Colombia’s footwear and leather goods sector showed strong performance in the first quarter of 2025.
Footwear exports reached US$ 8.3 million between January and March. That’s a 3.8% increase compared to the same period in 2024. In total, 574,000 pairs were shipped to key markets like the United States, Ecuador, and Costa Rica.
New buyers also emerged from the UAE, while long-standing trade continued with Panama, Chile, and Peru.
Around 41% of the footwear and leather goods exported were made using leather, making it a vital material for the industry.
Leather goods alone brought in US$ 11.8 million during the same quarter. The biggest buyers were the United States, Mexico, and Peru.
Domestically, Colombians also spent heavily on shoes. According to the ACICAM-RADDAR Footwear and Leather Goods Observatory, local spending on footwear totaled 1.87 trillion pesos in the first three months of the year.
A big part of this came from back-to-school sales in January and February. Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Barranquilla made up 51% of that spending.
“We reaffirm our commitment to strengthening the leather, footwear and goods industry by creating spaces for market analysis, business networking, and knowledge sharing. Our goal is to support companies in becoming more competitive, innovative, and sustainable.”
ACICAM spokesperson
Colombian Association of Footwear, Leather and Manufacturers
Leather goods also did well in the local market. Colombians spent over 98.3 billion pesos on items like women’s handbags, backpacks, wallets, and belts.
These numbers show that Colombian leather is not only important economically, but also culturally. It is helping to take the industry global while keeping its roots strong at home.
Source – https://lanotaeconomica.com.co
