds Kristin Kohler Burrows who recently departed the position to pursue career opportunities closer to her home in New York.     Mr Blackshaw will report to Gregg Ribatt, president and chief executive officer of the Performance and Lifestyle Group (PLG) of Collective Brands, and will head all functions of the Keds team including product design and development, sales, marketing, merchandise planning and operations.     “We are thrilled to have Rick join and lead the Keds team. His background and achievements in the footwear industry are impressive, including generating significant growth across multiple brands,” said Mr Ribatt. “We look forward to his leadership and valuable contributions to our Keds brand as we drive market and product category expansion and share this iconic American brand with more and more consumers across the globe.”

Nicaragua's state agency for promoting inward investment, ProNicaragua, said at the start of the year that it plans to expand the country's use of duty free zones.

ProNicaragua's executive director, Javier Chamorro, singled out footwear manufacture as one of the sectors he is keenest to attract. He told local media that he would set up a forum during the first half of 2012 to show footwear manufacturing firms what Nicaragua can offer. He said the success two Brazilian footwear firms are having in the Central American country should encourage others.

He said the forum should take place in June and that he had hopes of convincing representatives of 45 footwear manufacturing companies from Asia, South America, Europe and the US to attend.

Mr Chamorro said Nicaragua has the ability to be a very competitive shoe manufacturing location and added that it was an industry that appeals to him because of its potential for creating large numbers of jobs.

Canadian singer Celine Dion has said she owns “about 3,000” pairs of shoes – an incredible amount which rivals Imelda Marcos’s 2,700-strong collection. The singer says she is obsessed with footwear and admits she can’t resist adding to her collection when she goes out shopping, but she doesn’t feel guilty because it’s her only real vice.

She said: “If you have, let’s say, 600 pairs of shoes, you’re considered a freak? I have about 3,000 pairs. Look, some people do drugs, and I buy shoes.”

Ms Dion said that she feels very lucky to be able to buy expensive shoes and other luxuries.

source : http://footwearbiz.com/

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Rhenoprint™ ready to use counters / toe puffs are produced directly in the individual shape environmental friendly, waste free and no cutting and skiving necessary. Easy and simply shape and substance change possible.

Pre-activation enables low temperatures and the use of heat prone upper and lining material. Extremely
strong adhesion – especially at the skived edges – is an important feature. Long open malleable lasting
time provides new working methods - the time gap between moulding of the counterpart and seat
lasting can take up to 10 minutes.

Uses for Rhenoprint™

As counter / toe puff in a variety of substances and hardness for insertion and in combination with synthetic heel grip lining for »one-piece-counter«

Shape of counter pattern
Any shape of counter can be produced on Rhenoprint™ machine. For economy however, linked sizes are preferable where possible.

Working preparation
By pre-activating of the flat counter to a optimum mellowness easy insertion possible and moulding temperatures can be reduced, ideal for heat prone upper leathers and lining materials. Pre-activate Rhenoprint™ counters at ca. 80°-90° centigrade. The activated material doesn't stick or slide and provides easy handling at a mellow state.

Back-part moulding and Lasting
Moulding of the inserted counter according to work preparation in the range of 80°-130° centigrade. Rhenoprint™ counters can be used with conventional back-part moulding machines as with modern hot-cold back-part moulding machines.

On conventional back-part-moulders best results are achieved, when counters are inserted warm and are moulded according to substance and upper construction at temperatures at 80°-100° centigrade and dwell of 10-15 sec.

The uppers should be fore-part-lasted immediately and seat lasted within 10 min. With heating devices process can be stretched to any lasting cycle.

Best advantage offers hot-cold system. Counters inserted at malleable state – pre-activated at 80°-100°C - 10-15 sec. and moulding ca. 10-15 sec. on refrigerated mould.

Lasts can be slipped after 20 minutes leaving heat setter, final hardness after 24 h.

Rhenoprint™ counters are ideal for Rink Systems.