Why Portuguese-Made Footwear Is Flying Off the Shelves (and Why It’s Worth the Investment)

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, WWD may receive an affiliate commission. In mid-March, I found myself standing face to face with an industrial abrasion tester, which took a sample of rubber — the type that would soon swath a fully built sneaker‘s sole — and repeatedly slid it across a roller wrapped in sandpaper. After my visit to the Centro Tecnológico do Calçado de Portugal (CTCP), a footwear innovation center about 40 minutes south of Porto, I would never again read the phrases “wear and tear–resistant outsole” and “durable traction” in quite the same way when shopping for shoes online. Another revelation: Portugal, that compact country of less than 11 million, finds itself on the cutting edge of footwear, not only making sure the steppers that arrive to your door are structurally sound but figuring out ways to keep the industry moving forward, geopolitics-related supply chain disruptions notwithstanding. Inside the Centro Tecnológico do Calçado de Portugal. Courtesy WWD/Stacia Datskovska APICCAPS, the Portuguese Association of Footwear, Components, Leather Goods, and Related Products Industries, is the driving force behind all this progress. Founded in 1975, it’s headquartered in Porto and reps the country’s leather goods in addition to shoes: regularly

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