"This is my best moment." An Argentine manufacturer of sneakers.
A particular situation is verified in the Argentine footwear market due to the long quarantine and the isolation that the population fulfills.
At the beginning of the pandemic, family spending was oriented towards the purchase of priority products such as food and health, and then in the course of time slowly directed towards the acquisition of clothing, within it: footwear.
In this case, two factors determined the emergence of a new consumer market: the need for comfortable and functional products (due to less mobility and isolation) and at affordable prices (due to decreased purchasing power). Added to this was the dollarization of prices in pesos of brand products, such as ADIDAS and NIKE, which had significant increases. These brands practically no longer have manufacturing in the country, and their import possibilities are limited, for the moment, by current government policies.
In this way, many consumers give up their vocation for the top brands and are inclined towards national products, of good design and with more accessible prices.
Thus, a demand with its own characteristics has been formed, where high-fashion, fast-fashion and technical footwear has given up space to the multiple lines of espadrilles, sneakers and basic structure sneakers, with minimal components, maximum comfort and non-ostentatious designs. Functionality and prices are privileged over the aesthetic aspect.
In different inquiries made to formal manufacturers of these products, they confirmed this trend, although they clarified that such a situation has also led to the emergence of an informal manufacturing circuit, including counterfeits, which makes competition difficult.
RELATED ARTICLE: