International footwear conference held in Manila

The 31st International Footwear Conference (IFC) – organised by the Philippine Footwear Federation Inc (PFFI) – was held earlier this year in the capital city, Manila.

The IFC is an international event, first held in Hong Kong in 1982. It is now hosted annually in turn by one of the 12 members, each representing footwear producers in the Asia region: Association of Guangdong Shoes Manufacturers, China Leather Industry Association, Council for Leather Exports India, Federation of Thai Industries, Hong Kong Footwear Association, Indonesian Footwear Association, Japan Rubber Footwear Manufacturers Association, Korean Footwear Industries Association, Malaysian Footwear Manufacturers Association, Philippine Footwear Federation Inc, Taiwan Footwear Manufacturers Association, and Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association.

The basic charter of the IFC is for members to complement one other’s unique strengths and needs, to encourage cooperation and reduce competition, thereby increasing export opportunities. This year’s event was attended by SATRA’s Vivien Hsieh and Dean Ashworth. Each IFC member offered a country status report, including a list of the top five department stores/retail outlets and the top five local and foreign brands in the respective country. The VIP guest speaker was Peter Mangione, Managing Director of Global Footwear Partnership LLC, who gave a presentation on US markets. Other important guest speakers included Gregory L Domingo, Secretary Department of Trade & Industry Philippines, and Marikina City Mayor Del R De Guzman.

Continuing this successful series of events, the 32nd IFC will be organised in Japan during 2013.

Photograph shows, from left: Roy Pena, PFFI Executive Assistant, SATRA’s Vivien Hsieh and Josielin Go, PFFI Assistant Director.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 3 of the September 2012 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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