Expo Riva Schuh and Gardabags has closed its 105th edition with buyer attendance figures remaining steady against June 2025. Held in Riva del Garda from 13 to 16 June, the fair brought together over 1,000 brands and exhibitors from 44 countries, remaining a hub for volume fashion business and trend interpretation amid shifting global trade conditions.
- Approximately 8,000 attendees took part, with 69.7 per cent travelling from abroad to attend the four-day event.
- A total of 235 hosted buyers and journalists from 51 countries attended, with 26 countries represented for the first time in the incoming programme supported by the Italian Trade Agency.
- Buyer numbers grew from Poland, India and Latin America, while incoming flows from Greece and Israel also improved during the edition.
- Spain tripled the number of operators active on online platforms compared with the previous edition.
NEW PARTNERSHIPS: Expo Riva Schuh and Gardabags has built its 105th edition around internationalisation, diversity of offer and innovation, welcoming international delegations as European trade agreements reshape global sourcing patterns. Discussions across the exhibition halls have centred on the Mercosur agreement, with new opportunities opening from May 2026, alongside deals with India and Australia expected to deliver competitive advantages. The fair has positioned itself as a forum for repositioning supply chain partnerships in response.
- Exhibitors and buyers have used the fair to reposition supply chain partnerships strategically as trade conditions shift.
- The Mercosur agreement is expected to open new opportunities for the sector from May 2026 onward, according to discussions held during the event.
- Agreements with India and Australia are expected to deliver significant competitive advantages for the sector in the coming years.
PRODUCT DIVERSITY: The diversity of products on display at Expo Riva Schuh and Gardabags spans casualwear, home, safety, performance and childrenswear, alongside forward-looking manufacturing techniques. Collections vary in quality, design, materials and process, including 3D printing, injected uppers and high-frequency bonded uppers, a technique that fuses upper materials using heat rather than stitching. Buyers attending the fair have sought suppliers beyond Chinese production while maintaining high standards of design, materials and detailing.
- Capturing the attention of younger consumers has emerged as a central challenge, given their exposure to overwhelming online offerings that shape purchasing behaviour.
- The fair's broad and diverse offer, spanning both price and quality, has been identified as well suited to addressing this challenge.
- The fair's product range includes 3D-printed and advanced bonded-upper categories alongside traditional casualwear, safety and performance segments.
INNOVATION IN ACTION: Innovation at Expo Riva Schuh and Gardabags has extended beyond product display this edition, with AI runway shows allowing buyers to see products worn by virtual models before experiencing them physically at exhibitor stands. The Innovation Village Retail and the Start-up Competition, won this year by Shoefitr.io, have reflected the fair's forward-looking approach. Across 22 events, the edition has connected exhibitors, buyers, associations and professionals from around the world.
- Shoefitr.io won the Start-up Competition with technology that helps online footwear shoppers find correct sizing without trying products on, reducing returns.
- The fair's 22 events spanned Trend Highlights, Market Focus sessions, Expo Riva Nights and the Area Showcase.
- Collaboration across the supply chain has been identified as essential to restoring European competitiveness amid complex global market conditions.
WHAT THEY SAID
Expo Riva Schuh and Gardabags are the expression of a collective intelligence involving exhibitors, buyers, associations, experts and professionals from all over the world. Our role as organisers is to observe the market as a whole and to have the courage, ambition and strength to evolve each edition in order to capture its changes.
— Alessandra Albarelli
General Manager
Riva del Garda Fierecongressi
