Shoe Strings
Marikina shoe manufacturers, material suppliers, and traders unite to revitalize the industry
By Anne dela Cruz

Laureano Guevarra started it all. He brought home a pair of imported shoes in 1887 and studied how it was produced. Through trial and error, he and his slipper makers were able to teach themselves how to make shoes.

As early as 1935, Marikina earned its title as the shoe capital of the Philippines, with 139 shoe factories producing over 260,000 pairs of ladies’ shoes and 86,000 pairs of men’s shoes annually.
The late 1970s and 1980s were considered the boom years of the Marikina shoe industry. Shoe importation was limited to high-end brands, which only the rich could afford.

But when importation was liberalized in 1986, importing foreign products became easier and cheaper. And with the quality of shoe imports – mostly from China – getting better through the years, Marikina shoe manufacturers faced very tough competition in the 1990s. Small shoe producers in Marikina were forced to close shop while others had a hard time making ends meet.

Early this year, however, Natasha Shoes President Mahar Jardiolin brought up the idea of pooling the resources of Marikina shoe factory owners in order to upgrade production quality and quantity. It is now an industry association organized as a corporation, with 74 members dedicated to revitalizing Marikina’s pride.

The group, which is called Marquina, is made up mostly of shoe manufacturers, material suppliers, and traders.

Since its incorporation in March, Marquina was able to conduct training seminars to re-engineer the Marikina shoe industry by introducing more efficient manufacturing methods as well as more updated marketing methods. Jardiolin realized that if the industry was to flourish once again, training should not be limited to factory owners, but extended to their workers as well.

“We intend to retrain the whole shoe industry,” Jardiolin said. “So far, the response to our training efforts has been great because many shareholder companies have already implemented what they have learned and have experienced a dramatic increase in productivity.”

With the proper training under their belts, they were ready to achieve the next objective—to generate orders for the industry. This they would do by creating an exciting collection of comfortable, durable, fashionable, and affordable genuine leather shoes, which they would call “Marquina.”

Since they wanted to launch their collection in time for the busy Christmas season, Jardiolin said they asked their members to share their best designs with Marquina. “Sharing of designs was totally unheard of before,” Jardiolin said. “It only goes to show that our members are very supportive.”

When they launched their product line during a bazaar in August, customers noted that the designs they showcased were very common. “Everyone noticed that there was no personality in our collection,” he said. “So now, we are working hard to come up with a 2004 collection that will have a very distinct Filipino look.”

When they participated during the recent retailers’ conference organized by the Philippine Retailers Association, Jardiolin said some of the biggest shoe retailers have already made orders with them. Since the bigger players have been able to make a name for themselves in the market, Jardiolin said they will be allowed to carry their own brand in the shoes Marquina will be manufacturing for them.

Those who are just starting out in the retail business, however, will be encouraged to market the Marquina name.

The Marquina line is now out in the market. They can be found in shoe stores and will also be made available through direct selling under Jardiolin’s Natasha catalogue. Indeed, Marikina is ready to defend its title: the shoe capital of the Philippines.