AAFA reports drop in shoe imports.
While China still supplies more than eight out of every 10 shoes sold in the U.S., domestic production is on the up. A recent report by the AAFA (American Apparel and Footwear Association) found that in 2012, the number of shoes manufactured in the United States increased by 9 percent. This rise combined with a corresponding fall in imports caused import penetration in the footwear market to fall slightly for the second year in a row, from 98.7 percent to 98.6 percent.