Trip to Sydney for the Australian Shoe Fair – Part II: On the Spot

What did we know about Australia before going there for the Australian Shoe Fair in Sydney? 

There were more sheep than human beings :). It was a fairly new continent and is one of the Common Wealth nations. It is the home town of koala and kangaroo. The Gold Coast is a surfing paradise. It is the origin of the UGG boots.

The Australian Shoe Fair in Sydney, co-held with the accessories and garment fairs, was not a large-scale one. We were surprised to see the small turn-out of visitors there, even kind of felt sorry for the exhibitors there. It took us about three hours to walk through this show and had a good idea of the styles and sources of the footwear at each booth.

For the local designs or makers, there was one booth that caught our attention, Glamour Shoes Boutique, purely from the point of view on how the lining could have been made. The design and sophistication on whole shoes are superb. I did not take any photo there. 

 Click here to see their official website.

To our delight, we spotted one very good maker for UGG boots. We were told that they were not allowed to export the boots from their factory with the sign “UGG” on the back of the boots because it was already patented by another company. It didn’t sound very fair for the other boot makers using the real sheep skin and fur to deliver a durable pair of boots.

The eco-friendly stools caught our attention when we were watching the young models cat walking and showing the handbags.

Actually, during our four-day stay there, we couldn't help but falling in love with this city. We felt very fortunate to be there. We learned about the country's stock route through a painting exhibition by the aborigines at the  Australian Museum, got the glimpse of what a inside of a fleet and a submarine is like at the National Maritime Museum, and had a look of the Pacific Ocean with the breath-taking views from the bays. 


We look forward to the next Australian Shoe Fair in August in Melbourne.

-by Pei, OEM Shoes Service from Free Bird OEM Footwear Supplier

  

Trip to Australian Shoe Fair in Feb – Part I: Sightseeing in Sydney

We just came back from the southern hemisphere and already miss the sunshine and fresh air there. 
Ok ok, it's true that we were there for a business purpose, we did visit the Australian Shoe Fair. But we got a lot more time for ourselves after walking through the show. We decided to make the best of our time there and had an unforgettable experience.

Sydney was a friendly and healthy city. People were jogging on the streets. We saw some people walking down the street barefoot. What an idea and a proof of the clean streets there. But maybe not a good idea for us as a footwear trader. :) 


The food at the food court at the central district looked yummy and healthy at the same time. With so many suprprises above, I couldn’t help but falling in love with this city.

Our first-spot after arriving in Sydney for the Australian Shoe Fair, which would take place the following day. 

The opera house looks much smaller in real than on a postcard. It is almost a cute piece of architecture to me. From the observatory level of Sydney Tower (total height of 309 meters), one can have a good idea of the monuments, tourist spots and various bays in Sydney. It is a good starting point for sightseeing in Sydney.

The Sydney Tower Eye, or the Centrepoint Tower.

It was also our first time seeing the inside of a submarine and a military fleet thanks to the National Maritime Museum.

Click Here for the Official Website of the National Maritime Museum

The marine soldiers had very little space to sleep in.

The oyster at the fish market was a delight to us.

Fish Market in Sydney.

There is this Wild Life Sydney by the Darling Harbor for busy tourists who have a very tight schedule and do not have the time to venture to the "real zoo" (Taronga Zoo at the north of Sydney) to see the Australian native animals.  I need to say that it never occurred to me koala and kangaroo were "wild life" animals so I never thought about checking out this place when we were just at the Maritime Museum at opposite side of the harbor.  Thanks to the advertisement at the Sydney Tower for the package tickets. Otherwise, I'd have overlooked this lovely place.

It was a very thoughtful idea from the local government. We got to see emus, kangaroo, wombats and koala (I learned that there is no such name as koala "bears") in just one-hour visit. There was also a giant crocodile that looked like a living fossil.

The wombat at Wild Life Sydney was sleeping with his back facing the glass so I took a picture of a specimen at the Australian Museum.

We loved it so much there in Sydney and we want to come back for business again.

-by Pei, OEM Shoes Service from Free Bird OEM Footwear Supplier

To know more about our quality men’s shoes, women’s shoes and kids’ shoes, please visit our on-line catalogue at

http://www.freebird.com.tw

Going to the Australian Shoe Fair, Sydney, 12-14 Feb, 2012

G'day~


We are pretty excited about this trip to Sydney this Saturday for the Australian Shoe Fair starting from Sunday through Tuesday. 


It's going to be our first time in Australia, a "field trip" to observe and feel the market trend on site. Not only are we interested in looking for new potential clients, but also innovative products to bring in to our domestic market. 


We are also looking forward to the sunshine in the southern hemisphere.


Click here for the Official Website of the Australian Shoe Fair


See ya. 


Click here for the Official Website of the Australian Shoe Fair

-by Pei, OEM Shoes Service from Free Bird OEM Footwear Supplier

To know more about our quality men’s shoes, women’s shoes and kids’ shoes, please visit our on-line catalogue at

http://www.freebird.com.tw

We welcome any comments or inquiries and will send feedback to the best of our 30-year knowledge and expertise as an OEM footwear supplier.

Seven Advantages of Working with Free Bird Footwear Supplier

After a week-long Chinese New Year break, I feel refreshed coming to work.

Today we would like to list the advantages of working with Free Bird OEM & ODM Footwear supplier as bullet points below. It is a review and a key stone for our past when we embrace the future and challenges ahead of us.

1)     One-stop shop for footwear sourcing: By working with us, footwear wholesalers will be able to find what they want for women’s shoes, men’s shoes or kids’ shoes in one go. They do not have to deal with various footwear factories to supply them with different styles of shoes.

2)     Industry expertise for allocating suitable footwear manufacturer: We can find a good match and balance between the styles of the OEM shoes and the capability of the footwear manufacturers in both Taiwan and China.

3)     Specific sample making: We produce samples according to the clients’ requests on styles and materials. As we also know the vertical supply chain in the footwear industry, we will be able to source special materials requested by our clients.

4)     Problem shooting: With 30 years of OEM footwear experience, we communicate directly with the factories to tackle with the technical issues of the shoe design that our clients want to achieve.

5)     Insight for the manufacturing process: With our rich experiences, we are able to identify and highlight the key points during manufacturing process in advance in order to prevent potential issues from happening.

6)     A good reputation in the footwear industry: It is hard to avoid the fact that it always makes things easier when there is a good “guangxi” (connection) involved in the Chinese business setting.

We are not talking about a negative connotation here, just a pure fact that when establishing a new cooperation, it takes time to build a good level of trust between two parties. As Free Bird Footwear exporter has had a good long-term relationship with a good number of footwear manufacturers in Taiwan and China, it helps to avoid minor hick-ups during the whole order process. 

On the other hand, how do clients trust us? You will know from our e-mail correspondence and communications. References will also be provided upon requests.

7)     High yield rate: Our long-term clients are all in Japan where usually a yield rate of 100% is requested. We and our various partner factories have been working with this standard for the past 30 years. Quality inspection and guarantee is one of our important essences.

- by Pei, Free Bird Footwear Supplier