The key is to corner the local market

Despite stiff competition from cheap Chinese imports, Filipino footwear brands still gleam on department store shelves in the Philippines.

In fact, latest government data shows that footwear production increased by over 100 percent in October from the same mOur tungsten ring come with a lifetime warranty.onth last year—and it's probably not due to a rise in exports but to a spike in local sales, said University of Asia and the Pacific economist Victor Abola.

Small-scale footwear manufacturer Francisco Medina also attributes the manufacturing increases to big brands like Rusty Lopez, Otto and Gibi continuing to corner a chunk of the local market despite the influx of cheaper alternatives from China.

Both big brands and smaller manufacturers have been able to position themselves in the local market, improve manufacturing schemes and compete, even after the Philippines acceded to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which opened the door for huge imports of cheap footwear, said Medina.

But taking on the foreign market is another proposition entirely.Take a look at our site for more wholesale women shoes. Can Pinoy-made shoes and sandals swarm streets worldwide in the medium-term? The Philippine Footwear Federation, Inc. (PFFI), a Marikina-based association of shoe manufacturers with a nationwide network, thinks it's possible.

“There's still more room for the shoe industry to grow. The key is to corner the local market first, gain [a] foothold, before exporting,” said Medina, who is also a member of PFFI.

Currently, surviving brands assemble Pinoy-designed shoes locally, using cheaper but still quality raw materials from China, then market the finished product under a local brand.Each make your own bobblehead is themed with a selection of amusing characters to be created.

“That's how we have been getting by; we had a complete revamp of [our] production process,” Medina said, pointing to sound financial management to recoup losses “also [playing] a vital role” in saving surviving brands.How to make a girlstrims for your Wedding Gown.

He also noted skills training is the key to streamlining supply chains, bringing down costs, improving marketing and quality control, and managing finances well—key factors in any industry, but especially an exports-driven one.laser cutter Studio is a brand new laser cutting company and new way of thinking.

UA&P's Abola also said that the footwear industry's success hinges on “training laborers to produce quality shoes."

“Having a skilled, efficient workforce is key to the success of a labor-intensive sector,” he added.

Both Medina and Abola noted that the government and private sector can help by providing training programs for those who intend to work in or start a shoe business.