Making its debut on 26-27 January 2025 at Cranmore Park, Solihull, INDX National Kids Footwear Show is a new trade exhibition that will run alongside the rebranded INDX National Kidswear Show. Created in response to market growth and developed in partnership with the children’s footwear industry, this latest addition to the INDX programme has already attracted a host of brands, many of which offer school footwear ranges. Here’s a taster of what’s in store.
Primigi
Primigi’s (pictured top) Back to School collection caters for outdoor adventures for boys inspired by 2000s streetwear alongside preppy styles for girls. Style highlights include lace-up and double-Velcro trainers that maintain their importance despite adopting a more casual look, together with black leather or patent ballerinas and combat boots. Ankle boots and booties feature lace and zip closures or are decorated with subtle hints of buckles and metal studs. Colours are navy blue, grey, and total black.
ToeZone
ToeZone premium school shoes come with memory foam insocks, cushion padded heels, anti-odour technology, and the highest quality materials to make them the most durable, scuff-resistant and super strong school shoes. Furthermore, the ToeZone patented visual size guide is a revolutionary and simple way for parents to confidently measure their children’s feet size using the guide on the outersole of its shoes.
Young Soles
The Young Soles 2025 Back to School collection features all the brand’s award-winning shoes and boots in all black. From the lightweight classic T-Bar Rosie to the bestselling durable stitch-down T-Bar and Mary Jane styles Penny, Parker and Martha, as well as popular boys’ boots Boomer, Fletcher and Marlow. All these heritage styles are now complemented by the brand’s barefoot collection, featuring shoes, boots and trainers on Young Soles’ custom-made, zero-drop sole.
Froddo
For Back to School 2025, Froddo is launching several new designs. The Mia Mary Jane Heart style features a simple glitter heart design sitting on a patent leather upper, while the classic Ella Mary Jane has a new design in black patent. New boys’ style, Lou, is a leather shoe with a rubber upper for toe and shoe protection. Lou was first introduced for s/s 25 with water-repellent suede leather. The Back to School 2025 Lou has a special insole and a very light outsole. Keep an eye out for further developments for Lou in the New Year. Finally, the Barefoot collection. All Froddo barefoot shoes have a standard hard-wearing extra grip outsole. Alex, with a double strap, remains the most popular barefoot style in the Froddo Back to School Barefoot collection.
Zig + Star
Zig + Star school shoes are for conscious parents who don’t want to compromise on style or durability. The brand’s award-winning shoes and boots come with a clever removable midsole that increases the fit by half a size, lasting 50% longer than the average child’s shoe. Plus, its Trade-In Scheme allows parents to earn money on their old shoes, which Zig + Star will donate or recycle free of charge.
Biomecanics
Science forms the basis of Biomecanics’ children’s footwear, created with the Institute of Biomechanics of Valencia and endorsed by the Spanish Association of Paediatric Nursing. School shoe ranges for boys and girls comprise high-quality, comfortable and durable styles to accommodate children’s active lives.
Dubs
Children’s shoe brand Dubs creates footwear that embraces comfort, durability and sustainability. Within its collection, the brand offers the Dubs Flex Black, which is ideal for school and PE. Crafted from recycled plastic bottles and sugarcane, the shoe has a spacious toe box to ensure a child’s toes have plenty of room to grow, while the lightweight and comfortable flyknit upper makes it easy to put on and take off. Dubs Flex is also machine washable and easy to clean.
Bobux
School by Bobux 2025 offers styles in premium, patent, and coated black leathers in sizes EU 27-33 / UK 9-1. Innovations include the durable Kid+ Rubber Sole unit, which is non-marking and features 70% natural rubber for comfort and durability. Innersoles with a premium leather outer for breathability and durability have an EVA and Memory Foam inner for comfort and shock absorbance. The innersoles are also removable for size adjustment if needed, with Left and Right shoe identifiers to help little learners. Extra tough hook-and-loop straps, meanwhile, allow for adjustability, easy on-off, and to add personal labelling.
Garvalin
Garvalin designs footwear that guarantees comfort and durability. Its school shoe collection offers practical styles designed to cope with children’s busy daily activities. Made of leather, and chrome and nickel-free, all the brand’s school shoes offer the best support without compromising freedom of movement.
Ricosta
The new Back To School collection from Ricosta includes brand new barefoot styles for boys and girls along with a new waterproof trainer. All will sit alongside last year’s successful collection of shoes, which range from smart and casual to waterproof in sizes EU 23-43, making this Back To School offering the largest and most diverse yet.
Start-Rite Shoes
Start-Rite Shoes, pioneers in children’s fitted footwear, continues to blaze a trail as the beacon for durable school shoes. Combining tradition with innovation, it ensures every child steps confidently into the school year with its range of school shoes for new starters to teens. In 2024, alongside new high-profile retail partnerships, Start-Rite’s Back to School collection introduced 12 new styles including Eclipse, an on-trend monk shoe style with a high shine finish and chunky sole; Flourish, which features a decorative bow in classic leather and added toe protection for durability in the primary school collection; and Spider Web, a spider-themed school shoe made from breathable textile and leather linings, with padded ankles and collars and a removable insole for long-lasting comfort and protection. Start-Rite has also partnered with SizeWise to launch a first-of-its-kind digital foot-measuring tool that enables parents to measure their child’s feet wherever they are.
Superfit
Key styles within Superfit’s 2025 Back to School collection include Stella, which has a lightweight PU sole that provides stability and supports rolling movement. Trainer styles include Melody for girls and the brand’s Kicks trainers, which have a profiled sole and firm grip. Storm caters to active kids, with robust, skid-proof rubber soles, while Maverick is Superfit’s new trainer, offering a fashionable look in Nappa leather with Sympatex fleece lining. There’s also Bill, a lightweight anti-slip plimsoll style for nursery and school, and the Abby Nova boot with a breathable Gore-Tex fleece lining.
Petasil
Crafted in Portugal’s renowned shoemaking region, Petasil is known for its superior craftsmanship and high-quality leather. With a strong presence in the UK children’s footwear market for over 20 years, Petasil’s collection includes its popular Back to School range designed to meet the needs of growing children with style and durability.
Show information
INDX National Kids Footwear Show takes place on 26-27 January 2025 at Cranmore Park, Solihull. The show is open to all retailers and includes free entry and free onsite parking as well as complimentary refreshments. Please click here for further information and visitor registration.
