Safety shoes at a stretch
Use of stretch technology in combination with Gore-Tex breathable moisture-protection has led to a new footwear construction that makes safety shoes “feel like socks”.
If the S3 safety footwear already offers toe protection, antistatic and oil resistance, energy absorption in the heel, resistance to water penetration and absorption in the upper, plus midsole penetration resistance, it probably proved a challenge finding anything that shoe manufacturers could add efficiently and affordably to this list of attributes. WL Gore believes it has found a gap as well as the solution to fill it: stretch.At the end of 2019, the membrane technology provider announced that it was launching a new, patent-pending footwear construction featuring its Gore-Tex footwear laminates and stretch inner lining materials, connecting them using what it calls an “elastic connection seam”. According to WL Gore, according to the company this has resulted in S3 safety shoes that have the protective features wearers will expect of products in this category, but which also contour to the shape of the foot, are easy to slip on and off and provide a high level of comfort.
Slip on, slip off
In some jobs, of course, work and safety footwear goes on first thing in the morning and only comes off when the day’s labour is done, but Gore’s view is that its new stretch option will be well suited for people who spend a lot of time on the move and may need safety shoes only for some parts of their work. It points out that the shoes will also be comfortable enough to keep on all day if that is what the wearer wants. However, logistics workers who split their time between an office and the aisles of a distribution centre may like the option of slipping protective shoes on quickly when they go into the warehouse and off again, equally quickly, when they return to the office environment. Skilled craftsmen and women, production leaders, service technicians, postal workers, car mechanics and even construction workers are others that the membrane technology provider believes will benefit from the shoes.
Durably pleasant
Comfort will result from what the company calls a “durably pleasant climate” inside the shoe. Moisture and heat produced by the foot are channelled to the outside, so the wearer’s feet stay dry, even at elevated temperatures or during physically strenuous activities. As a consequence, the shoes are suitable for indoor and outdoor use. And because they have what the company calls “the athletic design of the sneakers and trainers they choose to wear outside working hours”, management teams will have little difficulty convincing their employees to get into the habit of using the shoes to keep their feet safe and dry every time they engage in activities that include a need for protection.
Gore says this is safety footwear that “doesn’t feel like safety footwear”. The new, patent-pending construction allows shoes to fit snugly around the shape of the foot, ensuring that there is no bunching or wrinkling in the instep area. “This area is of critical importance in the construction of safety footwear,” according to the company. “If creasing occurs, for instance, around the tongue of the shoe because of the way it laces up, this can cause rubbing and pressure points on the skin. Gore-Tex stretch safety footwear feels a bit like wearing a sock.”
Footwear partners Elten, Jalatte, Pezzol, Solid Gear, Steitz Secura and U-Power are among the first companies to develop prototypes and collections featuring Gore-Tex stretch safety footwear styles.
