The 15th Footwear Expo 2018 kicked off at Bhrikutimandap Exhibition Hall in Kathmandu, on Friday. The week-long expo, organised by the Footwear Manufacturers Association of Nepal, is showcasing the latest domestic footwear products. The expo’s objective is to raise awareness about the use of locally-made footwear. The organisers said that they were offering discounts of up to 15 percent on all footwear products during the expo.

Krishna Kumar Phuyal, senior vice chairman at Footwear Manufacturers Association of Nepal said that the expo was focused on the promotion of Nepali shoe brands which have been able to compete with international shoes brands. The organisers are expecting 150,000 visitors during the expo.

Caliber Shoes, one of the participators at the footwear expo, is showcasing a wide range of shoes. The company has been manufacturing shoes for the past 23 years and rebranded itself by adopting the name ‘Caliber’ three years ago, said Anant Gupta, manager at Caliber Shoes.

The company manufactures a wide range of footwear from sports, sneakers, trainers, formal, boot, party wear shoes, he said, adding, with prices ranging from Rs1,100 to  Rs3,450.

Caliber Shoes has been importing raw materials mainly from China and India. Gupta said that in the past five years, the domestic shoe market has been growing gradually. The company also exports its shoes to Malaysia and some parts of India, he said.

Similarly, the shoe company plans to increase its production volume so that the industry can export in large volume to many parts of India including the US and Canada. The company has more than 200 employees.

“Nepali shoes are being highly appreciated by customers with the quality improving by leaps and bounds in recent years,” he said. The company is able to manufacture nearly 800 pairs of shoes a day. According to the company, they are aiming to sell over 100 pairs of shoes per day during the expo. Likewise, another firm participating at the expo is Rhino Nepal Leather Craft. The company has over 20 years experience in making leather made goods. Alisha Shah, director at Rhino Leather Craft said that the company mainly exports its products to the US, Germany and Japan and also plans to expand its reach into other countries.

According to her, the company has introduced leather jacket mixed with fur for both ladies and gents, with prices starting from Rs7,000 for ladies and Rs9,000 for gents. The company has been manufacturing leather jackets on an order basis and has been importing leather from Pakistan, India and New Zealand, she said.

Shah said that the company provides a lifetime guarantee on its leather products and one year free maintenance on jackets. The major challenge in making leather made goods in Nepal is that there are no skilled manpower in the country, she said, adding, it is hard to find properly trained staff. Similarly, easy access to finance for women entrepreneurs was another major challenge for women in the country.