Despite a 3.1% contraction in 2025, the Italian footwear sector sees the light at the end of the tunnel

Despite the persistent crisis affecting the fashion sector, the Italian footwear industry is beginning to show signs of recovery, even as it closes the year with a drop of 3.1%: the third quarter, in fact, ended with a drop of 0.9%, “a clearly better result than the strong contractions experienced in the first half of the year,” notes a statement from Assocalzaturifici.

“The current general outlook remains complex and does not save even the highest part of the market, but the figures for the third quarter point to a slowdown in the decline and a first ray of light at the end of the recessionary tunnel,” said Giovanna Ceolini, president of Assocalzaturifici. “Despite the lack of significant improvements on the geopolitical front, the ability of our companies to maintain a strong presence in European markets and capture demand in the most dynamic areas, such as the Middle East, is key to navigating towards 2026. Although business performance is uneven, with several companies still under pressure, the expected modest drop in revenues for the full year (estimated at €12.8 billion) confirms the resilience of Made in Italy.”

In the field of foreign trade, exports reached 7,720 million euros (-1.3%) in the first eight months of 2025. The most significant figure refers to volume: 131.8 million pairs were sold abroad, 4.3% more. This recovery in volume was accompanied by a normalization of average prices (58.58 euros per pair, -5.3%), indicating a correction after the double-digit increases of 2022/2023.

The EU (which exports seven out of ten pairs) is growing in both value (+2.2%) and volume (+7.6%). Germany stands out with a solid value increase of 6% and 10% in pairs, while positive results were also recorded in Spain, Poland, Belgium and Austria. Outside the EU, the Middle East remains the most dynamic region, with total value increasing by 13%, driven by an increase in the United Arab Emirates (+20%). Türkiye and Mexico also performed well. The Far East, on the other hand, remains under pressure, with a contraction of more than 20% in both volume and value, affected by the sharp slowdown recorded in China (-24.6% in value), as well as in all other major Asian markets (Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea), and by the CIS region (-9.2%, with -17.8% in Russia), still affected by the conflict.

“The US market remains under close watch, with the eight-month period closing up 2.9% in value against a drop in volumes (-4.2%). The sector is cautiously assessing the impact of tariffs imposed under the US-EU deal: while August recorded a disappointing -17.8% in value, preliminary data for September shows a responsiveness that was, in some respects, unexpected. To date, 55 % of member companies exporting to the US consider that the effects of tariffs are far from negligible, and one in five companies faces serious difficulties,” the note concludes.