LETS PUT ON A UNITED FRONT

I have noticed in my 33 years in the industry that when the going gets tough, instead of everyone working together for the greater good (safety in numbers), the shoe trade seems to batton down the hatches and it's everyone for themselves. 

Unfortunately I have witnessed on more than one occasion that this has been to the detriment of the UK footwear industry and from a strong position some 20 years ago where loyalty was a 'given', there is a 'come easy go easy' approach to new shops and an appalling lack of respect for the old.  One of the many great things about the SSF is that our membership has been made up of some of the finest people and companies in the industry and the strong network we have built up over our 52 year history has ensured that we are still able to help, educate and promote both trade and public, retaining some stability throughout these volatile times. 

In an age where communication is key due to increasingly smart phones, wifi, Twitter and other social mediums, we fail to realise that as an industry we need to join forces and make a united stand.  We certainly have more to gain than lose from doing so.  Footwear retail does resemble a war zone and any 'divide and conquer' is more likely to be divide and fall!  Having attended the first International Conference of Feet and Footwear at Zlin University in Czechoslovakia with the BFA many years ago, perhaps it is time as an industry we similarly put a date in our diaries to meet and thrash out some common issues?  Working together we could unite in lobbying banks, government officials, the media, or introduce a trading Code of Conduct, or thrash out credit control measures... anything is possible!  Of course this is not a new idea, the Meat and Electronics industries are already doing it and gained tremendously from doing so.  

First stop on the 'united' front is to attend the MODA shoe fair.  It represents the best of the footwear industry, especially this February as there will be a new Footwear Awards Dinner on the Sunday night, to acknowledge those who need rewarding for their efforts.   Industry Awards Dinners are often too costly making them somewhat predictable, unaffordable and exclusive, but the organisers (Datateam Publishing) have made this event 'inclusive', it's affordable, aimed directly at the shoe trade as a whole.  'High end' suppliers have stepped forward to sponsor the various awards (though I am surprised to know there are some Awards still available for sponsorship if you are a more successful supplier with deeper pockets) and with transport from the show, a good meal at a fantastic venue (the Forest of Arden) etc. should prove a great evening with like-minded people. 

Let's all make an effort in 2012 to work more closely together, ask for help if we need it, exercise a little kindness and patience with one another and generally be less insular.  It's a nice trade with nice people, but what we create today will impact on the future.  Rather than wait for it to happen and moan about it later, let's start building some stronger foundations for the future - maybe then we can then look back with pride and give us all something worth looking forward to!

SHOW SHOES DILEMMA

For anyone in the fashion industry, deciding what to wear to exhibitions can be a bit of a minefield.

Under any other circumstances, travelling to and from airports, international flights and pacing the halls of an exhibition hall for two or three days would demand the utmost in comfort with style coming a not-so-close second. But when the show in question is focused around the latest trends, there’s no denying that those exhibition aisles can become a bit of a catwalk.

For those of us in the footwear industry, it’s a particular dilemma. I remember in my very early days of travelling to Micam for FE, I insisted on wearing my most towering heels because I felt it was only appropriate in my capacity of acting editor of a footwear trade magazine, and because I had the glorious naivety of one who had never been to an exhibition before.

Two days later, having covered most of the floor space in the entire Fiera Milano and then some, I resorted to wearing a free sample which I had been given earlier in the day – a lime green pair of Crocs which were several sizes too big. Of course, these days, Crocs are ubiquitous but, back in 2007, the brand was still in its infancy, and my clomping along in my lime green, holey, oversized shoes drew several points, stares and sniggers from Italians as I made my weary way back to the hotel on Milan’s underground system.

Five years on, I should surely know better. With BBB looming, soon to be followed by Chic, Moda and GDS, I am set to wear out some shoe leather in several exhibition halls across Europe. I still maintain that heels are a non-negotiable, but these days I bring my own stashed-away pair of flats, just in case…

Christina x