Gallery SHOES & Fashion will take place from 29 to 31 August 2021 in Düsseldorf

From 29 until 31 August 2021, over 400 European shoe brands will be showcasing their collections at Gallery SHOES & Fashion in the ‘Alte Schmiedehallen’, ‘Kaltstahlhalle’ and ‘Halle am Wasserturm’ areas of the Areal Böhler in Düsseldorf. New exhibitors include Björn Borg, G-Star RAW and Parbleu from the Netherlands, Calzados from Spain, La Ballerina from Germany and Sandro Rosi from Italy.

Returning brands include Gabor from Germany, Giorgio 1958 from Italy, Högl from Austria, L’Autre Chose from Italy and Unisa from Spain.

“We are very happy about this development. Although it is still a tense time for the industry, the market is starting to pick up again,” says Ulrike Kähler. She also expressed her gratitude to the exhibitors who have been on board as loyal partners since the beginning, such as Arche from France, Bundgaard from Denmark, Cordwainer from Spain, Cycleur de Luxe from Belgium, Fidelio from Austria, Lola Cruz from Spain, Marc O’Polo from Germany, Naturino from Italy, Pons Quintana and Snipe from Spain and, also from Italy, the brands Superga, Thierry Rabotin, Vic Matié and Voile Blanche.

“With premium labels, urban brands and contemporary collections, the European brand segment is very well represented. We are particularly delighted about the many Italian and Spanish brands that will be exhibiting. As always, the Gallery brand portfolio will be rounded off by kidswear and comfortwear brands. Sustainable brands are also taking a keen interest in Gallery SHOES as a platform and increasingly choosing to fly the flag here,” adds Ulrike Kähler. A new important area that, according to Kähler, will be developed even further with accompanying info events in the future.

Sustainability at Gallery SHOES

Sustainability is taking on a whole new significance, especially in the fashion sector, which is also having an impact on the shoes and bag market. “And it’s all the more pleasing that these brands are choosing Gallery SHOES as a location for orders and information,” continues Ulrike Kähler.

Exhibitors already confirmed for the upcoming order event at Areal Böhler at the end of August 2021 include 8beaufort.Hamburg, a modern German brand that creates sustainable footwear from recycled and upcycled canvas. Not to mention AS Portuguesas with sustainable and eco-friendly footwear from Portugal and Brako from Germany, which offers chrome-free collections. Castell Massanet from Spain appeals to the contemporary market with shoes made from recycled materials. Ecoalf, also from Spain, is known for its sustainable premium products and “Upcycling the Ocean” ethos.

Free from harmful substances is also one of the quality features of EKN Footwear from Germany, which ensures better working conditions for producers and makes its vegan collections from recycled materials. El Naturalista from Spain is synonymous with urban collections based on eco innovations that save energy. Urban brand Genesis from Germany “wants to change the ecologically irresponsible and inhumane practices in the fashion industry”. Sustainable, resource-conserving and no petrochemical ingredients are three ways to describe Grünbein + Greenova, a contemporary brand from Germany. Hirsch Natur, also from Germany, offers socks made from purely natural fibres like virgin wool from certified organic animal husbandry, ecologically grown cotton, real bamboo fibre and robust linen.

nat-2™ has been taking the sustainability path since 1994: back then with the first fully compostable shoe and today with sustainable, environmentally friendly contemporary designs. And for Werner 1911 from Germany, the focus is also on sustainability and ecological production. Womsh from Italy will be showcasing its sustainable, ethical and, in part, also vegan premium collections. Rounding off the sustainability portfolio at Gallery SHOES is Zouri from the Ocean and its eco-vegan, on-trend shoes from Portugal that are made from plastic waste from the ocean.

Sustainability is also the focus of the HDS/L Junior Award 2021

In keeping with overall sustainability ethos, the theme of the HDS/L Junior Award in 2021 is: “Recycling/upcycling: Create a new style with used materials!”. Here the spotlight will be on finding new, creative recycling ideas that also meet the latest trends. “The results will be on show at Gallery SHOES. Together with the growing sustainability power of our exhibiting brands, this marks the start of a new theme for our future events,” confirms Ulrike Kähler.

Accompanying line-up

As well as the 2021 HDS/L Junior Award ceremony, the HDS/L press conference is also a must-attend in the Gallery SHOES & Fashion line-up. And visitors won’t want to miss the TW Order-Info with Simone Reiner and Gudrun Allstädt, which will be kicking off the event on Sunday, 29 August 2021. Fashion Trend Pool, represented by Karolina Landowski and Marga Indra-Heide, will provide further orientation with Season’s Best and the Fashion Forecast. Martin Wuttke will be giving visitors the lowdown on the trends for autumn/winter 2022/23 in the ‘Modeurop Fashion Forecast’. Specific information on the dates, times, speakers etc. can be found in the separate line-up.

TW Order Info – Spring/Summer 2022
Sunday, 29 August, 12:00 noon, ‘Alte Schmiedehallen’
An explosion of colour will dominate next summer’s fashions. To what extent will this apply to footwear? What does the new chic look like? How much will stay casual? The answers to these and many more questions during this still challenging order season will be discussed by Gudrun Allstädt and Simone Reiner, both fashion editors for TextilWirtschaft magazine.
Speakers: Simone Reiner and Gudrun Allstädt, TextilWirtschaft magazine
(Simultaneously interpreted into English)

MODEUROP Fashion Forecast – Trends for Autumn/Winter 2022/23
Sunday, 29 August, 3:00 pm, ‘Alte Schmiedehallen’
MODEUROP is the official trend fashion platform and integrated as an organisation into the DSI (German Shoe Institute). With the ColourCard, the ForeCasts and the ColourClubConference, it provides the design and creative studios of shoe and accessory manufacturers with orientation each season.
Speaker: Martin Wuttke, nextguruNow. fashion / design / concepts

HDS/L Press Conference
Monday, 30 August, 10:30 pm, ‘Alte Schmiedehallen’
With facts and figures, the HDS/L Bundesverband der Schuh- und Lederwarenindustrie (German Federal Association of the Footwear and Leather Goods Industry) will provide insights into the current situation in the shoe industry. And in addition to the latest industry statistics, representatives from the Bundesverband des Deutschen Schuheinzelhandels (Federal Association of the German Shoe Retail Trade), or BDSE, will report on the status quo of the shoe sector.
Participants: Manfred Junkert, General Manager of the HDS/L; Prof. Dr Siegfried Jacobs, Managing Director of the BDSE; Brigitte Wischnewski, President of the BDSE; Ulrike Kähler, Project Director of Gallery SHOES
Moderated by: Dr Claudia Schulz, Press & Public Relations, HDS/L
(Simultaneously interpreted into English)

Straight afterwards:
HDS/L Junior Award ceremony on the topic of recycling/upcycling with a small exhibition of the results
Monday, 30 August, 12:00 noon, ‘Alte Schmiedehallen’
Germany’s Federal Association of the Footwear and Leather Goods Industry has a long tradition of honouring aspiring young designers for their special achievements. “But beyond that, it is very important to us, especially in these difficult times, to support young, creative people,” emphasises HDS/L General Manager Manfred Junkert. That is why the association is presenting the HDS/L Junior Award once again this year. Honouring the most creative and innovative shoe designs, the briefing of the 2021 HDS/L Junior Award is ‘Recycling / upcycling – create a new style with used materials!’ and the judges will be looking for new, creative recycling ideas to reflect the current trend.

SEASON’S BEST – Spring/Summer 2022
Monday, 30 August, 2:00 pm, ‘Alte Schmiedehallen’
From puff sandals to tennis sneakers, or radical minimalism to explosions of colour: join trend expert Karolina Landowski as she presents the most important fashion trends and the top 20 shoes and accessories looks for the current ordering season.
Speaker: Trend expert Karolina Landowski, FASHION TREND POOL

Fashion Forecast – Autumn/Winter 2022/23
Monday, 30 August, 3:00 pm, ‘Alte Schmiedehallen’
What’s next? In her fashion forecast, trend expert Marga Indra-Heide will be giving a first comprehensive look at the fashions and key shoe and bag trends for the coming autumn/winter 2022/23 season.
Speaker: Trend expert Marga Indra-Heide, FASHION TREND POOL