APICCAPS will hold on December 1st and 2nd, in New York, the initiative Portuguese Shoes Showcase New York, during FFANY Market Week. The association wants to strengthen the presence of Portuguese footwear in the North American market, presenting the initiative not as a simple product exhibition, but as a structured market entry program. Each participating company will receive individual support to define positioning, choose distribution channels, prepare sales pitches, and select buyers to contact, complemented by B2B meetings, public relations, specialized press communication, and personalized mentoring.
In 2025, Portugal exported to the United States 1.8 million pairs of footwear, worth 84 million euros. The executive director of APICCAPS, Paulo Gonçalves, believes there is room to significantly increase these figures, highlighting that Portugal has product, quality, design, industrial capacity, and responsible production. The official argues that the Portuguese sector should position itself in higher value-added segments, competing on quality, design, flexibility, sustainability, and the ability to produce in Europe, rather than on price.
The United States imports approximately two billion pairs of footwear annually, worth approximately 26.9 billion dollars, making it the world's largest importer in the sector. Domestic North American production is only around 25 million pairs, representing a huge opportunity for a deeply export-oriented Portuguese industry. The high purchasing power of North American consumers and the interest in European brands associated with quality and sustainability are identified as favorable factors for Portuguese companies.
The choice of New York coincides with the FFANY Market Week, a period when the city hosts buyers from department stores, premium boutiques, retailers, and distributors looking for new collections. Paulo Gonçalves states that the traditional model of participating in an event with a booth and waiting for buyers to show up is no longer sufficient, emphasizing that it is necessary to previously identify who you want to meet, prepare the companies, and create the conditions for meetings to happen.
