On 27 May, designers, brand leaders, and sourcing executives from Reformation, Coach, Kate Spade New York, Revolve, Loeffler Randall, Margaux, Rag & Bone, Proenza Schouler and more gathered at The Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan for an evening panel discussion unpacking the shifting dynamics of global footwear production.
The conversation — moderated by The Business of Fashion’s Yasmine Dahlberg — brought together Paulo Gonçalves, executive director of APICCAPS, the Portuguese Footwear Association; Ana Correa, accessories and footwear strategist at WGSN; and BoF 500 member Patricio Campillo, artistic director of his eponymous brand Campillo.
Eighty-eight percent of the world’s shoes are still manufactured in Asia, according to the World Footwear Yearbook 2025. A confluence of geopolitical pressure, tariff volatility, and a consumer shift towards quality and durability is now forcing footwear brands to interrogate that dependency in a way they haven’t before.
APICCAPS has invested more than €600 million in automation, robotics, and sustainability infrastructure — part of a longer-term transformation that has repositioned the country’s footwear sector from a mid-market manufacturer to a destination for premium and luxury production. The nationwide association says Portugal already exports over 90 percent of its footwear production across 170 countries. Portugal’s sixth largest destination for footwear exports is the US market, which doubled over the last decade — reaching approximately €100 million in 2024.
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