On all three days the trade show will be open to visitors from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm. I And the dates for the GDS winter edition in February 2017 have also now been fixed. It will run from 7 to 9 February 2017, also from Tuesday to Thursday.

• New dates, new order of days
• Optimised hall structures
• International collections
• Comprehensive Trend Service
• FashionBloggerCafé shoedition & Social Media Consulting
• tag it! with strong international participation

As a kick-off event for the new season GDS will again map all the most important new 2017 S/S collections, summer trends and innovations from the footwear industry. In July the area covered so far will be “compacted” so that GDS and tag it! will be held in Halls 1 – 5. In addition to these, there will be an outdoor area near Hall 4, where the POP UP Market is featured with other exhibitors. The concept of the three lifestyle worlds HIGHSTREET, STUDIO and POP UP remains unchanged and offers an overview of international collections as well as perfect orientation.

HIGHSTREET

Mainstream fashion has never been more versatile. The HIGHSTREET area houses leading international brands be they classic, lifestyle, young fashion, sporty or comfort shoes – whoever sets the tone on international markets is represented here with an individual market appearance. The wealth of collections makes this themed world the biggest area at GDS. Numerous big international brands are again represented at GDS such as Birkenstock, Camel Active, Gant, Ganter/Hassia, Finn Comfort, Gabor, Högl, Kangaroos, Jack & Jones, Lloyd, Lowa, Mephisto, Peter Kaiser, Pikolinos, Sioux, Skechers, Tamaris, TBS, Teva, Timberland, Unisa and Vagabond.

New exhibitors this season include the label Evita with a selection of pumps, bootees and high-heel sandals from size 34, the Italian label Shi’s, and Rylko, a Polish label with women’s, men’s and children’s collections that has been active for 52 years, to name but a few.

Alongside new brands in the Kids area such as the Danish label Ecco Kids, Indigo and Panda from Germany, Billowy from Spain and W6YZ from Italy, powerhouse names like Bisgaard, Clic!, Kavat, Primigi, Ricosta, Shoesme will also be joining the fray again.

In the HIGHSTREET Concept area you can look forward to three new brands. I-Clip is a slender, innovative credit card case guaranteed to give the carrier clear overview. Exbasi presents DIY-type belts made in Italy, and Olé Mallorca comes with handmade espadrilles.

STUDIO

STUDIO comes across as an exclusive and style-setting world at GDS. High-quality collections boasting perfect craftsmanship show what you can look forward to in the new season. New brands in the STUDIO segment include the label Goosecraft from Amsterdam with rock ‘n roll men and women’s shoes. Schoshoes from Milan presents a women’s line, Heartentry exhibits stylish bags – Made in Italy – at GDS and Andia Fora showcases handmade leather shoes and sneakers. Zstudios presents vegan hand bags from Italy and Ernsteo Dolani plies high-quality Italian shoe craft. At ShoeVita women’s shoes can be styled individually.

Featured once again in the STUDIO area: Abro, Arche, Ash, Pertini, Calvin Klein, Candice Cooper, Chie Mihara, Dinkelacker, Donna Carolina, Kennel & Schmenger, Kenneth Cole, Moma, Porsche, Primabase, Profession: Bottier, Pura Lopez, Silvano Sassetti, van Bommel and Zinda.

POP UP

Urban and alternative is the motto of the POP UP area – home to individual street and fashion scene styles. The progressive collections for the coming season and exciting newcomers fill this GDS lifestyle world with an unconventional spirit. The label Missy Rockz will present the first sneaker-look high heels at GDS while Easy Aw presents summer sandals which comfortably cling to any foot shape thanks to stretch straps.

Traditional exhibitors at POP UP are A.R.T., Dr. Martens, El Naturalista, Fly London, G-Star Raw Footwear, Havaianas, Levi’s Footwar, Nobrand, Panama Jack, Replay Footwear and Superga, to name but a few.

Also well worth visiting is the POP UP Market: the trendy area set up on the outdoor grounds in the neighbourhood of Hall 4, is staged like a bumper car attraction. It offers not only an inspiring atmosphere but also showcases hip brands with extraordinary products of particular interest for concept stores.

GDS Trend Programme

Above and beyond all this, the GDS Trend Programme with catwalk shows, Trend Spots, Trend Codes and the Trend Talks provides inspiration galore and a wealth of information for retailers. While in a separate Catwalk Area of Hall 2 the GDS Fashion Shows present seasonal looks live every day, and the GDS Trend Spots flag up the key trends of the season in installations, the GDS Trend Codes deliver concrete outfit ideas and styling examples of shoes with matching fashion styling. In a series of Trend Talks experts share additional information on current fashion tendencies.

FashionBloggerCafé shoedition V.

The FashionBloggerCafé shoedition is now set to enter its fifth round. In cooperation with online fashion magazine styleranking GDS offers over one hundred fashion bloggers an extensive programme of events at the FashionBloggerCafé. At the Blogger-Runwayshow on the trade fair Thursday, five style-conscious fashion bloggers will create their personal looks to match the shoes of well-known labels and present them on the catwalk. The complimentary Social Media consulting which was received enthusiastically at the last GDS in February will now be offered again. Social Media experts from styleranking will share their longstanding expertise and industry knowledge with manufacturers and retailers as part of their “Lounge + Learn” area on the first two days of the trade show.

tag it! – The Private Label Show

In parallel with GDS tag it! presents the trends in private labelling. The sourcing trade show focuses on shoes and accessories, international diversity as well as a wide variety of product, price and quality segments. This means it opens up new business opportunities – for the growing market of price-sensitive shoppers. Here international buyers can assemble their collections under optimum conditions and at the perfect point in time. Visitors interested in sourcing can also look forward to new private label collections. Exhibitors here will come from China, like Nanjing FJA and Quanzhou Esin, from Bangladesh like Tropical Shoes and Sonali, from India with Trading Places and Raj Shoes as well as from Pakistan like Shafi Lifestyle und Firhaj. There are also new exhibitors from South Africa and joint stands from Malaysia, South and North Vietnam.

GDS, Düsseldorf
(24/05/2016)