Entries open for Footwear Industry Awards

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Sep 10, 2018

Entries have opened for the Footwear Industry Awards 2019, including a new award for Accessories Brand of the Year.

Footwear brands and specialists will be competing in more than 20 categories, including Footwear Brand of The Year and Footwear Designer of The Year at the event, taking place on 17 February at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham following the first day of the Moda Footwear Show.

Supported by the British Footwear Association (BFA), Footwear Friends and The Society of Shoe Fitters (SSF), The Footwear Industry Awards celebrates both independent retailers and global footwear brands.

The 2019 edition sees the introduction of a new category for accessories brands. The Accessories Brand of the Year category will be open to any brand producing high-end accessories that are sold in the UK and/or Northern Ireland.

“A great accessory is the perfect accompaniment to a marvellous pair of shoes. It’s only right that the Footwear Industry Awards extends the spotlight this year to include the premium accessories, that so many retailers in the sector stock to accent their footwear range,” said event manager Sue Wiseman.

Other categories will include the newly independent ‘Shoecare Brand of the Year’, ‘New Independent Footwear of the Year’, ‘Multiple Footwear Retailer of the Year’, ‘Best Use of Technology/e-tailer of the Year’ and ‘Shop Front of the Year’ award.

European anti-stress brand Rieker won the Footwear Brand of the Year award in 2018, while British shoemaker Loake received the Men’s Footwear Brand of the Year award. American trainer brand Skechers was crowned Ladies’ Footwear Brand of the Year and German sustainable brand Superfit won the Children’s Footwear Brand of the Year award.