The leaders of the Latin American footwear world chose a specific spot on the map to come together around the same table for the first time: Riva del Garda. It was here, with the support of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, that the LATAM Footwear Leaders Summit 2026 took place on 13 June 2026, during Expo Riva Schuh and Gardabags. The conference was organised by ACCAL (the Agrupación de Cámaras de Calzado y Afines de América Latina), representing 38,000 companies and almost one million workers.
The Latin American footwear industry, comprising twelve countries that together produce over a billion pairs of shoes a year, has chosen Italy as the place to embark on a new path of collaboration. This is a sign of just how much the Riva event has become an international benchmark for the sector.
But why now? The Mercosur–European Union agreement opens up concrete opportunities, but only for those who can present themselves in an organised manner. Europe is becoming a very interesting partner for Latin America, and Expo Riva Schuh and Gardabags provide an excellent gateway to joining a community that has focused on solid business relationships for years.
The table was coordinated by Daniel Risafi and included representatives from 12 countries: Argentina (Horacio Moschetto); Brazil (Haroldo Ferreira and Cristian Schlindwein); Chile (Félix Halcartegaray); Colombia (William Parrado); Ecuador (Jorge Pérez); El Salvador (Héctor Ramos); Guatemala (Marcos Wong); Mexico (Juan Carlos Cashat and Lucía Herrera); Nicaragua (Alejandro Delgado); Peru (Ricardo Espinoza); Uruguay (Alejandro Biasiolli); and Venezuela (Tony Di Benedetto).
Despite their differences in size and characteristics, the countries all highlighted the same problem: the massive import of Asian products, which reached record levels in 2025. A possible solution? Creating a facilitated market within Latin America and differentiating themselves, because low prices alone will not suffice.
Among the crucial issues facing the Latin American footwear trade were smuggling, counterfeiting and, in some cases, infrastructure shortages, starting with energy..
Some suggestions that emerged during the meeting included focusing on quality — in terms of both raw materials and design — as the only viable strategy in markets such as the United States and Europe. Some have called for an economic community modelled on the European one, while others would prefer to focus on internal free trade and common rules for labelling the origin of products.
The conclusions drawn by Daniel Risafi, the ACCAL coordinator, are concrete commitments: producing a joint document in the form of a sectoral statement to signal unity amongst Latin American countries that produce footwear; making meetings between trade associations a regular occurrence; and undertaking coordinated promotional initiatives. «Latin America has industry, talent and tradition. The challenge is to stop thinking individually and start building a common programme that allows us to compete as a region on the world stage».
