Craze for Nepal-made footwear on the horizon

KATHMANDU, Dec 25: Finally, local brands in the footwear industry are making the grade and leapfrogging from low-priced products to quality products for discerning patrons. The ongoing Eighth Leather Goods and Footwear Expo is recording sales almost double from the level seen last year.



There is a general perception that local brands have improved in quality, are more durable and come with better finishing.[break]

 

According to the organizer of the expo, Nepal Leather Goods and Footwear Manufacturers Association (NLGFMA), local production now caters to 55 percent of the market, up 10 percent from last year. Hom Nath Upadhyay, president of NLGFMA, said the demand for locally-produced branded footwear has increased by at least 10 percent over the last year.



"Around 55 percent of the leather shoes sold in the market today are manufactured locally. This is an increment of around 10 percent over the last year," said Upadhyay, who is also the managing director of Base Footwear, manufacturer of BF Dear Hill shoes.



Encouraged by the encouraging response, domestic manufacturers like Sky Shoes, Base Footwear, Shikhar Shoe, Fitrite, Coseli, Takura, among others, are now focussing on quality than price. Upadhyay said his company has started producing quality products, leaving aside the issues of price. “Until a few years ago, manufacturers would produce only cheaper products but now they compete in quality rather than in price,” said Upadhyay.



Base Footwear products are priced between Rs 300 and Rs 4,000. The company manufactures around 70,000 pairs of shoes annually.



According to Muna Shrestha, marketing manager of Sky Shoes, the Made-in-Nepal tag now also denotes durability and quality as far as footwear are concerned. “It was unimaginable for us to produce high-end products until a couple of years ago. But now, Sky Shoes has products that are priced from Rs 350 to Rs 3,195,” said Shrestha.



Basu Dev Acharya, director of Shikhar Shoe, shoes made in Nepal are able to compete with foreign brands in terms of quality and durability and that explains why the demand for Nepali footwear brands is steadily going up.



Shikhar Shoe products are priced between Rs 300 and Rs 3,500. “The company manufactures around 1.6 million pairs of shoes annually,” said Acharya.



The weeklong expo that will continue till Monday has already seen 90,000 footfalls.

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