WSA announced that, to date, 150 new brands have signed on to show their fall collections at the upcoming show taking place Feb. 1013, 2006 in Las Vegas. In addition, several long-time exhibitors have increased their booth sizes from previous shows due to the demands of their expanded product lines, validating the shows significance to the footwear industry; several brands that had previously withdrawn from the event are returning.
New brands that will be at this Februarys show include Jessica Simpsons much anticipated footwear collection by BCBG, to be showcased in a 4,000 sq. foot booth dedicated to the popular superstars contemporary shoe styles; OSCAR by Oscar de la Renta, the renowned haute couture fashion designer, who will unveil his collection of accessories including belts and bags in The Fashion House booth along with other renowned brands including Tyler by Richard Tyler. Other “red-hot” brands joining the show include Tony Lama, Lacoste, Lotto Leggenda, Modern Shoe, and Salomon.
“As a first-time exhibitor who has experienced strong growth over the last several years, our primary show objective is to maintain that momentum by talking to new consumers and retailers who can deliver our message of product innovation to an expanded customer base,” said Tom Berry, vice president of sales and director of soft goods at Salomon. “The WSA Show is the single best place to talk to the footwear marketplace, and the perfect vehicle where we can connect with our key prospects. We are extremely excited about participating in our first WSA show this February.”
Long-time returning exhibitors upping their display space for the Feb. 06 show include: designer Steve Madden, who has increased his space to 6,000 square feet; Dansko, providers of state-of-the-art comfort footwear, showing in 3,000 square feet; and The North Face, which has doubled its booth size to 1,600 square feet. Other brands taking noticeably larger booths this year are Chaco, Dynasty Footwear, Marc Ecko Footwear and NAOT. Established brands such as Etonic and FILA are back, with Etonic featuring a completely new booth.
“With many respected brands coming to the show for the first time and others increasing their booth space, this momentum shows confidence in the show as the serious tool for driving their business,” said Diane Stone, chief operating officer of the WSA show. “For buyers, manufacturers, and the media, it offers an early window to global footwear trends in one place at one time and puts the buyers in direct contact with the manufacturers to accommodate on-site business transactions.”
The WSA Show, including The Collections at WSA, serving the luxury and designer market, will be held in three venues – the Las Vegas Convention Center-South Hall, the Sands Exposition Center and The Collections at WSA at The Venetian. Registration is free to qualified buyers and available online at www.wsashow.com. Registration information is also available at (888) 62-SHOES. The deadline for pre-registration is January 20, 2006.
