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product certified by W.L. Gore and specified for use in
branded waterproof shoes and boots utilising Gore-Tex to
achieve the ultimate in moisture wicking prevention.
Another footwear sector imposes even greater
requirements on the threads used: firefighters’ boots and
work boots, to resist molten metal in the steel industry as
well as other areas where heat, fire, or extreme exposures
pose extreme risks. The fibres used to produce these
threads are Meta and Para-Aramids such as Dupont’s
Nomex and Kevlar or Teijin’s Twaron. Only technologically
advanced materials such as these are capable of producing
seams able to survive in even the worst environments and
where the footwear requires the strongest possible seam
strength.
A&E’s newest product is its Vectran footwear thread
aimed at boots for the mining industry and similar sectors
where strength and durability are pushed to the limit in
conditions where high abrasion, variable temperatures and
chemical and acidic/caustic environments are all possible.
Mark Hatton, director marketing and sales, says: ”We are
particularly excited by this new product. Vectran is a high-
performance multifilament yarn spun from liquid crystal
polymer (LCP) by Kuraray in Japan and is the only
commercially available melt spun LCP fibre in the world. It
exhibits exceptional strength and rigidity being pound for
pound five times stronger than steel and ten times stronger
than aluminum. It is the toughest footwear thread yet.”
CHANGING FUNCTIONS
In the past, sewing was regarded as just a basic but
essential process in producing clothing and footwear.
Seams were kept to a minimum and designed to be as least
visible as possible. A minimum of colours was used, with
brown, tan and white predominating in the footwear
industry. The arrival of stronger threads made from
synthetic fibres allowed thread sizes to be reduced and a
wider palette of colours to be created.
Now, as well as forming a functional part of a shoe’s
construction, upper stitching thread has also become an
important visual element of its design. Whether in unique top
stitching patterns, heavier than required threads or merely
contrasting colours, threads are used to emphasise shape
and function as well as visual appeal. The variety of shades
now available is almost limitless due to the development of
computerised colour matching and threads are now used in
a much wider range of sizes than ever before.
Some would argue that the evolution of sewing machines
has been made possible through the development of higher
performance threads. But, as machine technology was
developed and refined, the reverse occurred and created a
need for higher performance thread. But this is how
progress is always made. A&E’s introduction of its Vectran
thread clearly illustrates that as fibre developments
advance, so will the opportunities to use them in footwear.
While sewing machines are now more sophisticated and
thread is made from synthetic rather than natural fibres, the
actual method of creating the seam remains the same
simply because a more efficient and effective way to
achieve the same end result is yet to be found. Indeed,
unlike the cutting and making departments in a modern
shoe factory, a glance into the stitching department does
not reveal many apparent differences compared with 25
years ago.
There has been change, nevertheless, not in the way
things are done but in the threads that are now available.
Back then, it was a simple choice between nylon and
polyester. Now, new generations of synthetic fibres have
enabled thread manufacturers to create a step change in the
way stitching threads perform. While we may still be using
stitched seams to create shoe uppers, we are producing
much better ones than ever before.
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WORLD FOOTWEAR | JULY/AUGUST 2012
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The filaments of Netbond are welded together to prevent
untwisting or opening during stitching
CREDIT: CT POINT
Vectran is the strongest thread for footwear produced so far
CREDIT: AMERICAN & EFIRD