The 'Youte Festival' footwear fair in Caravaca is held from May 31 to June 2 with numerous new features

The eighth edition of the Caravaca Footwear Fair 'Youte Festival' will be celebrated from May 31 to June 2 , accompanied by a complete agenda of Parallel activities, aimed at both professionals in the sector and the general public, which will complement the exhibition and sale of Caravaca firms and from other parts of the Region.

The mayor of Caravaca de la Cruz, José Francisco García; the general director of Commerce of the Autonomous Community, Rafael Gómez, and the president of the Association of Footwear and Espadrille Industries of Noroeste de Murcia 'Calzia', Juan Romero, together with the Councilor for Commerce, Ana Belén Martínez, and the executive director of the aforementioned association, Salvador Gómez, have been in charge of presenting the poster and programming of this fair with which It highlights and gives visibility to a strategic sector of the municipality's economy.

"This event This year it becomes part of the official calendar of regional fairs , with financial support from 75,000 euros coming from the Development Institute, the General Directorate of Commerce and the Caravaca City Council," as reported by the mayor, who made reference to "the values ​​of tradition, innovation and sustainability that characterize footwear made in Caravaca.”

“At the City Council we support this sector through close collaboration with the Calzia association, a union that materializes in initiatives such as this consolidated fair or the recently launched brand, 'Peregrinas' , with a physical and online store,” added José Francisco García.

The eighth edition of the fair includes a series of previous activities, such as the press trip that has been made to coincide with the presentation , in which journalists specialized in fashion from such prominent media as the magazine 'Hola', 'El Español', the TVE program 'Flash Moda', 'Fotoshoe', the magazine 'ModaEs' or the Italian media 'Arsutoria'.

This edition the fair It will have two different scenarios . The courtyard of the old Jesuit school, where the commercial area will continue to be installed, is joined by the old José Convent on Calle Mayor, where under the name of 'Area of ​​Inspiration' You will be able to see the latest creations and designs of regional fashion and footwear brands, as well as collaborations between Caravaca firms and designers from the Spanish Fashion Association (ACME) , among whom are Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Devota y Lomba, Maison Mesa, Paloma Suárez, Ernesto Naranjo, Elena Morales, María Lafuente or Javier de la Fuente. Business activities will also be held in the church of San José complementary related to innovation .

Parallel to the fair program, on Tuesday, May 28, the Federation of Footwear Industries of Spain will hold its executive committee in Caravaca de la Cruz on the occasion of the Jubilee Year 2024. The main Spanish companies in the sector and the different territorial associations that bring them together will be present at this forum. That night, Calzia is going to commemorate his 20th anniversary as an association in the Pedro Marín Rooms in Caravaca de la Cruz. A meeting that will serve to present recognition awards to figures who have been key and relevant in these two decades of experience.

On Thursday, May 31, the official opening of the 8th edition of the Youte festival will take place and the starting signal will be given to the children's workshops , this time, focused on recycling.

On the same day the 31st there will be the presence of Mexican designer Alejandro Carlín, who comes to participate as ambassador and also to begin collaboration with local firms with the aim of generating greater notoriety and recognition of our firms in the Mexican market.

During the days of the fair you will also find in the streets of Caravaca the 'Street Fashion Shootings' . An initiative that will allow participating brands to carry out photo shoots with models in charming corners of the holy city.

In the innovation section, on Saturday, June 1, you can participate in the 'Innovation Challenge' , also in the Church of San José. Starting at 9:30 a.m., a battle of ideas and projects will take place, rewarding the creativity and business viability of the proposals. The jury of this talent battle will be chaired by the renowned presenter, designer and fashion influencer Cristina Rodríguez.

On June 5, as a closing activity, a breakfast colloquium with the prestigious consultant and director of fashion companies Luis Lara, who will share with entrepreneurs and collaborators reflections on how to boost growth in strategic markets.

The Jute Arts Festival 'Youte Festival emerged as a formula to give more visibility to footwear with designation of origin and specifically the espadrilles and creations of Calzia brands in the international context and thus complement the international promotion that the companies carry out with the help of the Development Institute of the Region of Murcia (INFO).