Join us Wednesday, February 28th at Clarks Americas Inc. in Boston, MA for this one day Footwear Compliance Summit to get updates on critical compliance issues from industry leaders and experts! Click Here to Register!

Footwear Import Data (Total Volume and Price)

U.S. footwear imports expanded modestly in volume and value terms again in November, continuing to suggest shipments in 2017 also will rise modestly. The volume of footwear reaching US shores in November rose a year-over-year 2.6%--higher for the ninth straight month--primarily owing to continued gains from Vietnam and Indonesia. Imports from largest-origin China slipped -1.5%--only the second dip in the last nine months. In fact, the Chart of the Month above demonstrates that footwear imports from China in November sank to the... You can access the total footwear, children's, boot, and athletic import data for November 2017 here.     Please note: you will have to log into the FDRA system; then any link you click on in this newsletter will automatically come up for you.   Click here to register for a user name and password

Sponsored By

Reebok Collaborates with Designers to Advance Flexweave Footwear Technology  Reebok is teaming up with global designers to explore the potential of Flexweave, its latest footwear innovation set to debut for spring.The footwear giant teamed up with Joe Doucet x Partners, Modla and Odd Matter to develop a custom collection of fitness prototypes with Flexweave footwear technology. What makes Flexweave appealing to multiple industries is its open figure-8 construction, which bonds unlimited fiber strands... Read more here.

Complimentary Webcast: 2018 Container Shipping Outlook

This webcast will analyze container shipping dynamics as 2018 begins and lay the foundation for what lies ahead. Register here.

Footwear Materials Cost Report A current issue that catches our attention this month: The Dollar.  Perhaps no other factor impacts costs involved in global footwear sourcing than the value of the dollar, both as the key denomination for many commodities traded globally and as a global currency. The US dollar resumed its slide in recent weeks, tumbling through support to three-year lows. The greenback is set to retreat in January for the tenth time in the last twelve months, and we suspect the currency may have more ...   Click here to access the latest   Footwear Materials Cost Report. Click here to register for a user name and password.

Product Innovation Apparel LA

FDRA has partnered with PI Apparel LA and are happy to extend a reduced rate of registration of $495 (a saving of $500) to all industry FDRA members. PI Apparel LA has a strong focus on footwear, and the industry-led agenda specifically dives into themes of digital product creation, data management, sustainability, materials and wider innovation. Key footwear speakers you should expect to see are Chris Hillyer, Deckers Brands, j Safir Bellali, Vans, Ryan Bezenak, Ariat International, and Natacha Alpert, Caleres. To redeem the reduce rate please   Register Here.

Today's Top Supply Chain and Logistics News From WSJ One of the world's biggest consumer goods suppliers is trying to fight upstart competitors with some of their own guerilla tactics. Anglo-Dutch packaged-goods giant Unilever PLC has started rolling out its own version of highly-targeted brands in areas such as toothpaste and shampoo as a response to the consumer movement toward smaller, niche or locally made products... Read more her e.

Don't Miss It!

Exclusive Travel Incentive For FDRA Members

FDRA is collaborating with APLF to offer FDRA members free trips to Hong Kong* to attend the biggest leather, material and footwear sourcing trade shows in Asia – APLF-Leather & Materials+ and Fashion Access . Members can also attend the Global Footwear Retail Conference, co-organized by FDRA. Click here for more information.