Shoe and accessories trends for the coming season as well a wide range of communication and industry information will be the focus of GDS 2009 – International Event for Shoes & Accessories. From September 11 – 13, 2009, 765 exhibitors from 31 countries will present over 1,800 collections for the Spring/Summer 2010 season at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf , Germany. Visitors at GDS 2009 will find a comprehensive market overview including progressive and classic premium brands, best-selling street and sportswear as well as design newcomers, brands with broad market acceptance and children’s shoe collections.

“GDS in September will again feature a wide range of exciting brands that no shoe store can really do without,” stated Kirstin Deutelmoser, GDS Project Director. “We have been working very hard on this over the past few months. In view of the general economic climate, the 7% drop in exhibitors, or 50 exhibiting firms, is also very moderate. And it is striking that this development primarily concerns the mid-market segment. Strong premium and quality brands and many new collections are continuing to focus on GDS for their sales and communication.”

New collections at the September GDS will include: Billi Bi, Tretorn, Radical Boot, Rizzo, (Urban Authentic), Go Green, Natalia Blanco, Otto Kern, Porsche Design, Xacata (Superior / Essential), Barrats 1890, Buday Shoes, Chibs, Eduardo G., Gino Bianchi, Künzli All’Tag, Mack James, Profession Bottier (Upper Style), Australia Luxe Collective, Coclico, Gourmet, Mysique, Peak Performance, Post & Co, Sebago, Stephane Kelian and Voile Blanche (White Cubes). Manufacturers such as Carlafe with Eject Black, Norberto Costa with Vudu Shoes, Flip Flop with Flip Flop Murkudis and Tiggers with Tiggers Blue are launching new collections and will display them at GDS for the first time. “The fact that manufacturers are bringing exciting innovations onto the market at times like these shows just how lively the shoe business is. There is always something to discover. A visit to GDS is worthwhile just to see these brands alone,” commented Kirstin Deutelmoser.

The GDS exhibits will be supported by an ancillary program primarily aimed at preparing specialist retailers for their ordering talks and daily business and at providing them with new ideas and inspirations. The trend statements are based on extensive analysis: for every new season, round table discussions are held with renowned experts and new directions are determined. The new core themes and trends in fashion are developed in conjunction with social and cultural developments, also in terms of their impact on shoes and accessories. The GDS trend themes originate from this and can be found throughout the show in form of shows, various trend installations, seminars and workshops. In addition, the “Speakers’ Lounge” will be set up where numerous lectures on current topics will be given on all three days of the trade fair.

Being proactive in the general economic climate is important for GDS’ success in these difficult market times: “We consciously advised our exhibitors to reduce stand space,” explained Kirstin Deutelmoser. “Nothing would have been worse for the atmosphere in the entire shoe sector if suppliers had withdrawn from a marketplace such as GDS due to the uncertain economic situation. At present it is extremely crucial to maintain personal dialogue between vendors and retailers.”

The space reductions also made it possible to concentrate the GDS lifestyle worlds more strongly, thereby achieving an even better orientation for the attendees. The “Trends Onstage” show center will be located in Hall 2. The strongest section at GDS will be represented by young and trendy brands (+16% compared to the September 2008 GDS): the three urban areas at GDS with their varied lifestyle worlds of street fashion, urbanwear and denim brands can be found grouped together in Hall 3. This is also where Design Attack’s creative newcomer will display their collections. The progressive brands in the White Cubes section will be in Hall 4 together with the two other premium areas Upper Style and Prime Square. Prominent high-quality international brands will again be featured in the Superior segment in Hall 5 while Hall 6 will house the renowned exhibitors in the Essential section. Exhibitors featuring children’s shoe brands will be located within the Kidwalk segment in Hall 7a. Shop & Deco exhibitors as well as bags and accessories in the Bagccess Zone will remain in Hall 7.0.

The Urban Authentic segment will feature brands such as ART, Callaghan, Converse, DCCO, El Naturalista, Fossil, Hub Footwear, Le Coq Sportif, Pepe Jeans Footwear, Snipe, W6YZ and Yellow Cab. Best-selling, lifestyle and fashion brands as well as sportswear brands will be presented in the Urban Fresh and Urban Active zones with brands including Amani, Buffalo, Camel Active, Clarks, Coxx Borba, FitFlop, Gaastra, Grendene, Kangaroos, s.Oliver, Skechers, Sperry Top Sider, Tatonka and Vagabond.

Featured in the Superior and Essential areas will be Ara, Democrata, Donna Carolina, Emmeci, Gabor, Joyks, Manufacture D’Essai, Paul Green, Pons Quintana, Rieker, Roberta Festa, Sympatex and Wortmann, among others.

Exclusive brands such as Attilio Giusti Leombruni, Francheschetti, Deficifield, Jaime Mascaró, Les Souliers de Masha, Mister, Ramon Tenza and Stuart Weitzman will be presented in the exclusive Upper Style area.

Progressive premium brands including Buttero, C. Doux, Chie Mihara, Eject Black, Kennel&Schmenger Schuhmanufaktur, Lottusse, Moma, Paco Gil, Mer Du Sud, Officine Creative, Pantofola d'oro 1886, Petra Dieler, Pura Lopez, Neosens, Scholl Studio, Strenesse, Swear London, Tentazione, Tierra de Pura Raza, Tiggers Blue and Vialis will be the attraction of the White Cubes area - one of the most important premium platforms in Europe.

The latest trends for young customers will be featured at Kidwalk with children’s shoe brands Cherie, Däumling, Falc, Legero, Mollio, Moschino, Naturino, Oilily, Palladium, Playshoes, Primigi, Ricosta, Richter and Voile Blanche.

GDS 2009 will be held concurrently with GLOBAL SHOES 2009 – leading trade show for sourcing. A total of 1,145 exhibitors from 42 countries will present their latest shoe and bag collections at both events.

For further information on visiting or exhibiting at GDS 2009 or GLOBAL SHOES 2009, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, 150 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2920, Chicago, IL 60601. Telephone: (312) 781-5180; Fax: (312) 781-5188; E-mail: info@mdna.com; Visit our web site http://www.mdna.com; Subscribe to our blog at http://www.mdna.com/blog/;  Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago

For hotel and travel information, contact TTI Travel, Inc. at (866) 674-3476; Fax: (212) 674-3477; E-mail: contact@traveltradeint.com; www.traveltradeint.com