Footwear Exports Rise 21%

Global shoe industry professionals will meet in Istanbul on 7-9 November for the 'World Shoe Congress', the sector's largest international organization. TASD will host the World Shoe Congress. Erkan Zandar, Chair of the Aegean Leather and Leather Products Exporters Association, spoke as a panellist: "This year's theme will be 'Shaping the Future'. The congress will address all critical topics concerning the sector, including new trends, technological developments and sustainability. As Turkish leather exporters leading in digitalization, we achieved USD 931 million in shoe exports during January-September 2023. Over the past three years, shoe exports have grown by 21 percent. Shoes account for 62 percent of our leather and leather products exports. To our main market Russia, we exported USD 124 million in shoes during the nine-month period this year, up 80 percent compared to last year. We exported USD 67 million in shoes to Germany and USD 58 million to Iraq, up 14 percent." Chair Zandar said, "After hosting Shoedex2020, the world's first digital trade fair during the pandemic, we became the first Turkish leather exporters to showcase our products in the Metaverse. Through our association's digitalization efforts, our member companies participating in the Expo Riva Schuh trade fair national participation organization display their products each year using augmented reality technology within the EİB metaverse infrastructure. At the World Shoe Congress this time, we will present our member companies' products to visitors using augmented reality technology in the Metaverse environment. In the EİB Metaverse trend area, visitors will have the chance to examine our products in three-dimensional 360-degree view."

Erkan Zandar, noting that company products will be modeled with realistic texture and reflection using software specially developed for EİB and integrated into the system in three dimensions, continued:

"In the EİB Metaverse trend area, visitors will be able to examine products in 360-degree view and, unlike the project from previous editions, through an integrated kiosk developed with the new project, will have the opportunity to try the shoe products of their choice on their own feet in the digital environment. By integrating company logos, price ranges, product codes, technical specifications and company contact information into the modeled environment, we will enable visitors to access our participating companies' digital stands from their location and examine products. Our sector, which has made significant progress in production and design, continues to reach new milestones in digitalization with the work we are doing."