The footwear design industry is an expansive landscape of creativity and innovation dedicated to crafting shoes that blend style, comfort, and functionality. It comprises of a diverse range of companies inclusive of luxury fashion houses like Salvatore Ferragamo, multi-brand retailers such as Foot Locker, and sustainability-focused manufacturers like Grendene. Offering products for women, men, and children, these companies deliver to a wide consumer base through brick-and-mortar stores as well as e-commerce platforms. Looking ahead, the industry is embracing sustainable practices in production and spotlighting customer experience in dealing with shifting consumer habits.


Top 21 Footwear Design Companies

1. Grendene S/A

Grendene is a leading footwear company, specializing in the design, production, and sale of sustainable and comfortable shoes for women, men, and children. With a diverse portfolio of brands including Melissa, Rider, Ipanema, Grendha, Zaxy, Cartago, Pega Forte, and Grendene Kids, Grendene serves both domestic and international markets through physical stores and its e-commerce platform.


2. Foot Locker

  • Website: footlocker.com
  • Headquarters: New York City, New York, United States
  • Founded: 1974
  • Headcount: 10001+
  • LinkedIn

Footlocker.com is a global company that offers a variety of athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories. They prioritize creating an exceptional customer experience and value the importance of their team members. Their commitment extends beyond the workplace, as they invest in scholarships and community development programs. They celebrate sneaker and youth culture through different brands such as Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, and Champs Sports.


3. Salvatore Ferragamo

  • Website: ferragamo.com
  • Headquarters: Firenze, Italy, Italy
  • Founded: 1927
  • Headcount: 1001-5000
  • Latest funding type: Ipo
  • LinkedIn

Salvatore Ferragamo is a luxury fashion company that specializes in footwear, accessories, and ready-to-wear clothing. Founded in 1927 in Florence, Italy, the company focuses on creating and selling high-quality products for women. With its presence on the Milan Stock Exchange, Salvatore Ferragamo is a well-established player in the consumer goods sector.


4. Calcados Ferracini 24h Ltda.

Ferracini is a company that offers a wide range of casual and formal footwear for men. They provide high-quality shoes with innovative technologies and stylish designs.


5. Tod's

  • Website: tods.com
  • Headquarters: Milano, Lombardia, Italy
  • Founded: 1991
  • Headcount: 1001-5000
  • LinkedIn

Tod's is a fashion brand that offers a wide range of luxury shoes, bags, and accessories. Their products are known for their Italian craftsmanship and timeless designs.


6. Giuseppe Zanotti

Giuseppe Zanotti is a luxury fashion brand known for its unconventional and cutting-edge footwear, accessories, and clothing for men and women. With a focus on creativity, craftsmanship, and attention to detail, the brand offers unique and sophisticated designs. Based in San Mauro Pascoli, Italy, the company has a global presence with stores in 70 countries.


7. Hotter Shoes

  • Website: hotter.com
  • Headquarters: Skelmersdale, Lancashire, United Kingdom
  • Founded: 1959
  • Headcount: 1001-5000
  • Latest funding type: Acquired
  • LinkedIn

Hotter.com is a fashion brand offering a wide range of comfortable shoes and accessories. They provide stylish options for men and women, focusing on quality and comfort. With their latest collections and innovative Comfort Technology, Hotter.com aims to ensure that customers can achieve both style and comfort in their footwear choices.


8. legero united

Legero United is a global company with Austrian roots that has been producing shoes since 1872. With its brands superfit, legero, and Think!, the company offers a wide range of high-quality and sustainably made shoes. With an international presence and its own production facilities, Legero United is a leading supplier in the international footwear market.


9. Manolo Blahnik

Manolo Blahnik is a luxury footwear brand that offers a wide range of designer shoes for both men and women.


10. Clarks

  • Website: clarksusa.com
  • Headquarters: Mount Vernon, New York, United Kingdom
  • Founded: 1825
  • Headcount: 201-500
  • LinkedIn

Clarksusa.com is a website that sells a wide range of footwear for men, women, and kids. They offer boots, sandals, shoes, sneakers, and dress shoes to cater to different styles and occasions. Their collection includes original designs and iconic profiles like Wallabee and Desert Boots.


11. Grandstep (hk) LTD

Grandstep is a shoe design company that creates trendy and fashionable footwear for both men and women. Their collections include a variety of styles such as boots, sandals, mules, and clogs, crafted using classic surface techniques like braiding and tassel work. With a focus on contemporary fashion needs, Grandstep offers shoes suitable for both everyday wear and special occasions.


12. Karyamitra Budisentosa, Pt

Karyamitra Budisentosa is a ladies shoes company specializing in leather, textile, and synthetic products. With over 30 years of experience and 7000 skilled employees, we guarantee on-time delivery and good quality. Our retail brands include Rotelli, Gosh, Bellagio, and Piu Bella.


13. Grupo Blanco

Grupo Blanco is an Argentine company with almost 50 years of experience in the footwear industry. We are designers, manufacturers, distributors, and innovators, offering quality and fashionable Italian footwear. Our commitment to innovation and passion for footwear sets us apart. We specialize in marketing, manufacturing, and distributing various international brands exclusively in the Argentine market.


14. Calzado Senties

  • Website: senties.mx
  • Headquarters: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
  • Founded: 1985
  • Headcount: 51-200
  • LinkedIn

Senties.mx is a company that offers a wide range of innovative and high-quality footwear for women. They design and manufacture stylish and comfortable shoes, including sandals, heels, boots, flats, and sneakers. With a variety of options available, customers can find the perfect footwear for any occasion.


15. HUGAL, Goodyear Specialists

  • Website: hugal.com
  • Headquarters: Benedita, Leiria, Portugal
  • Founded: 1979
  • Headcount: 51-200
  • LinkedIn

HUGAL is an industrial footwear company with over 40 years of experience in the market, specializing in the Goodyear construction system. From design to production, they offer high-quality men's and women's shoes under their clients' brands.


16. T&A Footwear

  • Website: tandashoe.com
  • Headquarters: Leicester, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
  • Founded: 2004
  • Headcount: 11-50
  • LinkedIn

T&A Footwear Ltd is a UK-based company that specializes in the supply, design, and development of women's and kids shoes.


17. Jana shoes GmbH & Co. KG

  • Website: jana-shoes.com
  • Headquarters: Detmold, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
  • Founded: 2000
  • Headcount: 11-50
  • LinkedIn

Jana Shoes is a footwear company that offers a wide range of stylish and comfortable shoes for women. Their shoes are designed with the goal of providing ultimate comfort and relaxation to the feet in every phase of daily activities. Jana Shoes use selected materials and innovative technologies to create a unique Relax Effect, making their shoes perfect companions for sports, leisure walks, city trips, and long office hours.


18. Samuel Hubbard Shoe Co

Samuel Hubbard is a company that offers handcrafted shoes for men and women. They focus on providing incredibly comfortable footwear that combines style and functionality.


19. Brando Shoes

Brando is a premium designer footwear brand with a focus on Italian craftsmanship. Their extensive range of shoes includes sneakers, dress shoes, boots, loafers, and more.


20. Fadel

  • Website: fadel.it
  • Headquarters: San Colombano, Lu, Italy
  • Founded: 1975
  • Headcount: 11-50
  • LinkedIn

Fadel is a company specializing in handmade footwear for women and men. With a focus on anticipating trends, our collections have a distinctive style. We control the entire production chain and prioritize quality, meticulously selecting and researching new materials. Our dedicated team ensures every step of the process, from idea to packaging, is done with care and expertise.


21. Tj Collection

TJ Collection is a designer shoes, bags, and clothing company offering chic elegance and practical style for both men and women. They specialize in classic designs with modern flair, incorporating contrasting details and unexpected touches. Their product range includes pumps, sandals, ankle boots, long boots, and accessories like bags and backpacks.


Want to find more footwear design companies?


If you want to find more companies that offer innovative, diverse, and sustainable footwear options you can do so with Inven. This list was built with Inven and there are hundreds of companies like these globally.


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