“The time to rewrite history”. This is the motto of the international campaign launched by the Portuguese footwear industry as part of the BioShoes4All project. Featuring Isabel Abreu, the campaign promotes awareness and care as the new pillars of the future, urging responsibility, authenticity, and an urgent paradigm shift in the sector.
In a world where 24 billion pairs of shoes are produced, and 90% of which are made in China, the question arises: is this reasonable? Is this sustainable?
Portugal believes there is another way.
“The world cries out in excess.
Hands no longer embrace; they accumulate.
The heart has forgotten moderation.
It is time to exchange the disposable for the lasting.
Illusion for truth.
Mass production or conscious consumption?
Your choice will shape the future”.
With a strong aesthetic, emotional and ethical charge, the new APICCAPS campaign doesn’t just sell footwear – it offers a vision. A new attitude. Produce less, but produce better. Get back to the essentials. Celebrate what lasts. Celebrate what is made with time, hands, and respect. It doesn’t require ephemeral labels because it embodies ancestral expertise and a genuine commitment to the future.
“Every year, 24 billion pairs of shoes are produced, 88% of which are made in Asia. This is neither reasonable nor sustainable. We believe that it is possible to produce high-quality footwear in Europe at fair prices”, says Paulo Gonçalves, communications director at APICCAPS.
Portugal presents itself to the world as a small producer of excellence, combining tradition and innovation with sustainable industrial practices and a history of investing in modernising its value chain. At a time when the planet is crying out for restraint and awareness, the Portuguese footwear industry is responding with integrity and innovation.
The industry has always been about people. Of time. Of land. Of the future. And that is what we want to continue wearing.
The choice of Isabel Abreu – actress, creator and active voice of culture and social responsibility – is no coincidence. She is an extension of the campaign’s message. With an artistic career marked by depth and rigour, Isabel embodies the sensitivity and strength of a message that wants to be more than just heard; it wants to be remembered.
“More than representing this campaign, I feel part of it. Because I believe that the way we consume says a lot about the way we exist”, she says.
The new Portuguese Shoes campaign is already in international circulation and reinforces Portugal’s positioning as a creative, conscious, and committed country. Because change begins where the first step is taken.
