TWO CENTURIES OF FOOTWEAR IN ELDA
1ST NATIONAL FOOTWEAR FAIR
The First National Fair would occupy 7,900 m2 in the Schools of Padre Manjón, of which 1,400 m2 would correspond to interior areas for display cases and exhibitors and the rest would be occupied in the patio by the stands.
The shoes awarded at that first national fair were protected so that they could not be copied and that next to each shoe there was a sign that said Officially Protected.
One of the most exclusive awards of this contest was a 18 carat gold shimmer offered by the firm Hijos de Sócrates de la Encarnación and that the design was made by Gomis jewelry store in Alicante.
Alberto Navarro proposed in an article published in Valle de Elda, that coinciding with the First National Fair a Footwear Museum be created that would be fed by the shoes awarded in each contest and that would be a symbol of prestige for our city.
The first national fair attracted 282 exhibitors, from as many commercial firms, of which 163 came from Elda and Petrer and more than 12,000 different models of shoes were exhibited.
ORIGINAL POSTERS FROM ELDA'S INTERNATIONAL SHOE FAIR
We consider ourselves lucky to have this collection of the original Posters that were exhibited at FICIA, in the late 60’s and 70’s.
With these posters the “Torito de la FICIA” and other logos were born.
The International Footwear and Related Industries Fair, better known by its acronym FICIA, was, as its name indicates, a fair about footwear and related industries. It was held annually in the city of Elda, in the province of Alicante, Spain, between 1960 and 1991. It was the first footwear fair held in Spain.
1974 INTERNATIONAL FOOTWEAR FAIR, ELDA-SPAIN
A TVE file that shows us how fashion looked, in analog and black and white.. Curtained walkways showing only the shoes, you had to direct your attention to the shoes and not be distracted by the models 😉 …
A TVE file that shows us how fashion looked, in analog and black and white.. Curtained walkways showing only the shoes, you had to direct your attention to the shoes and not be distracted by the models 😉 …
No online shopping cart, that’s how they bought shoes in those days.
We also tell you that the facilities where, at that time, the International Fair was held is today the Shoe Museum of Elda.
FOR SOME YEARS, IN THE 60S AND 70S, FOOTWEAR BECAME THE MAIN EXPORT PRODUCT OF SPAIN
The history of footwear is much more important than it may seem. It is hard to imagine what our life would be like without this item of clothing that protects our feet.
The World War I and especially the economic progress of the 1920s led to a proliferation of shoe factories in the area. Spain then began to become a consumer society, and above all in the cities quality shoes were increasingly taken.
These were the days of the industry’s greatest peak, when the International Fair of the Footwear and Allied Industries (FICIA) was held in Elda. This golden period would last until approximately the end of the 80s and beginning of the 90s.
