The Aegean Leather and Leather Goods Exporters' Association is organizing the national participation event for the second time this year at the Italy Expo Riva Schuh & Garda Bags Fair, one of Europe's and the world's most important shoe and haberdashery fairs, held from June 17th to 20th.Leather and leather goods exports have reached $865 million.The President of the Aegean Leather and Leather Goods Exporters' Association stated, "In 2022, we achieved $1.5 billion in exports. We consider Italy as one of the most important target markets to reach our $2 billion export target in the centenary of the Republic. Italy is one of the world's largest importers of leather products, with an annual import of footwear products exceeding $10 billion. In the January-May period, our leather and leather goods exports reached $865 million, a 7% increase."Record participationPresident Zandar highlighted that they made $60 million in exports to Italy in the first five months of 2023, with a 45% increase in haberdashery exports and a 3.6% increase in shoe exports."In January 2023, we organized the Turkey National Participation Event with 41 companies at the Expo Riva Schuh Fair. This time we will participate with 47 companies and welcome importers in a 1,300-square-meter booth area. The event with 47 participants is the largest national participation our Association has achieved so far. The participation from Turkey has more than doubled compared to before the pandemic. In the last fair, with 111 Turkish participants, our country had the second-highest participation after Italy, the host country. Our participating companies receive a high number of orders from visitors, and the importance of the fair is increasing, especially for companies preparing collections."Turkish leather exporters showcasing their products in the Metaverse for the first timeZandar reminded that they made history by organizing the world's first digital fair during the pandemic and stated, "In the first edition of the Expo Riva Schuh Fair, we showed our companies' shoe products to fair visitors in the Metaverse environment using augmented reality technology in the EIB trend area. This time, a total of 65 products belonging to our companies will be showcased in the EIB Metaverse infrastructure using augmented reality technology. Visitors in the EIB Metaverse trend area will have the chance to examine our products in three-dimensional 360-degree view. Apart from Turkey's national participation, no other country in the fair has another similar project promoting participant companies and their products. We are proud of this leap that will enable our country to make significant progress in digitalization."Rise in shoe and haberdashery exports to ItalyItaly ranks as the third country where we made the most leather and leather goods exports in 2022, with a 48% increase and an export level of $145 million. In 2022, exports to Italy included $53 million (47% increase) worth of finished leather and furs, $48 million (71% increase) worth of shoes, $31 million (42% increase) worth of haberdashery, and $11 million worth of leather fur and clothing exports.
