The Italian footwear industry closed the first quarter of 2025 on a difficult note, with key indicators reflecting a period of ongoing challenges. This is the picture painted by the latest report from the Confindustria Moda Research Center, presented during the annual meeting of Assocalzaturifici, the national association representing industrial footwear producers. “There are no significant signs of improvement in the global economic and geopolitical context—stability, yes, but recovery remains lukewarm,” commented Giovanna Ceolini, President of Assocalzaturifici. Between January and March, the sector recorded a -7% drop in revenue. Exports showed modest resilience in volume terms (+2.5%), but this was offset by a -4.1% decline in value. Household consumption remained aligned with inflation trends, registering a -1.2% drop in spending and -2.1% in quantity, largely due to rising energy costs. Business demographics were stable (-0.6% year-on-year), and employment levels declined slightly by -0.8%. Export figures for the first quarter reached €3.04 billion, totaling 53.2 million pairs. Average prices fell -6.5%, down to €57.07 per pair. As in 2024, EU markets performed better than non-EU destinations, with EU exports up +0.8% in value and +6.4% in volume. Regionally, Lombardy remained the top exporter, reporting a +5.9% increase in foreign sales. In contrast, Veneto saw a sharp -10.6% decline, and Tuscany fared worse at -20.1%, including a -24% drop for Florence. The Marche region fell -6.9% overall, with Fermo down -12.1% and Ascoli Piceno -6.3%; Macerata bucked the trend with a modest +1.2% gain.