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together, ideal for working with elastics. The Italian-made sock
type shoes are designed for outdoor and indoor barefoot
sports, like a glove that wraps the foot. Technical socks, in a
more classic sock design, using Kevlar for barefoot running from
the Swiss Barefoot Company, on display in the Brand New
area, had been worn for six months with
hardly a sign of wear.
Rubber and shell boots
Both rubber, PU and shell boots are gaining
popularity in winter. Hi-Tec’s introduction, the Para
boots, are named after the para tree where the natural
latex rubber comes from. It is warm-lined and with an ice
slip-resistant sole from Vibram. The inner part is made from
Neoprene with a close fit like a wetsuit, keeping feet warm and
stopping socks inside from falling down, a common problem
with rubber boots. Now just in men’s sizes, sizes for women will
follow next year.
Fun rubber boots from Lacrosse had knitted textile shafts with
rubber inside so they are still totally waterproof. Sorel has
become a trend boot company; their traditional boots range
included a ‘50 year’ series, to celebrate the brand’s heritage.
There is a men’s original with colours and styling inspired by the
original vulcanised boot. Fashion adaptations include shell
boots from the New Icons collection with a spat shaft in leather.
There is even a high heeled natural rubber boot with a forepart
platform. There is a rubber-soled felt boot inspired by cabin
boots, but with an outdoor sole. More for city fashion than for
cabin functionality, but still with a heritage appeal.
Shell (Bean) boots appeal to more than users in extreme
cold climates. They are both very functional and also
fashionable. Teva’s new shell boot is in incredibly lightweight
PU, with a non-slip outer sole and a waterproof upper with
welded seams. It has an insulating inner sock with a slim sole
that means it can be worn on its own.
Kamik, the Canadian functional shell and wellington boot
company, has just launched a collection with Gore-Tex.
Although the foot part of the classic Kamik boots are totally
waterproof, the company has linked up with Gore to make
winter boots with full bootee construction with Partelana warm
lining. It makes them warm and entirely waterproof all the way
round the foot. From Spring Yard, PU galoshes are semi-
transparent and colourful and good for keeping leather
footwear dry.
Green
Green is not just conserving energy and recycling soda
bottles to make fleece any more; it also means sustainable
ways of working, even down to the booths at the fair, with
examples including Patagonia and Keen using recyclable wood
and natural materials on theirs.
While Toms gives a free pair of shoes to poor children for
every pair sold, Teva’s “A Pair for a Foot” campaign will
clear a linear foot of waterways for every pair
sold. Meindl’s range called Schladming
Identity can trace all the components from
source. The German company promises total
traceability, from the parentage and farming of
the cattle used for the leather, to the
manufacturing. The traditional style made locally has
a leather vamp, and the lining is real shearling lambskin,
to keep feet cozy and warm. There are models for men and
women. Each pair has a QR (Quick Response) barcode identity
which can be read with a QR reader on any smart phone. The
user gets redirected to a website with all the information.
Don’t slip
In the old days, shoe attachments (overshoes and claw
hooks in soles) to stop slipping on icy pavements were
marketed to older people to stop them falling. Today, non-slip
footwear and attachments are targeted at active winter runners,
and the designs and colours have got brighter and trendier.
IceBug of Sweden’s running shoes with retractable studs
have won the “best in test” in one of the local Swedish running
magazines. Colours are vivid and eye-catching in line with
winter sports clothing, a good idea when it starts getting dark in
winter before 4pm. Overshoes are another way to prevent
slipping on icy paths. Stabilicers from Italy are lightweight open
soles with studs on the bottom, which act as non-slip
overshoes. And they come in a range of fashion colours from
pink to lime.
Walk’s EzyShoes are inspired by “tyre chains”. Modern tyre
chains are not made of metal but from composite rope, and are
easily stretched over the tyres with elastics. The EzyShoes,
originally designed as multi-purpose non-slip shoe covers,
easily slip over winter footwear. The makers found that many
people were using them for running, but that they found them
lacking in flexibility. The new anti-skid overshoes for runners
don’t just come in bright colours, but have been redesigned to
provide more forepart flexibility; the vamp reinforcement has
been made shorter so the foot can flex more easily.
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MAY/JUNE 2012 | www.footwearbiz.com
IceBug Anima-L
trail running shoe.
SPORTS TRENDS – COLOURFUL, RETRO AND LUXURY
Rykä’s lightweight “everyday” fitness running shoe.