With many we create insights documents to help the footwear industry community transition to the challenges presented in a post capitalist landscape.
You can get access to our findings and reports from our Events at the end of the page.
In April 2026, we convened a performance footwear roundtable, bringing together experts across design, materials innovation, manufacturing and strategy for a rich and open discussion on the future of the sector.
Building on the momentum of the ‘Performance Without Toxicity’ event at The Mills Fabrica, the conversation pushed further into the systemic challenges shaping the industry.
What emerged clearly is this, the industry does not lack innovation, it lacks the structural alignment needed to implement it. From redefining what we mean by performance to challenging the role of innovation as a marketing device, there was a shared recognition that meaningful progress now depends on systems change.
Thank you to all who contributed their expertise so generously. This marks an important step towards a more coherent, responsible and future-facing footwear industry.
GFFC founder and Central Saint Martins Associate Dean of Knowledge Exchange, Darla Jane Gilroy, chaired the footwear innovation panel at the Performance Without Toxicity Conference hosted by The Mills Fabrica in London.
Bringing together leaders from across footwear design, material innovation and education, the panel included Asher Clark, CEO of Vivobarefoot, Jace Cooper, Founder of London Sneaker School, and Rotem Elimelech, Head of Marketing at Balena. The panel explored how the footwear industry can respond to increasing environmental pressures, changing consumer expectations and emerging regulatory frameworks, and still deliver products that meet the demands of performance, comfort and durability.
As part of the Global Footwear Future Coalition’s mission to convene unlikely partnerships and support knowledge exchange across industry, academia and policy, the panel highlighted the importance of collaboration in accelerating the transition towards a more sustainable, transparent and regenerative future for the global footwear industry.
Co-organised by the Future Footwear Foundation (FFF) and the Global Footwear Future Coalition (GFFC), the event was affiliated with the research cluster ‘the body plural’, supported by KASK en Conservatorium / HOGENT en howest, Vivobarefoot, and hosted at The British Library in the Knowledge Centre.
The launch brought together voices from design, anthropology, cognitive archaeology, community building and regenerative practices of knowledge exchange. With an introduction by Darla-Jane Gilroy and moderated by Liz Ciokajlo the event shared perspectives from education, research, and industry: Festus Soroab (Village Schools, Nyae Nyae Conservancy, Namibia), Anca Usurelu  (KASK & Conservatorium, FFF),Galahad (Vivobarefoot), Lambros Malafouris (University of Oxford), Kristiaan D’Août (University of Liverpool), and Catherine Willems (KASK & Conservatorium, FFF).
You can order the book via :Â Jap Sam Books
As an academically led, not-for-profit organisation, GFFC believes that bridging the progress gap between multi-stakeholder interests requires more than dialogue; it demands structure, intention and a commitment to shared outcomes.
The roundtables build on the foundations of our highly successful launch symposium, which brought together some of the world’s most influential footwear brands, manufacturers, retailers and innovators.
In this spirit, we are convening a series of roundtables to identify opportunities for change. The series brings together thought leaders from across the global footwear industry to share personal perspectives on the sector’s most pressing challenges. The roundtable outputs will inform GFFC’s 5-year strategic plan for collective progress.
If you are interested in attending or hosting a round table event, please get in touch here.
Wednesday 9 October 2024 at Havas, King’s Cross, London
The GFFC officially launched in October 2024 with an all-day knowledge sharing symposium.
Guests were drawn from stakeholders across the industry.
The day featured a mix of keynote presentations and small-format sessions, addressing key systemic challenges highlighted and highlighting future opportunities from discussions with industry
