Germany -- From 11 to 13 September GDS – International Event for Shoes & Accessories will once again be presenting all key trends for the coming season. As important business and trend platform for retail and industry, GDS primarily stands for a focus on quality, aspirational fashion and outstanding organisation.

GDS provides a very comprehensive overview of the progressive and classic prime segments of the market, fast-turning street and sportswear, design newcomers, brands with mainstream market acceptance and children’s footwear. Each concept area of GDS is geared to market needs and subject to constant further development. This means customary segments have been developed into individual presentation platforms for exhibitors and meaningfully themed experience spaces for visitors: the GDS Theme Worlds. September will see approximately 800 exhibitors from 40 countries display just under 1,800 footwear collections (correct as of July 2009) for the 2010 Spring/Summer season in the halls of Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre.

“GDS in September is once again all geared up for international buyers. At this point in time the collections will present established trends and the comprehensive programme of information and accompanying events is as important as ever in our day and age,” explains Kirstin Deutelmoser, Director of GDS.

An optimised hall layout in September will ensure that the lifestyle worlds are presented in an even more coherently themed way. The Showcenter TRENDS ONSTAGE will move to Hall 2. The three Urban Areas of GDS with their versatile lifestyle worlds Streetfashion, Urbanwear and Denim Brands will now be pooled in Hall 3. The creative newcomer collections of the Design Attack can also be found here. All progressive brands of the White Cubes Community will be presented alongside the two other premium areas Upper Style and Prime Square in Hall 4 attracting a demanding clientele in an even more condensed manner.

Well-known international, high-end brands will again be located in Superior Hall 5, presented together with the renowned exhibitors of Hall 6 in the Essential area as the backbone of GDS. Exhibitors of children’s shoes have their own location at “Kidwalk” in Hall 7a. Shop & Deco exhibitors as well as the suppliers of bags and accessories in the Bagccess Zone will also remain in Hall 7.0 this season.

The icon brands with “pedigree” and original, new discoveries in the Urban Authentic area include (extract only): Aces of London, ART, Billi Bi (new!) CallagHan, Converse, DCCO, El Naturalista, Fossil, HUB Footwear, Le Coq Sportif, Palladium, Pepe Jeans Footwear, Radical Boot (new!), Rehab, Rizzo (new!), Snipe (new!), W6YZ, Yellow Cab. Fast-turning, mainstream lifestyle and fashion labels as well as sportswear brands are represented in the Urban Fresh and Urban Active areas by Amani, Buffalo, Camel Active, Clarks, Coxx Borba, FitFlop, Gaastra, Grendene, KangaROOS, s.Oliver, Skechers, Sperry Top Sider, Tatonka and Vagabond, to name but a few.

The Superior and Essential areas feature well-established international and big German brands with high quality aspirations (extract only): Ara, Democrata, Donna Carolina, Emmeci, Gabor, Go Green (new!), Hallufix, Joyks, Manufacture D’Essai, Natalia Blanco (new!), Otto Kern (new!), Paul Green,
Ponsquitana, Rieker, Roberta Festa, Sympatex, Xacata (new!), Wortmann.

Renowned prime brands are presented at the exclusive Upper Style area (extract only): Attilio Giusti, Barrats (new!), Buday Shoes (new!), Chibs (new!), Deficifield (new!), Eduardo G. (new!), Gino Bianchi (new!), Jaime Mascaró, John Lakes (new!), Künzli All/`Tag (new!), Les Souliers de Masha (new!),Mack James (new!), Mister, Profession Bottier (new!), Stuart Weitzman.

Progressive prime brands on display in the successful White Cubes Area attracting attention with understatement include (extract): Australia Luxe (new!), Beverly Feldman, buttero, C. Doux, Chie Mihara, Coclico (new!), Duccio del Duca, Farrutx, JOOP! SHOES, K&S Schuhmanufaktur, Lottusse, Moma, Paco Gil, Mer Du Sud, Officine Creative, Pantofola d'oro 1886, Pedro Miralles, Petra Dieler, Pura Lopez, Neosens, Ramon Tenza, Scholl Studio, Strenesse, Swear London, Tentazione, Tierra de Pura Raza, Vialis. White Cubes is considered one of the most important premium platforms in Europe.

GDS has also put together a select accompanying programme. Organisers have focused on the combination of trend and special-interest information enabling specialised retailers to perfectly prepare for order talks and their daily business during their visit to the trade fair. With thoroughly researched talks experts will brief visitors on the trends for the 2010 Spring/Summer season and also present previews of the 2010/11 Autumn/Winter trends. This trend information is visually rounded off by innovative show concepts designed to stage the latest shoe and bag collections in a high-impact fashion. Panel discussions, lectures and workshops pick up on hot topics in the industry. In response to numerous requests there will be a get-together at the Exhibition Centre on the second evening.

GLOBAL SHOES – leading trade show for sourcing
Concurrently with GDS GLOBAL SHOES will present a wide range of shoes and leather goods for the high-volume market. As an independent trade fair for the sourcing segment it will remain in Halls 8a and 8b, separate from the GDS exhibition area but directly connected to the main entrance in the north of the premises. The high-volume business in Asian countries amongst others has been severely affected by the global economic crisis since late last year and even in China many shoe manufacturers had to close down production sites over the past
few months.

Commenting on this development Kirstin Deutelmoser, Director of GLOBAL SHOES, said: “All the more positive to note are the signals we are currently receiving from China. 95% of Hall 8a is already booked up. This shows that GLOBAL SHOES continues to be a representative reflection of the market despite the fundamental changes and shifts. The current business situation promotes a clearing up of the market. Those firms offering supplies geared to demand are the ones who have asserted themselves.” Just under 300 international high-volume suppliers are expected at the September event.

This year GDS and GLOBAL SHOES will be held in parallel at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre from 11 to 13 September 2009 and next year from 12 to 14 March 2010 and from 10 to 12 September 2010. Altogether some 1,100 exhibitors from approx. 40 countries will present shoe fashion for the 2010 Spring/Summer season.
 
Igedo Company GmbH & Co