TFL has released its new catalogue for Spring Summer 2028, presenting the latest colour trends for leather garments, footwear, accessories and for the upholstery industry.
The trends are divided into “Wearing” and “Living”. “Wearing” comprises inspirations and colour trends for garments, footwear and accessories. Here leather embraces a vibrant palette of brilliant yellows and greens, floral and coral hues, and warm shades inspired by sunsets and terracotta. These expressive colours bring fresh energy to garments, footwear and accessories. Splits, soft nubuck, lightweight lambskin and calfskin meet natural vegetable-tanned leather, combining tactile appeal with performance and versatility.
“Living” features all colours that will decorate the season’s interior designs. In this section, butter tones and warm neutrals create a soft, reassuring atmosphere, enriched by emerald blues inspired by the ocean depths. The palette brings warmth, elegance and a sense of immersive calm to contemporary interiors. Brushed calfskin, full grain cowhide, tumbled nubuck and soft nappa interact with travertine, light woods and metallic surfaces to create refined, welcoming spaces.
TFL Colour Trends Spring Summer 2028 invite designers to explore a season in which colour, tactility and technical performance come together, balancing authentic materials with contemporary lifestyles and a renewed desire for comfort, versatility and self-expression.
Sales volumes are down, but each item is worth more. In the first five months of 2026, Italian leather goods exports fell by 11.1 per cent in volume and by just 3.4 per cent in value, totalling 3.93 billion euros: the average price rose to 161.33 euros per kilo (+8.7 per cent). Is this a sign that the sector’s position is holding firm? To some extent. But the bottom line is determined by turnover, not by price per kilo.
And turnover, according to a report by the Confindustria Fashion Accessories Research Centre on behalf of Assopellettieri, fell by 2.5 per cent in the first half of the year, whilst the National Institute of Statistics (Istat) production index stood at -4.6 per cent. For a sector that generates 85 per cent of its revenue abroad (€11.39 billion in 2025), geography is a crucial factor. The European Union held steady (+1.9 per cent, France +2.8 per cent), the United States grew by 3.3 per cent despite tariffs, and Switzerland rebounded by 10.3 per cent. Outside the EU, however, sales fell by 6.4 per cent: the Middle East slumped by 48 per cent, with the United Arab Emirates down 46.5 per cent, and the former Soviet bloc region declined by 15.9 per cent.
Even within the sector, trends diverged. Handbags account for almost 72 per cent of exports and are the only category above 2019 levels (+7.5 per cent). Items made from alternative materials to leather grew by 3.5 per cent in value, whilst leather goods fell by 6.2 per cent. Small leather goods and belts saw double-digit declines.
The heaviest blow comes from the factories. At the end of June, there were 45,514 employees: 1,884 jobs were lost in six months, more than the 1,316 lost in the whole of 2025. There are 4,189 companies, 108 fewer than before. The number of hours of furlough in the leather sector authorised by the National Social Security Institute (INPS) fell by 24.1 per cent, but rose again in the second quarter (+3 per cent) and remain more than triple the 2019 figure. The war is weighing on costs: 38 per cent of companies report logistics cost increases of over 10 per cent.
The outlook does not appear any brighter than the figures just cited. Only 8 per cent of leather goods manufacturers expect a better third quarter, whilst 58 per cent fear they will end the year with lower revenues than in 2025. 2026 is therefore heading towards a new downturn, moderate but real: prices are holding up, but volumes are not, and it is primarily the labour sector and the areas most exposed to conflict that are bearing the brunt.
Milan, 15 September 2026. Shoes and bags pack their bags, whilst the technologies and machinery for production and tanning remain on display. It is a snapshot of the supply chain: the finished product on one side, the technology that processes leather on the other, all under one roof.
This is the rationale behind Fashion Link Milano, the project that has brought the events together with the aim of enhancing the strengths of each through a systemic vision. For footwear and leather goods manufacturers, the benefit is clear: in just a few days and within a single exhibition centre, they can view the collections at MICAM, the bags at MIPEL and the technologies at SIMAC Tanning Tech, as well as the materials at Lineapelle – even though the latter is not included in the visitor figures.
The overall figures show 37,000 professionals across seven halls. From Europe, visitors came from Spain, Germany, France, Turkey, Greece and Poland; from outside the European Union, they came from China, the United States, Japan, Nigeria and South Africa.
How does a buyer arrive at the trade fair these days? Usually with their work already planned out: digital research, selection of collections, and a schedule of meetings. The organisers have sought to support the entire process with digital tools, matchmaking platforms, in-depth content, training sessions and fashion shows, all tailored to each specific trade fair. The ultimate destination, however, remains the exhibition hall: it is there that discussions take place, choices are made and business relationships are forged.
After all, the supply chain operates in much the same way outside the trade fair too. The tanner needs to know where the footwear manufacturer is heading, whilst the leather goods maker needs to understand which innovative machines can improve efficiency and quality. Bringing MICAM, MIPEL and SIMAC Tanning Tech together on the same platform means representing a broad and strategic part of the fashion system, alongside the supply chains that sustain it.
The next showcase for shoes and bags is set: MICAM and MIPEL return to Fiera Milano from 21 to 23 February 2027.
From 2 to 4 August 2027, Jakarta will become the meeting point for footwear technicians from across the globe. The Indonesian capital, one of the country’s main economic hubs, will host the 23rd International Congress of the UITIC (International Union of Footwear Industry Technicians), organised in collaboration with KRISTA Exhibitions and APRISINDO.
The chosen title, “Shaping the Future of the Footwear Industry”, is a clear and concise one. The overarching theme is more complex: advanced technologies, sustainable production and resilience in a changing global landscape. These three concepts will be explored from various angles: artificial intelligence applied to product design, right through to Physical AI on the shop floor; sustainability viewed as a potential competitive advantage; the ability of companies to become more agile in an increasingly unpredictable environment.
Each day will have a different format. 2 August is dedicated to the industry, with visits to footwear manufacturers in the Jakarta area: a close-up look at the Indonesian ecosystem. 3 August is conference day, featuring keynote speeches, technical sessions and expert panels. On 4 August, the Congress will take place alongside ILF – Indo Leather & Footwear Expo and IGT – Indo Garment & Textile Expo: the trade fairs’ opening ceremony, a joint panel programme and a tour of the exhibition with delegates.
The Innovation Showcase is also back – the format introduced in 2023 that opens up further opportunities for content and contributions. There will be no shortage of networking opportunities in the traditional UITIC style: the welcome cocktail reception and the gala dinner.
Founded in 1972, the association has a history spanning more than 50 years and places technology, innovation, sustainability and the ability to anticipate change at the heart of the Congress. In Jakarta, therefore, the future of footwear is being shaped, starting from the factory floor. For further information: www.uitic.org
Almost one in five Italian leather bags failed to cross the German border this year. In the first half of 2026, Germany imported 372,000, compared with 456,000 the previous year (-18.5 per cent). Yet the value fell by just 3.7 per cent, to 112.2 million euros. Fewer items, higher average price. Good news? It depends on which side of the counter you’re looking from.
The picture is painted by the Federal Association of the German Footwear and Leather Goods Industry (HDS/L). Following the sharp decline between 2024 and 2025, turnover for German footwear manufacturers fell a further 2.4 per cent, from 1.17 to 1.14 billion euros. The domestic market fell by 2.8 per cent (903 million), whilst exports held steady at 242 million. The leather goods sector fell by 1.1 per cent. Stability, yes, but only at ground level. The number of employees at footwear companies with at least 50 staff fell to 8,943 (-3 per cent). In the leather processing sector, the decline was 11.1 per cent.
And what about Italy? German footwear exports to Italy fell by 23.6 per cent (11.9 million pairs). Imports from Italy fell by 17.5 per cent (10.2 million), dragged down by city shoes with leather uppers (-16.8 per cent). In leather goods, however, Italy remains Germany’s second-largest supplier and grew by 1.7 per cent, to 271.9 million euros. Only China ranks ahead, though its share of the total import value slipped from 44.2 per cent to 42 per cent. Meanwhile, German footwear exports to the United States rose by 22.6 per cent (re-exports?).
There is no shortage of clouds on the horizon. The war with Iran is driving up transport, energy and raw material costs, whilst price rises from Asian factories are being passed up the value chain. Then there is the bureaucracy. The forthcoming German textiles law, which transposes the EU Waste Framework Directive, will extend producer responsibility to footwear, imposing obligations regarding the collection and management of used products. The association supports the goal of circularity but calls for harmonised rules free from bureaucratic red tape. Also on the table is the EU–Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which must be ratified in time for it to come into force in 2027.
‘German footwear and leather goods enjoy an excellent reputation abroad: we must promote this and strengthen our international contacts,’ says Torben Schütz, Director General of HDS/L. Demand, therefore, has not disappeared. Price-conscious consumers continue to favour products that combine functionality, quality, design and durability.
A barometer with two hands moving in opposite directions. This is the picture painted by the data released on 14 September 2026 by Assocalzaturifici on the Italian footwear sector: turnover for the first half of the year fell by 2.3 per cent, exports for the first five months dropped by 2.4 per cent, yet the trade balance grew by 9.6 per cent to reach 2.16 billion euros.
According to analyses by the Confindustria Fashion Accessories Research Centre for Assocalzaturifici, between January and May 2026 exports totalled 4.77 billion euros, with a more pronounced decline in volume (-5.8 per cent). Regions affected by geopolitical tensions weighed heavily on the figures: Russia -24.6 per cent, the Middle East -34 per cent, and the United States -5.2 per cent. The Far East is slowing further (-1.6%) following the sharp contraction of 2025. The European Union bucked the trend (+2%), driven by France (+4.3%), the leading destination market accounting for over a fifth of the sector’s exports.
The most unexpected news comes from home. After three years of decline, Italian households’ footwear purchases have grown by around 2 per cent in both volume and value. Women’s footwear rose by 4 per cent, whilst sports shoes and trainers increased by 1.5 per cent: the latter now account for over 42 per cent of spending.
The flip side of the coin lies in the supply chain. The production index from the National Institute of Statistics (Istat) stands at -6.7 per cent. In six months, 151 active businesses closed down (-4.7 per cent) and 3,065 jobs were lost (-4.5 per cent) across industry and the craft sector: the number of footwear factories fell to 3,045, whilst the number of employees dropped to 65,279. The only silver lining on the employment front is that the number of hours of authorised short-time working in the leather supply chain fell by 24.1 per cent compared with 2025, to 12.9 million.
Giovanna Ceolini, president of Assocalzaturifici, describes companies grappling with geopolitical tensions, slowing demand and rising costs, and sees the trade balance as proof that ‘Made in Italy’ manages to create value even in difficult times. The call is clear: measures to strengthen competitiveness, investment and employment.
The figures therefore paint a picture of a sector that is holding its own in terms of value and in neighbouring markets, whilst its production base is shrinking. A growing trade balance is a positive sign, but on its own it cannot rebuild a supply chain that is losing companies and workers.
Zero point one. That is the margin separating 2025 from the previous year in global footwear production: 24.6 billion pairs, a step forward so small as to resemble stagnation. This snapshot comes from the World Footwear Yearbook 2026, the sixteenth edition of the yearbook published by the Portuguese Footwear Association (APICCAPS), launched in 2011. The figure follows a revised estimate for 2024, which now indicates growth of close to 10 per cent for that year.
Stagnant, however, does not mean unchanged. Export volumes fell by 0.1 per cent, whilst the value of trade rose by 1.6 per cent to reach 172 billion dollars. Fewer pairs exported, more dollars earned. Driving the value is the recovery in the average export price, which has risen to $11.65 per pair following the decline in 2024: it stood at $8.87 in 2016 and remains below the record high of $11.96 set in 2023. There is a marked difference between regions: $34.76 per pair in Europe, compared with $8.02 in Asia, reflecting very different market structures, production profiles and market positioning.
Asia remains the centre of gravity, whichever way you look at it: it produces 88.7 per cent of the world’s footwear and consumes 56 per cent of it. China produces 13.7 billion pairs, accounting for 55.6 per cent of the total, followed by India with 3 billion (12.2 per cent) and Vietnam with 1.7 billion (6.7 per cent). Outside Asia, only Brazil (3.4 per cent) and Mexico (0.9 per cent) feature among the top ten producers.
2025 World Footwear Consumption
Anyone who imagines China’s dominance to be unchanging needs to think again. China exports 9 billion pairs, but its share of global exports has fallen to 61.2 per cent, down from 69.1 per cent ten years ago. Vietnam has benefited most of all, rising to 11.2 per cent. In Europe, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands act as logistics and re-export hubs, and Germany ranks fourth in the world in terms of export volumes.
In terms of consumption, the disparities between regions are stark. In North America, an average of 4.6 pairs per person are purchased, compared with 4.1 in Europe and 1.6 in Africa. China is the leading market with 4.8 billion pairs, ahead of India (2.8 billion) and the United States (1.95 billion).
The outlook for 2025, therefore, points to a market that is growing not in volume but in value, with its centre of gravity increasingly defined by Asian consumers.
A new independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of leather was officially unveiled in Milan on September 15, during the fair Lineapelle. The Global Leather Alliance (GLA) was founded with the goal of becoming a unified platform to help the global leather industry speak with one voice, coordinate awareness-raising initiatives, disseminate objective information about the material, support training and research, and strengthen confidence in one of the world’s most natural, durable, and circular materials.
Marc Smit, CEO of Royal Smit & Zoon
Its mission is “to bring together industry leaders to protect, promote, and support the future of leather.” Marc Smit, CEO of the Dutch tanning chemicals company Smit & Zoon, was appointed president, alongside Vice President Randy Johnson, CEO of Pangea, a global supplier of automotive leather. In addition to Smit & Zoon and Pangea, founding members include the international companies JBS, TFL, Muno, AI Topper, Howe, and ISA. “We are proud to support an initiative that unites our industry around a common mission,” said Marc Smit. “The challenges we face are too great to be managed by a single company, a single country, or a single stakeholder.” The Global Leather Alliance therefore aims to build a global collaborative network capable of mobilizing the entire supply chain around a shared goal: to protect, promote, and enhance the value of genuine leather through industry engagement, information, training, cooperation, and communication grounded in scientific evidence. As the organization itself explains on its website, the GLA “will strategically raise and deploy funds from the sector to scale up the most effective projects, fill critical gaps, and address the global challenges and opportunities facing the leather industry.” Priorities also include coordinating existing organizations and leveraging the expertise, research, and resources available throughout the entire value chain. Initial funding will come from membership dues, with the goal of securing additional resources through private and public grants and other forms of support. Members will help define the organization’s strategies and activities by voting on which projects to develop and how to fund them. The GLA also intends to invest in shared market research and science-based initiatives, avoiding duplication of efforts that individual organizations would otherwise have to undertake on their own. Another stated goal is to foster dialogue among the various geographic regions of the supply chain, helping to build a unified voice at the international level. Jim Deheer, who has been appointed executive director, will lead the new organization’s day-to-day operations. An expert in sustainability and communications within the leather sector, he brings professional experience from the Scottish Leather Group, the Leather Working Group, One 4 Leather, and Leather Naturally. Another strategic role has been entrusted to Katie Kutskill, the leader of the U.S. leather advocacy campaign “Is It Leather?”, who has been appointed Governance & Strategic Advisor. It now remains to be seen how the Global Leather Alliance will fit into the landscape of organizations already active in promoting leather, starting with Leather Naturally, with which it largely shares objectives and goals. The ability to develop synergies with existing organizations, while leveraging their work and expertise, will be a key factor in assessing the new alliance’s actual contribution to the industry.
On Saturday 24 October 2026, from 10.00 to 18.00, at the GSC Group’s Leather Innovation Hub in Zermeghedo, visitors will be able to experience the ‘Positivity Cabin – 30 Seconds of Positivity’, Andrea Bianconi’s art installation.
Following stops in Milan for Simac Tanning Tech, then in Salò and Carrara, the Positivity Cabin returns home to the Veneto region to offer the community a special opportunity: to experience 30 seconds of positivity, before setting off for new destinations. The artwork consists of a golden cabin accessible to one person at a time. Inside, visitors can enjoy a 30-second timed experience marked by darkness, silence, light and words. They are immersed in a soundscape made up of hundreds of ‘yes’es spoken by people from all over the world – an intimate invitation to pause, listen and embrace a mental ‘yes’. On leaving, each participant receives a golden pin bearing the inscription ‘Yesss’ as a talisman. For the artist, positivity is an act of courage. The project invites visitors to slow down from the frenetic pace of everyday life or the hustle and bustle of exhibition spaces.
For the artist Andrea Bianconi, pictured here, positivity is an act of courage
Admission is free of charge, with no booking required. If you’d like to organise your visit, you can select a time slot via the following link:
BOOK HERE Positivity Cabin – Book your 30 seconds of positivity!
Where: GSC Group – Leather Innovation Hub Via Roveri 1, 36050 Zermeghedo (VI)
When: Saturday 24 October 2026, from 10.00 to 18.00
Anyone who has bought a fridge or a dishwasher in recent years will have spotted a line on their invoice that often goes unnoticed: ‘environmental levy paid’. Before long, the same wording could appear on the receipt for a pair of lace-ups. The scheme is called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and is set to be introduced in Italy for clothing, footwear, textiles and leather goods. We discussed this at MICAM Milan in September 2026 with Mauro Chezzi, deputy director of Confindustria Moda – Textile and Fashion Federation and association representative for Retex.Green, the consortium for the circular economy in the fashion sector, which announced its partnership with Assocalzaturifici at the fair itself.
Let’s start with the consortium. What is Retex.Green?
We founded it in March 2022 as Confindustria Moda, together with Assocalzaturifici and other associations within the Confindustria system, to promote circularity across the entire clothing and footwear supply chain. We did so in anticipation of the regulatory changes coming from Europe, which have already begun to come into force.
What changed in July 2026?
The first requirement of the European Ecodesign Regulation, approved two years ago, has come into force. It applies to large companies with over 250 employees and prohibits the destruction of unsold garments, except in a few cases provided for by the legislation. For over a year, we have been working on circularity measures to prevent destruction and to ensure that, where it is necessary and lawful, it takes place under the strictest possible criteria.
The next phase will be EPR. When will this come into effect?
Hypothetically speaking: if, by the end of 2026, the interministerial decree signed by the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy and the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security is published in the Official Gazette, companies will have four months to register with a consortium. Entities placing finished products on the Italian market, whether under their own brand or under licence, are obliged to comply. Small businesses will have an extra year.
How will the eco-contribution be calculated?
Each consortium will ask its members for a declaration of the quantity placed on the national market, expressed in kilograms. Exports do not count, but imports do. Using these funds, the consortium will establish a collection and sorting chain, following this order of priority: reuse, recycling and, finally, waste-to-energy. Retex.Green will not send anything to landfill: this is a practice we believe should be phased out as soon as possible.
Who actually bears the cost?
For companies, it is a matter of outlay, not cost. The principle is ‘the polluter pays’: companies pay the eco-contribution upfront and include it on the invoice or receipt, as is already the case for household appliances. The cost falls on the end consumer, who physically generates the waste.
Not all shoes, however, are the same.
The legislation aims to reward the most circular products. The parameters currently being developed are durability, recyclability, reparability and recycled content, although the list is not yet exhaustive. Those who work on these aspects will receive bonuses, i.e. reductions in the eco-contribution. Reducing the contribution means reducing the resources the company must advance to the system.
Is the supply chain involved in any way?
The manufacturing sector has no direct obligations, but it must supply circular products to those who place them on the market, thereby securing economic benefits. This is a stated objective of the legislation: those who sell govern the supply chain and have the leverage – including commercial leverage – to require it to fall into line. The linear model – in which products are manufactured, resources are consumed and waste is disposed of – has its days numbered.
What should a footwear manufacturer do now?
Realise that it is no longer a question of ‘if’, but of ‘when’ the regulation will come into force, because there is a European directive underpinning it: at most, it will be delayed by a few months. Aligning with the regulation now is not a gamble; it is a guarantee of competitiveness. It is advisable to identify the right consortium quickly. Retex.Green has the advantage of not having started out as an EPR expert, but rather as a specialist in footwear, clothing, textiles and leather goods. We believe it is important to have a partner who understands the sector’s challenges. Our aim is to drive research and innovation in recycling.
At MICAM, you also announced an incentive.
We have signed an agreement with Assocalzaturifici and the trade fair organisers: MICAM exhibitors who join Retex.Green by 31 December 2026 will not have to pay the membership fee for 2026 and 2027.
