Europeans begin ‘high-end’ shoes project

An initial meeting took place in Porto to launch the knowledge and skills project.

A number of European shoemakers have joined a three-year initiative aimed at encouraging technicians and designers to gain both the knowledge and the skills needed to produce ‘high-end’ footwear. The first meeting of the organisations sharing in what has been called the ‘High-End Shoes’ project took place at end of January in the Portuguese city of Porto, with representatives present from footwear associations in the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Agreement was reached to assess the competences, knowledge and skills required to manufacture luxury shoes, and to draw up an ‘occupational profile’ of a shoemaker who is required to produce bespoke footwear.

An in-depth discussion also took place regarding the actual definition of a ‘high-end’ shoe. Delegates at the meeting pointed out in addition to ‘satisfying desires’, other factors in what makes a luxury shoe include using exclusive materials, original design, handcrafted processes, customised fitting and quality control.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the organisations involved expressed the opinion that the project will help to establish a new generation of exclusive luxury footwear technicians and designers in Europe. They also felt that it would help to increase employment opportunities and reaffirm Europe as a major source of luxury shoes for the global market.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 2 of the April 2015 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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