Footwear Components Sector Faces Tough Competition at Major Trade Fairs in Italy

Sait Salıcı, Chairman of the Board of Footwear Component Manufacturers Association (AYSAD), attended MICAM (Footwear) and LINEAPELLE (Leather) fairs in Milan, Italy, leading global sector events, and closely observed the situation of Turkish companies. Following the fairs, Salıcı made assessments noting that the sector faces a challenging competitive environment.

Turkish companies' competitive strength weakened
Salıcı emphasized that the biggest problem for Turkish firms at both LINEAPELLE and MICAM fairs was inability to match prices, and noted that visitor and participant numbers fell below expectations. Pointing out that shoes of the same quality could be obtained at more favorable prices even from Italy and Portugal, Salıcı stated that Turkish companies' competitive strength had weakened. Salıcı said that despite the leather sector being competitive, the decline in orders and changes in fashion trends were concerning. He also stressed that other countries offering more favorable prices compared to Turkey led to increased imports and reduced competitive strength of Turkish companies.

Need for transformation, not change
Salıcı explained that the reason Turkish companies compete at higher prices compared to Europe stems from rising general expenses rather than raw material costs, and therefore emphasized that Turkish companies need to shift toward boutique production to protect and sustain their operations. Salıcı said, "We need transformation, not change." Stating that the old high-volume orders need to be forgotten for a while, Salıcı said the sector's future depends on embargoes the United States will impose on the Far East and improvement of relations with Russia. Despite the difficulties the sector faces, Salıcı noted that despair should be avoided, and called for returning to 2019 production volumes and developing new strategies.

AYSAF 2025: Footwear Component Industry Fair to Bring Sector Together
AYSAD will organize AYSAF Footwear Component Industry Fair at Istanbul Fair Center on 29 April-2 May 2025. Providing an ideal platform for the sector to meet its needs for shoe sole systems, leather, synthetic leather, textiles, EVA, metal and plastic products, chemicals, adhesives, machinery, equipment and production technologies, AYSAF will once again serve as an important bridge between manufacturers and buyers.