The 100th edition of Lineapelle closed on a very positive note. In total, 1 134 exhibitors (960 registered in February 2022) from 40 countries presented their autumn/winter 2023 trends from the 20th to the 22nd of September. 

The fair received 32% more visitors than in February and saw a 73% growth in foreign visitors, with the highlight being the increase in visitors from the United States, India, Mexico, Turkey, and the most relevant European markets (France, United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain). The organization revealed that one of the most interesting data of this edition was the age of the visitors; they are increasingly younger. For the fair, this is "an important signal for the future of Lineapelle and the entire supply channel”.

Fulvia Bacchi, CEO of Lineapelle, stated that "it was a beautiful, lively fair, rich in contents and prospects, with pavilions attended from the very first minute by a crowd of interested, convinced operators, coming, as in the past, from all over the world”. The return of Asian buyers and a "higher influx of visitors than usual" gave a new spirit to the sector, which operates upstream of the footwear industry.

A total of 35 Portuguese companies attended the most important international fair for leather, footwear accessories and components. In the entourage, there were newcomers. Marqsol was in Lineapelle for the first time. The 2-years-old components company, which is dedicated to the production of soles for footwear, is now investing in a new generation of products where "everything can be introduced in the production”.

Multicouro, from São João da Madeira, is a regular at the fair. Rodolfo Andrade states that business "is very good” and that, thanks to new customers and the increase in sales, the company's turnover is already about 20% above the pre-pandemic period. "The balance of the fair is very positive, especially due to the return of some customers who did not attend since February 2020, such as the Asian ones. So far, we have not yet noticed a drop in demand or interest in seeing new collections, but the main topic of conversation is the uncertainty, the war, the reduction in purchasing power, and how this may influence demand in the short term”, he says. 

An opinion shared by Pedro Castro, from Aloft. "The general opinion is that it already felt like one of those "old-fashioned fairs”. Many people turned up to discuss orders. However, there is also some fear of the clouds that are coming, but what I saw, on the way back to the airport, was that everyone had a smile on their face, a sign that the mood was quite positive”. On the other hand, the responsible for the company states that "we managed to close subjects that had been a long time to be finished, which only proves that the physical is always the physical".

For Paulo Ribeiro, responsible for Atlanta, the participation in the fair "was very positive”, having exceeded expectations. "We noticed a greater influx of visitors. It was an excellent opportunity to make new business contacts, to show our innovative and increasingly sustainable products, which are constantly being adapted, and better understand market trends and visitor’s concerns”, says Paulo Ribeiro.

Sustainability
The components industry shows great dynamism concerning sustainability and, in each edition of Lineapelle, new developments are not long in coming. "Sustainable innovation is not just about materials, it also concerns the production process and the way products are used. It is a continuous process that also considers the entire supply chain. The fashion industry needs to be more sustainable, reducing waste," stresses Vitor Mendes, CEO of ISI Soles.

In this company's new collection, the highlight is in the models of soles for shoes that incorporate waste from other industries, such as cork, rubber, rice husks, tennis balls or even balloons from parties and birthdays. "The incorporation of sustainable materials, which are often more versatile than traditional options, allow us to create new styles without sacrificing quality”, claims Vitor Mendes. In the development of the collection, all materials used were "selected with great care, so they can provide maximum comfort, durability, and performance”, he adds.

Soviras, a company specialized in the production of straps for shoes, also introduced a sustainable line by "giving a second life to waste, reusing them in the manufacture of new straps. Combocal, which has also invested in sustainability, presented solutions produced with banana fibre, rice husk, and cork.

Back at the fair, Forever showed that has been as well investing in recycled and bio-based solutions. But, in the case of the Vila Nova de Gaia company, even the stand was built with 73% recycled material, and 87% of it can be recycled again.

Inflation and the war in Ukraine are the main concerns of companies. For the Portuguese Association of Tannery Manufacturers (APIC), given the effect of inflation on household income, the future is very uncertain. "Unlike what happened during the pandemic, when people were able to roughly maintain their incomes with lay-off measures, income is now being eroded by inflation”, says Gonçalo Santos. The secretary-general of APIC admitted that the industry fears "a demand crisis, as people will not have enough income to channel to non-essential goods such as footwear or leather goods, the main customers of the tanning sector.

Rodolfo Andrade is also "apprehensive” with the increase of inflation and the consequent fall of family incomes, since 95% of the company is intended to supply footwear companies.

In the case of Aloft, due to the company’s business model, the concern is not so immediate. The company specializes in technical soles, many of which are subject to demanding certifications, which, in many cases, presuppose long-term contracts that can reach ten or fifteen years. This fact makes the company slightly 'more immune to the more immediate conjuncture'. Nonetheless, Pedro Castro admits that some worrying signs are beginning to emerge. "Fearing a failure of raw materials or production capacity, many customers assumed higher than normal levels of intermediate stocks, creating the perfect storm. Many customers had inflated growth forecast models, and are now revising them to adjust to the demand”, he explains.