CII Sectoral Conference on Indian Footwear Industry
By Shoes & Accessories Bureau
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) staged the 2nd Edition of the Manufacturing Conclave in New Delhi on September 2, 2025. The mood was unmistakable, India’s manufacturing engine is revving and footwear is no longer the sidekick – it’s center stage.
Held at The Lalit under the banner “The India Growth Story: Defining Competitiveness”, the Conclave was part policy dialogue, part industry gut-check and part glimpse into the future. For footwear, it was a chance to step up as a global contender, not just a domestic workhorse.
Addressing Bottlenecks
The message from policymakers was direct, India’s Vision 2030 dream of becoming a global footwear hub will need more than ambition. Smt. Nidhi Kesarwani (Joint Secretary, Leather & Footwear Division, DPIIT) and Vivek Sharma (MD, Footwear Design & Development Institute) underlined the need to invest in R&D and skilling, strengthen design-led capabilities and embrace green and circular manufacturing.
Dr. N. Mohan of Kothari Industrial put it very candidly, “If we can’t make the raw material in India, how do we call ourselves the world’s factory?” The call was clear reduce import dependence on critical inputs like TPU and EVA and build a supply chain that doesn’t hobble progress.
FDI Scorecard: Tamil Nadu’s Big Wins
- JR One – ₹5,500 Cr | 50,000 Jobs
- Pou Chen – ₹2,300 Cr | 20,000 Jobs
- Hong Fu – ₹1,000 Cr | 20,000 Jobs
- Haw-Song (🇰🇷) – ₹1,700 Cr | 20,000 Jobs
- Freetrend (🇻🇳) – ₹1,000 Cr | 15,000 Jobs
- Aspire Footwear – ₹500 Cr | 20-acre factory plot
Tamil Nadu’s Trophy Cabinet
While the plenary sessions buzzed with big ideas, the numbers from Tamil Nadu spoke louder. The state has turned into India’s sneaker superstate, bagging marquee investments from global giants. Tamil Nadu has turned itself into India’s sneaker superstate, pulling in mega investments from the who’s who of global footwear. Giants like JR One, Pou Chen, Hong Fu, Haw-Song of Korea and Vietnam’s Freetrend aren’t just signing MoUs they’re laying bricks, building plants, creating tens of thousands of jobs, and feeding supply chains for brands like Nike and Adidas. In short, they’re not setting up factories; they’re setting up entire townships of opportunity. “These aren’t MoUs gathering dust. They’re bricks-and-mortar factories feeding Nike and Adidas,” stated Amit Chopra, Managing Director, Shoes & Accessories. He added “ “They’re not just building plants; they’re building towns.”
“Competitiveness isn’t about making noise. It’s about making things work.”
Amit Chopra, Shoes & Accessories
Competitiveness, Innovation & Global Access
The industry debates came in hot. Could India match Vietnam’s lightning-fast FDI approvals? Should ₹2,000 crore go first to skilling, clusters or tech? And can MSMEs innovate without the safety net of deep-pocketed foreign investors? The consensus: competing on price is a dead end. Competing on innovation, branding and ecosystem-building is the only playbook.
Spotlight Session: The Trade Winds
If one session grabbed the headlines, it was the panel on trade, moderated by Amit Chopra. With the India-UK FTA promising tariff cuts of up to 17% over five years and EU/UAE talks on track, the export highway is widening.
But the fine print matters. “If you don’t show up, you don’t exist,” Chopra said, urging MSMEs to stake their claim at global fairs like Canton, APLF, MAGIC and Expo Riva Schuh. The challenge now is to ensure smaller exporters, not just the big-ticket players reap the benefits of FTAs.
Technology, Innovation & Design: A Forward Look
If the trade panel looked at markets, the session on Technology, Innovation & Design, moderated by brand consultant Vikas Bagga, looked at tomorrow.
Star guest Yash Mukhi, Director of Chupps, showed how a homegrown Indian brand is already embedding Industry 4.0 into its design process. “Innovation isn’t something Indian players need to aspire to, it’s something they can own,” he said.
Neeraj Garg of Rymbal and Pradeep Agarwal of Classic Premier echoed the warning: design and technology are no longer optional – they’re table stakes. As Bagga wrapped up: “We need scalable, tech-led, mass-producible solutions. And our components side can’t afford to remain laggards if we want a truly competitive ecosystem.”
The Takeaway
From raw material bottlenecks to FDI-friendly states, from FTAs to design-led manufacturing, the Conclave stitched together the footwear industry’s biggest questions and its sharpest answers. Amit Chopra put it best: “We can’t just compete on price. We must compete on innovation. The leap is from jugaad to juggernaut.” Dr. Mohan was stated, “What India needs now is execution with speed.”
Amit Chopra nailed it, “This isn’t a marathon, it’s a relay. Only by passing the baton between policymakers, investors and industry can India truly set the pace.”
For the footwear industry, the Conclave wasn’t just another conference. It was a reminder that the world is lacing up and India must decide are we running in the pack, or are we leading the race?
