ISTANBUL, March 31 (Xinhua) -- An international footwear fashion fair kicked off on Wednesday in Turkey's biggest city and financial hub Istanbul under strict COVID-19 related measures.

The 64th International Footwear Fashion Fair, one of the most prominent gatherings of the global footwear industry, lured over 1,000 domestic and international brands leading the industry.

The participating brands exhibited their newest footwear models of women, men, and children at the fair, which will run until Saturday. The designs covered a wide range of types, from elegant to casual, and from classic to sporty.

The Italian Footwear Manufacturers' Association Assocalzaturifici showed the maximum attendance with 20 world-renowned Italian companies, all displaying their most fashionable designs.

The fair also hosted over 30,000 buyer delegations from some 50 countries.

Salina Ferretti, vice president of the Assocalzaturifici and CEO of the Falc S.P.A, an Italian company of children's footwear, told Xinhua that their expectation is "very special."

"There have been very few international trade shows, and we need to meet customers and the rest of the industry," Ferretti noted, referring to the challenging conditions of the pandemic.

In Ferretti's view, the fair was also important in terms of attracting not only national customers but also buyers from neighbouring markets, such as Russia, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, and several Arab and African countries.

Staff with the Repo, an Italian footwear producer, said this fair was the first of its kind that the company joined physically after more than one year since the pandemic broke out.

Strict COVID-19 measures can be seen in the grand complex where the fair is held.

Visitors could only enter the facility by presenting health code after security officials checked their body temperatures. The number of guests was also limited in line with the social distancing rule. Enditem

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