Legislation and labels drive footwear fabric development
According to a new report, “Fibres and Fabrics for Performance Footwear” published by Dublin-based Research and Markets, legislation and brand labels are the main drivers of footwear fibre and fabric development in the performance shoe segment.
According to the study, whilst the market for safety footwear is affected by legislation which governs personal protective equipment (PPE), and the cost to potential wearers and employers, the market for sports and recreational footwear is driven by branding and technological advancements which improve the performance of the wearer. However, there is also a move towards more activity-specific products which offer the wearer certain performance characteristics in certain situations whether they are running or doing aerobics, fighting fires or working in a factory, etc., all of which demand the use of specific fibre and fabric properties.
