A new show for private label, named Co-Shoes International Workshop, will take place for the first time in Elche, in the province of Alicante, the region where most of the Spanish shoemaking capacity is located. The first edition of the new event will take place on the 22nd and 23rd of October at the Alicante Exhibition Centre.

Officially presented by FICE - Federation of Spanish Footwear Industries, the country’s main footwear industry association, Co-shoes has been announced as having the support of some of the most important regional associations of footwear manufacturers: AVECAL from Valencia, AICCOR from Rioja, ASPROFA from Almansa, APICT from Toledo, AFCYA  from Zaragoza and APICAL from Huelva.

FICE announced the event as an opportunity for manufacturing companies, firms, distributors and designers meet and present their ideas and projects, encouraging buyers and brands all over the world to source production of their shoes in Spain. The event aims the promotion and enhancement of the productive capacity of the Spanish shoe industry.

According to FICE, Co-shoes is shaping as an international workshop with the participation of Spanish manufacturers as well as companies from other European countries (France, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Turkey) and from North Africa (Morocco and Tunisia), Asia (China, Vietnam and India) and Latin America (Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Argentina).

Co-shoes will be held parallel to Futurmoda (International Exhibition of Leather, Components and Machinery for Footwear) also taking place twice a year in the Alicante fairgrounds, and setting a strong commercial and business forum and an attractive showcase for new proposals, which will make it, according to FICE, the largest workshop in the footwear sector in southern Europe.

Co-Shoes will compete in the same segment as tag-it by GDS, the show for private label in shoes and accessories organized and run by GDS, whose next editions take place between the 29th of July and the 1st of August in Düsseldorf, Germany.