Manufacturing offshoring decisions have been implemented for a long time in the footwear industry. However, more recently some companies are revising their initial decision by implementing the backshoring alternative. This paper is focused on backshoring decisions implemented by contract manufacturers that decided to develop their own brand. Two case studies of shoe manufacturers are analyzed and compared according to the 5W and 1H (What, Who, Why, Where, When and How) perspectives. Findings show that both the earlier implemented strategies (contract manufacturing and offshoring) allowed the investigated companies to develop competences useful for promoting their own brand and increase their performances.