Paris-based footwear entrepreneur Philippe Zorzetto has said only 1% of the shoes and boots that consumers in France buy now are locally made. By Footwearbiz.

He said there had been a time when French shoe factories, operated by brands including Clergerie, Charles Jourdan and Stéphane Kelian, had led the global footwear industry. “Then our country began to dream of a factory-free economy and sold its manufacturing to Asia.”

He said he was committed to continue manufacturing in France the shoe collections of his own-name brand, which he set up in 2008. In addition, he said he believed there can be a wider footwear revival there, especially if French companies set out to emulate their neighbours in Italy, who, he said, had succeeded in preserving their high-end footwear manufacturing sector.

He added: “It’s more important than ever for us to preserve our creativity and our savoir-faire. We have to offer consumers high-quality products that are imbued with beautiful values and bring benefits to all.”