Research body CTC is helping footwear brands and their material suppliers put in place a high level of assurance that in-house laboratories are testing and measuring accurately, boosting confidence all along...
19 November 2020
CTC lauds lab programme
12 November 2020
Materials search bears fruit for Camper
A desire for sustainable, high-performance materials for its footwear moved Camper to enter into discussions with the Lenzing Group and to add TENCEL to the list of natural fibres in its products.
05 November 2020
South America’s safety shoe breakthrough
Work and safety footwear manufacturer Maincal has become the first South American company in the sector to incorporate BASF’s Infinergy expanded TPU material into the midsole of its products.
29 October 2020
Ethiopia’s story ‘has just begun’
A Vivobarefoot and Pittards partnership has created jobs and opportunities in the African country. With brands looking at new sourcing destinations, Pittards CEO Reg Hankey tells us why collaborative supply...
22 October 2020
Carb Loading
This year’s most publicised releases from major running shoe brands have one thing in common: carbon plates. Footwear designers who are not yet using the technology might want to take note.
15 October 2020
Index0.1 finds new home in ski boots
Salomon has a comprehensive strategy, including local recycling options, for its first ‘made to be recycled’ shoe.
19 August 2020
Airlines relax high-heel rules
Two Japanese airlines recently changed their stances on flight attendants wearing high heels, in response to growing pressure from employees, podiatrists and a hashtag about shoe pain.
12 August 2020
Shoes that put the personal in PPE
For many years, the focus of safety footwear manufacturers has been on protecting workers from external physical danger. Developers also want to address less visible health concerns such as plantar fasciitis...
05 August 2020
Kirigami coating could make shoes safer
MIT researchers have drawn on kirigami, a variation of origami that involves cutting paper as well as folding it, to create a friction-boosting material that could be used to coat the soles of shoes, giving...
29 July 2020
Too good to keep to yourself
Large numbers of people discovered a love of running, hiking and other outdoor activities in precious moments of relief from the coronavirus lockdown.
22 July 2020
True north
Swedish outdoor footwear brand Lundhags has always produced on home soil the long-lasting, high-shafted shell boots that helped make its name. More recently, it decided to give a fresh start to lower-cut,...
15 July 2020
Lockdown uncovers new lovers of running
An offer of free access to a range of features on its Runkeeper app helped ASICS secure the participation of 14,000 people in a new study on the benefits of running during the weeks of the covid-19 lockdown...
27 May 2020
Louboutin is loyal to leather
Shoe designer Christian Louboutin has received encouragement to try out “fake” material in his collections in place of leather. He carried out his own research into the comparative merits of both materials and ...
20 May 2020
Pathways for smaller companies
An important part of the leather industry’s circular economy credentials is that, in this value chain, companies of all sizes are able to see the way forward from linear to circular production.
13 May 2020
Design accolade for Uvex safety shoe
Uvex, recently celebrated an important success in a wide-ranging and prestigious design competition. A new soling system it put into a new line of safety shoes was instrumental in helping it win.
06 May 2020
An American icon
Cowboy boots in some form or another continue to come and go as a footwear item, particularly in ladies ranges.
29 April 2020
The war on waste will continue
Developers of specialist materials and production systems seem more intent than ever on helping footwear companies eliminate waste from their manufacturing set-ups.
22 April 2020
Governing body puts the brakes on
World Athletics has set new rules on footwear advancements in an attempt to try to level the playing field.
15 April 2020
Footwear the foot wants to wear
After decades of running shoes elevating the heel and hugging in the toes, two brands are nudging the footwear industry back toward more foot-shaped designs.
19 February 2020
Luxury trainers tap into millennial love for sneakers
It’s no longer a novelty to find casual, playful sneakers in the collections of the world’s most sophisticated luxury brands.
12 February 2020
Old shoes resurrected
The knowledge, skills and love required to repair leather shoes may be less common than they were 100 years ago, but giving footwear a new life in this way is making a comeback.
05 February 2020
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”.
29 January 2020
BASF unveils ‘limitless’ virtual shoe
The chemical group teamed up with i-generator to present fresh safety concepts in a novel way.
22 January 2020
Cushioning system is the secret of Saucony’s Triumph
Running shoe brand Saucony says a new, proprietary cushioning system has helped it make the latest version of its Triumph running shoe lighter in weight, better able to cope with temperature fluctuation and...
15 January 2020
Concept shoe has softer impact
The first product to emerge from a strategy at Salomon to bring circular economy principles into its business involves a running shoe with recyclability designed into it.