A return to its origins sets the tone for Motherland, the new international campaign to promote Portuguese footwear, starring actor José Condessa.

When everything is ephemeral and swaying, what remains is what keeps us grounded. At a time when the future is being mapped by the minute, the footwear industry is repositioning itself on what has always been its foundation, focusing its strategy on secure values. Experience, know-how, quality and durability of raw materials and products are the unique roots of the national footwear market. It’s through its traditional and historical links to craftsmanship that the industry innovates and grows agile and consistent. "It is possible to produce quality footwear in Europe, with avant-garde design and fair prices”, proclaims Paulo Gonçalves, APICCAPS Communications Director, and the results are in plain sight. In the last 15 years, exports have increased by more than 40% and Portugal has become the second-largest exporter of European footwear (surpassing Spain), landing in 174 countries. Portugal has also achieved one of the highest average export prices in the world. A work in progress, rooted in the past, but renewing itself every year, listening to the needs and geographies of today. A present that respects its origins and what is more fruitful.

"We have always wanted to be a testimony to a country full of talent”, says Paulo Gonçalves of the motto for Motherland. With countless public figures as the stars of the campaigns - from Albano Jerónimo to Sharam Diniz – many names plant these seeds and reflect the quality of Portuguese artistic work. From the photography signed by Frederico Martins to the looks created by designers Luís Carvalho and David Catalán, from the music by Ed Rocha Gonçalves (from the duo Best Youth) to the production and copy, the image that will now go around the world has Portugal as its starting point. With the unspoilt landscape of the Azores as a backdrop, the new Motherland campaign is an analogy to nature, where everything is born, but also where everything is transformed. It’s a celebration of the earth’s ability to renew itself, to surpass itself and to amaze. A celebration of creativity.

José Condessa embodies the universe of Motherland. With a solid career that started in Portugal and is now global, the actor continues to challenge himself while keeping his feet on the ground. After establishing himself in the theatre, foraying into soap operas, participating in the national fiction project Rabo de Peixe and in a short film for one of cinema’s greats, Almodóvar, José remains open to change with unexpected projects, but with the same roots: his talent. Aware of and interested in the world of fashion, he stars in the new Portuguese Shoes campaign, interpreting the harmonious relationship between nature and man. "I’m very proud to be the ambassador of the 2025 campaign of Portuguese Shoes, a project that aims to promote the Portuguese know-how worldwide in a field where we are masters, which is a testimony to our ancestral knowledge”, says the actor of this new role as Portuguese footwear ambassador in foreign markets.