From June 14 to 17, the renowned European trade show for footwear, bags, and accessories—Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags—was held in the picturesque northern Italian town of Riva del Garda, on the shores of Lake Garda. Luxe.CO was on-site to deliver firsthand, up-to-the-minute coverage from the exhibition floor.
Founded in 1972 and held twice a year, Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags has become one of the most prominent professional trade fairs in the global footwear industry. It focuses on bulk trading of footwear, bags, and accessories. Exhibitors not only present their latest collections under their own brands, but also offer ODM/OEM services. Visitors come here to discover new trends, place early orders, and establish connections with companies from major manufacturing regions.
Chinese Companies Take Center Stage
This edition featured 1,100 exhibitors from over 100 countries, with nearly 400 of them coming from China, accounting for approximately 36% of the total. Chinese attendees were a frequent and visible presence throughout the venue.
Notably, in the June 2023 edition, 1,300 exhibitors participated, including around 250 from China, making up about 19%. In December 2020, Chinese exhibitors numbered 374 out of 1,310, representing 18.5%. This year, the proportion of Chinese exhibitors has nearly doubled, marking a new record high.
On-site, a representative from a footwear company based in Dongguan, Guangdong, told Luxe.CO that they attend the Garda fair every year, with export orders making up 90% of their business, particularly to Europe and the United States. Another exhibitor from Jinjiang, Fujian, a manufacturer of athletic and outdoor footwear, showcased their complete production chain (see below for a list of their brand clients).
In addition, we found exhibitors from Chengdu. Upon speaking with them, we learned that their presence was part of a collective booth organized by the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Commerce. It was their first time participating in Expo Riva Schuh, and they brought a series of shoes rich in local cultural elements, such as the “Intangible Cultural Heritage Shu Brocade Shoes” shown below.
Several European footwear companies and their in-house brands expressed interest in the Chinese market. However, the “production efficiency and imitation capabilities” of their Chinese counterparts made some hesitate. Others indicated that without the right Chinese partner, it would be difficult to enter the opportunity-rich Chinese market.
In the A2-B2 Gardabags area dedicated to bags and accessories, around 90 exhibitors participated this year, double the previous number, with the majority from China. These companies hailed from Guangzhou, Dongguan, Jiaxing (especially Pinghu), Wenzhou, Xiamen, and Quanzhou.
This year, the Gardabags exhibition introduced a new layout divided into three separate zones:
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Gardabags Sourcing: Targeted at manufacturers and traders for the mass market and discount channels
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Gardabags Sourcing4Bridge: Aimed at companies seeking custom design development or private label production
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Gardabags Brands: Featuring companies with their own branded product lines
Luxe.CO spoke with Newcomer Group, a leading manufacturing company headquartered in Pinghu, Jiaxing. Founded in 1998, Newcomer is an OEM/ODM supplier for brands such as Samsonite, Diplomat, and TUMI, and also owns its own brands: NEWCOM, AROUND, and TIANTIAN.
At this year’s fair, Newcomer showcased products from Airline, a historic German luggage brand. In 2018, Newcomer acquired Airline in a reverse acquisition and positioned it as the group’s flagship brand in the aluminum luggage category.
A Glimpse into the Global Footwear Manufacturing Landscape from Italy
The national distribution of exhibitors offers a snapshot of the global footwear manufacturing landscape. This year, exhibitors came from 41 countries, with 40% from Europe and 60% from other regions.
In addition to China, manufacturers from Turkey (104 companies), India, and other countries made up a significant portion of participants. There were also exhibitors from South American countries such as Brazil.
European exhibitors were primarily from Italy and Spain, with around 200 Italian manufacturers and brands in attendance. These companies are primarily located in the northern regions of Italy, centered around Lake Garda and extending to nearby areas, including Brescia.
According to one Italian footwear manufacturer at the show, customers in Asian markets, such as Japan, are particularly concerned with whether products are genuinely “Made in Italy.” As a result, goods for those markets are produced domestically. In contrast, American customers focus more on standardized quality than on the country of origin, so products destined for the U.S. are often manufactured in more cost-efficient locations, such as Croatia.
This year marked the first participation of companies from Singapore, Hungary, and Ukraine, along with the return of manufacturers from Mexico.
The regional distribution of exhibitors closely aligns with industry data from The World Footwear Yearbook 2024, which reports that global footwear production reached 22.4 billion pairs in 2023. Asia accounted for 87.1% of this output, with China remaining the world’s largest footwear producer, producing 12.3 billion pairs, or roughly 55% of the global total. India followed, accounting for approximately 11.6% of total output.
On-site, Luxe.CO also discovered several distinctive European footwear brands, including:
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Gottstein, an Austrian wool footwear manufacturer founded by Hans Gottstein in 1926. Now in its fourth generation, the company specializes in wool slippers, all of which are produced at its factory in Ötztal-Bahnhof, near Innsbruck. Its in-house brands include Magicfelt, Stegmann, and Kitz-Pichler.
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Rock Spring, a Czech lightweight outdoor footwear brand established by Pavel Podzemský in 2005. The brand specializes in breathable, comfortable shoes made from woven elastic materials. Known for their portability and comfort, Rock Spring shoes are often referred to as a “second pair” for outdoor use. The products are primarily manufactured in China.
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Plakton, a Spanish sustainable sandal brand founded in 1995. The company specializes in the production and sale of comfortable, handcrafted cork sandals, all made in Spain. It’s worth noting that harvesting cork oak bark is an ancient craft that can only be performed by specialized workers known as descortiçadores. This task requires exceptional manual skill and experience to avoid damaging the tree, allowing the bark to regenerate sustainably.
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Puchitos, a Spanish children’s footwear brand founded in 1989 and headquartered in Elche. The brand is recognized for its use of high-quality, natural materials to create comfortable shoes for children. Its offerings are divided into two main lines: vulcanized canvas shoes for summer and fabric shoes for winter.
About Expo Riva Schuh and Its Host City
Expo Riva Schuh was born almost by chance in the late 1960s. Led by Friedrich Karl Eichholz, a small group of Italian and German wholesalers and agents began holding ten-day business gatherings twice a year on the shores of Lake Garda. These meetings took place in various lakeside hotels and maintained close ties with the local community.
As the number of visiting traders steadily increased, the event eventually outgrew its original venues. In 1974, the first official trade fair was launched, and a few years later, it came to be known as “Expo Riva Schuh.”
In 2003, Chinese companies began participating in this international exhibition for the first time, marking over 20 years of involvement as of today. In 2020, Riva Schuh & Gardabags organized the online forum series “Play Fashion: From Crisis to Restart,” with Luxe.CO invited to cover the event.
Riva del Garda is located on the northern shore of Lake Garda (Lago di Garda), Italy’s largest lake, at the southern foothills of the Alps. It is close to key commercial cities such as Verona, Venice, and Milan, and serves as a gateway to Austria and Germany. Surrounded by mountains and water with a mild climate, it has inspired literary figures like Dante and Goethe. After World War II, the area underwent extensive development and has since become a beloved holiday destination for both Italians and international tourists.
Encircled by towering limestone mountains and narrow beaches, Riva del Garda and its surrounding areas offer ideal conditions for water sports, cycling, and mountain activities. Just a few kilometers north lies the town of Arco, one of Europe’s premier climbing destinations. At the foot of its rock walls, the town’s streets are lined with specialty shops dedicated to mountain and cycling sports brands.
｜Image Credit: Luxe.CO
｜Editor: Maier
