Michael Weyergans · Footwear Consultant

Helping footwear brands grow, source and compete globally.

Strategic advisory, product development and direct access to trusted manufacturing partners.

Footwear manufacturers, lifestyle and apparel brands repositioning themselves or building a new footwear line, as well as retail chains with a footwear focus.

Leadership – broad expertise – deep market knowledge – brand management camel active by Gabor· Hassia· Ganter by Lorenz Shoe Group· and more· 30+ years

Michael Weyergans has spent more than 30 years building footwear brands, developing collections and managing international sourcing partnerships across Europe and Asia. Former leadership roles at camel active footwear, Hassia and Ganter.

The core service · footwear sourcing & manufacturing

European brand expertise. Asian manufacturing access.

Access to innovation, the latest sole technology and manufacturing competitiveness that European production alone can no longer offer; matched to your product, your price expectations, volume requirements and quality standards.

I find the right footwear manufacturing partner, open the door, and stay on the project from development into production.

Find the right manufacturing partner

What you get

  • The right vetted manufacturer, matched to your product
  • Access to a partner factory network with SEMS United
  • One point of contact
  • Support through the entire process
  • Sole technology and material expertise
What I do

Four areas, one partner

Clear focus instead of a long list. Sourcing is the core; connecting business and people, product and professional advisory complete the picture.

Executive Advisory

Senior counsel for owners and management in the footwear business.

  • Strategy, decisions and growth
  • C-level and management sparring
  • Brand and company ambassador, sales topics

Connecting · Business is people

Connecting business, sales and people at every level of the shoe trade.

  • Brands, agents, retail, buying groups & buying offices
  • Introductions that actually lead somewhere
  • Sales and distribution across markets

Footwear Sourcing

The core. The right factory, and a partner who stays on the project.

  • Manufacturer matching, within the exclusive SEMS United network
  • Supplier selection and vetting
  • Support through development into production

Product & Collection Development

From idea to a buildable shoe, for international markets.

  • Collection concepts and product architecture
  • Last development, materials and sole technology
  • Prototyping and industrialisation
In practice

On the product, in the factory, with the people

Hands on, where footwear is actually decided and made — across all four service areas.

"Michael reads a product the way only a true footwear professional can. He weighs design, construction and manufacturing against each other to find the point where economy and market appeal meet. That balance is rare, and it is exactly what turns a good idea into a sellable shoe."

António SalazarFootwear professional, Portugal

"He told us what would not work before it cost us a season."

CEO, heritage footwear brand

"Michael Weyergans combines brand, product and retail in one person – and always thinks from the market's perspective. Few people bridge industry, sourcing and retail with such assurance. Not a middleman who hands over a contact, but a partner who stays on the project: collaborative, discreet and exceptionally reliable."

Fritz TerbuykenNuvalista · former board member, ANWR Group

Brand repositioning

ChallengeA heritage brand losing relevance.
ApproachIdentified brand core and DNA, sharpened product architecture, repositioned the collection, realigned sourcing.
ResultA clearer range and a modern, market-ready product line.

Manufacturing sourcing

ChallengeA brand without reliable factory access.
ApproachMatched the product to vetted manufacturers, ran samples, managed the negotiation.
ResultThe right factory, first samples in weeks, production on track.

Collection development

ChallengeA lifestyle brand launching footwear for the first time.
ApproachBuilt the product concept, lasts and materials, defined the production partner.
ResultA credible first footwear collection, ready for the market.
About Michael Weyergans

A shoe industry expert across the entire value chain: markets, retail, brand, product and production.

It began in 1991 with buying groups and at Italian buying offices, close to shoe factories and the leather industry. From there: seventeen years building camel active footwear at Gabor, management-level brand leadership at Hassia and Ganter, and private label and made-to-order with Asian manufacturing partners.

The rare part is the combination. Commercial leadership and hands-on product work in one person, from the last and the materials to the sole construction, with a network that runs from the retail floor to the factory line, in Europe and in Asia.

Built and led camel active footwear for 17 years, from design brief to production, go-to-market strategies and from marketing to retail shop-in-shop solutions.
Management-level brand leadership at Hassia and Ganter in the Lorenz Shoe Group.
End to end product: last assessment, upper design, material and leather selection, sole technology.
Sourcing, with direct factory and tannery relationships.
Global sales leadership and strategy.
How we work

A clear path, from brief to production

Four steps, one accountable partner throughout.

1

Discovery

We review your brand, product and goals.

2

Strategy

We define the shared path and the right solution.

3

Partner matching

I identify and vet the right manufacturers.

4

Execution support

I stay on the project, from development into production.

What I stand for

Values

Why partners work with me.

Passion
Three decades in, still obsessed with how a shoe is made.
Discretion
This is my guiding principle for trusted collaboration.
Partnership
I work as part of your team, not from the outside.
Reliability
Relationships from 30 years that still endure and keep growing.
Quality
Materials, lasts and sole technology, judged by someone who has guided the process.
Innovation
Technical design that keeps your product competitive.
FAQs

Questions before we talk

Why work with you instead of contacting just any factory directly?

Because the wrong factory costs a season — and causes headaches.

We could approach a factory directly — where is the advantage in working with you?

You know what you get: with me, you work directly! No unknown third party, trader or factory you can't be sure you can trust. I match your product to a vetted manufacturer from a partner network, manage development where needed and stay accountable, rather than just handing over a contact.

How quickly can I see suitable manufacturers?

Usually within a few weeks of a clear brief, including first samples.

We are launching footwear for the first time. Can you build it from scratch?

Yes. Concept, lasts, materials and the right partners and factory. One of the mandates I enjoy most.

Can you help beyond sourcing?

Yes. Strategy, collections, product development and brand guidance. Sourcing is the core, not the limit.

Get in touch

Let's talk footwear.

Tell me what you are working on. I will tell you, honestly, how I can help. I reply within one business day.

office@mweyergans.de · +49 160 7464942 · Bad Feilnbach, Germany

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Angaben gemäß § 5 DDG
Weyergans Business & Footwear Consulting
Michael Weyergans
Osterfeldstraße 14
83075 Bad Feilnbach
Deutschland

Kontakt
Telefon: +49 160 7464942
E-Mail: office@mweyergans.de

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