Europe’s largest footwear trade show kicks off in Istanbul

The 72nd International Footwear Fashion Fair (AYMOD), Europe’s largest footwear trade event, has opened its doors at the Istanbul Expo Center on Wednesday.

Organized by the Turkish Footwear Manufacturers Association (TASD) with support from the Ministry of Trade, the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, and the Istanbul Leather and Leather Products Exporters’ Association (IDMIB), this year’s edition features 270 companies, including 29 international exhibitors.

The event showcases the 2025-2026 fall/winter collections and is expected to attract 20,000 visitors, including 5,000 international buyers.

‘Istanbul will be one of the world’s leading trade hubs’

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) Chairman Mustafa Gultepe highlighted Istanbul’s growing significance as a global trade hub. He stressed the need for continued collaboration to achieve this vision, noting that Türkiye had emerged from a challenging period with inflation and interest rates beginning to decline.

Gultepe said the second half of the year would see more supportive policies for exporters and manufacturers. While economic challenges remain, he emphasized that the primary goal of current economic programs is to bring inflation down to around 20%, a crucial threshold for restoring stability.

He also underscored the importance of Türkiye’s leather and leather products sector, calling for strategic clustering and an action plan to strengthen the industry.

Largest winter trade show for buyer delegations

TASD President Berke Icten pointed to the event’s strong international participation, with more than 590 professional buyers from over 30 countries hosted directly by the association. This year’s fair spans five halls, covering more than 50,000 square meters.

For the first time, a B2B (business-to-business) buyer delegation program, an initiative designed to facilitate direct business transactions between companies supported by the Ministry of Trade, has been introduced, bringing in buyers from the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea.

“This is the first time in years that we are seeing such a large-scale buyer delegation at a winter trade show,” Icten said. “At a time when the global economy is struggling, European trade fairs are losing momentum, and footwear trade is slowing, we are pleased to announce that AYMOD has opened with the largest winter buyer delegation event in its history.”

Additional tariffs to curb footwear imports

Icten also noted that Türkiye’s footwear industry, traditionally a net exporter, has recently faced a trade deficit. The sector recorded a foreign trade deficit of approximately $120 million in January alone, reflecting the impact of rising production costs and increasing imports.

He said the additional 10% tariff on imported shoes was a necessary but difficult decision. While acknowledging that it might not be sufficient in the current economic climate, he expressed optimism that the measure would help slow down shoe imports.

“Imports have increased the most in the sports footwear segment, where domestic production is still insufficient,” he said, adding that the government should reconsider policies on raw material and semi-finished product imports to better support local manufacturers.

He also warned of a sharp increase in shoe imports from Egypt, calling for immediate countermeasures.

‘Counterfeit footwear poses major threat’

Icten voiced concern over counterfeit footwear, saying it is a greater challenge for the industry than legal imports.

“This is a serious problem for us. We need urgent measures against counterfeit production,” he said.

While Türkiye imported 76 million pairs of shoes last year, counterfeit production is estimated to have reached 200 million pairs, posing a significant threat to the industry, he added.

AYMOD, Europe’s largest footwear trade show, will continue at the Istanbul Expo Center until March 22.

After the physical event concludes, exhibitors and buyers will still be able to establish business connections through the fair’s online platform.