Ulrike Kähler, Managing Director of IGEDO Company and Project Director of Gallery Shoes, defined this edition of the fair as ‘a breath of fresh air’ and declared his great pride and satisfaction in the trust sector operators continue to place in this event. A fair that in fact presented itself with a number of new proposals created to better reply to the needs of buyers in finalizing their very best collections, while helping them make the most of their available time. Starting with the entry into the halls, with new entrances, meeting points and catering areas, but also a new concept increasingly oriented towards the fashion lifestyle thanks to ‘Gallery SHOES Selected’ and ‘Fashion-Lifestyle’, to then end with the areas dedicated to Contemporary and Kids shoes.
Going more into detail, the Contemporary footwear zone was divided into four different halls including the Edelstahlhalle and the area previously used for the Kids’ exhibitors. Among the brands of significance that proposed their new collections here were the new entries Stefano Gamba and Hey Dude from Italy, Tamaris Bags from Germany, and Irregular Choice from the UK. Some of the brands like Cinque proposed their lifestyle proposals by also participating in the “Fashion Lifestyle-Show”, while brands like Clarks Shoes, Dutch, Frankie4 and Bruno Premi instead participated in the new ‘Gallery SHOES Selected-Show’.
The area dedicated to comfort footwear welcomed visitors through a new separate entrance, completed by its own catering zone. Among the new brands focused on well-being, exhibiting for the first time at the event were Leguano from Germany, Magical Shoes from Poland, and Sota from Portugal, while among the returning exhibitors that also participated in the “Gallery SHOES Selected-Show” were Berkemann and BOnova from Germany, Fidelio and Giesswein from Austria, and Spanish brand PieSanto.
A special focus was given over to kids’ footwear, which was hosted in its very own ‘exclusive’ area with central positioning, featuring protagonists of the calibre of Naturino and Primigi, but also Melania, Momino and Ocra from Italy; Bisgaard from Portugal, and Kavat from Sweden. Among the new entries were Acebos from Spain, Apepazza from Italy, and the American brand Blauer.
Starting from this edition, the Urban zone took up half of the Alte Schmiedehallen, with protagonists like the Spanish brand Jonny’s Vegan, with its eco collection made of recycled PET bottles, Apple of Eden from Portugal (the new collection of which was also part of the “Gallery SHOES Selected-Show” as was that of Superga from Italy), but also Hobo Shoes from Portugal, Blundstone from Australia, Havaianas from Brazil, and Jeffrey Campbell from the United States.
Last, but not least, this edition of Gallery Shoes once again made lots of room for the Premium zone, which saw the presence of brands of the calibre of Apair from Denmark, Croots and Cheaney & Sons from the UK, and Ecoalf from Spain, with its footwear made from natural resources and recycled materials of the highest quality. Plus, this was also the area hosting the latest collection proposals of the following brands: Castaner and Pons Quintana from Spain, Fiamme Antwerp from Belgium, and Pollini and Silvano Sassetti from Italy. Among the brands taking part in the ‘live’ events were Sheme Shoes in the “Fashion Lifestyle-Show”, but also Fred de la Bretoniere from the Netherlands and Aigner from Germany, which were protagonists on the runway during the “Galleria SHOES Selected-Show”.
“We have reached a point where other national and international events are arranging their dates around ours” says Ulrike Kähler and, with reference to the cooperation with the FICE (Federation of Spanish Footwear Industries) which attracted 80 Spanish exhibitors, adds “For the future we’re going to continue working on similar joint international projects.”
Next edition from 8 to 10 March 2020.