New York-based fashion footwear and accessory group Intershoe will make its second appearance at the fair this year. It is one of the top women's footwear companies in the United States, offering 'cutting-edge styling in timeless classics'. The privately-held Italian-owned company specialises in Italian-designed goods selling under brands already well-established in the US and Europe.
In addition to footwear, Intershoe produces fashion accessories for men and women, including handbags, belts, small leather goods and scarves. Intershoe will unveil its spring/summer collections: VS, Via Spiga, Paloma, Nickels, Jazz and Glacee. VS represents cutting-edge fashion-forward design and leathers, while Via Spiga features fashion-forward design, leathers and heel and accessory treatments. Paloma is all about classic, feminine design and leathers for career use and for evening outings.
Nickels sells a range of classic career and sporty shoes, booties and handbags. Jazz has a range of contemporary and young shoes, while Glacee sells traditional classics in shoes and boots at competitive prices. 'The new collections emphasise European quality, styling and sizing in an effort to meet the demands of the Pacific Rim market,' said Intershoe's director of international marketing, Sarah Busch. In Hong Kong, a wide range of styles from the VS and Via Spiga women's footwear collections is sold at Lane Crawford.
The Coppelia chain of fashion shoe shops in Hong Kong also stocks selected styles from the Paloma collection. Intershoe hopes to lift substantially its share of the Asian market over the next three to five years. At present, less than eight per cent of its gross revenue is sourced in Asia and 85 per cent in the US. The company plans to enter the Japanese market next year. Its strategy is always to deal directly with local retailers so as to maintain competitive prices, a tactic which fits well with the practice elsewhere in Asia.
Ms Busch said: 'Asia Pacific is a new market for our products but we believe it represents tremendous growth potential for all six brands of our ladies' fashion footwear, fashion accessories and the men's line, since it is a market which is becoming increasingly interested in fashion and is opening up to imports.'