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