PRODUCTS & SERVICES
WF
consortium concept has to come if we
want to enter the big league export
market.”
There are around 10,000 footwear
manufacturing units in Agra but only
150 are big enough to focus on the
export market.
Y Trends issues SS13
predictions
A
msterdam-based
trends
consultancy Y Trends has
announced a footwear and sneaker
trend book, Hybrids, for spring-
summer 2013.
Available for purchase online, the
book gives trends predictions for
men's and women's shoes and
sneakers, relating footwear shapes
and ideas to developments in other
areas of design. Y Trends says the
book will offer inspiration for style
and for technical innovations as well.
Hybrids consists of four "big trend
stories" covering existing styles, and
new ideas for materials and
production methods.
FCC launches flexible
leather soles
B
razilian footwear components
manufacturer FCC, Fornecedora
de Componentes para Calçados,
which specialises in veg-tanned
leather products, has developed a
new line of flexible leather soles in a
wide range of colours.
FCC said on launching the soles
that they would increase comfort
levels in shoes and would help
footwear brands add value to their
shoes. “They have all the comfort of
flexible soles, but all the class of
leather,” the company said.
It said it hoped manufacturers
focused on the higher end of the
market, whether for the domestic or
export markets, would see the value
in offering these special soles.
Micro-Pak to take its
mould-prevention
seminars to India
S
pecialist Hong-Kong based anti-
mould technology provider
Micro-Pak took advantage of its
presence at the Meet at Agra 2011
Leather, Footwear Components &
Technology Fair in November to
deliver to Indian audiences its
seminar programme on how footwear
manufacturers can prevent mould
without risking the presence of
dimethyl fumarate in shoes and
packaging.
The Micro-Pak team delivered
seminars in major Indian centres of
shoe production
to
inform
manufacturers about the dangers of
mould and mildew forming and the
possible consequences of taking too
little care over some mould-
prevention techniques.
Seminars took place before and
after the Agra event in Delhi, Kanpur,
Kolkata and Chennai.
Manolo Blahnik teams
with Marcia Patmos for
eco-shoes
S
panish footwear designer Manolo
Blahnik has teamed up with
designer Marcia Patmos on eco-
friendly footwear. Tilapia skins, cork
and raffia are the raw materials used
in some brand-new Manolos.
Marcia Patmos, former Lutz &
Patmos designer who now runs her
own earth-friendly line, M. Patmos,
teamed up with Manolo Blahnik for a
capsule collection of sustainable
shoes.
“I am always researching
sustainable materials and
developments,” Ms Patmos told
fashion website Women’s Wear Daily.
“I love the idea of tilapia skin
because it is a by-product of the food
industry that would otherwise be
discarded, but it’s actually a beautiful
material perfect
for small
leathergoods.”
The Marcia Patmos for Manolo
Blahnik shoes will come in two styles
– a flat sandal and a strappy high heel
– in several colourways including
blue, black, nude, and yellow.
“I love bringing the idea of
sustainability into the luxury market
– it doesn’t have to be limited to T-
shirts and grocery bags,” she said.
Asics helps prove good
shoes beat knee disease
R
esearchers at the University of
Melbourne, Australia, have said
that a modified shoe can reduce
knee load in people with knee
osteoarthritis.
The research has been carried out
by Professor Kim Bennell and her
team at the Centre for Health,
Exercise and Sports Medicine at the
University of Melbourne and
supported by an Australian Research
Council grant with athletic footwear
company Asics. Results showed that
a specially-designed shoe can
reduce knee load during walking,
compared to traditionally-designed
athletic shoes.
This was seen in healthy people,
in overweight people who are more
at risk of developing osteoarthritis
and in people with established
painful knee osteoarthritis.
“Reducing knee pressure is
important as higher knee loads are
associated with a greater likelihood
of developing osteoarthritis as well
as faster progression of the disease
in people who already have
osteoarthritis,” said a statement from
the university. “Knee osteoarthritis is
the most common chronic
musculoskeletal health condition.
The condition causes pain, physical
disability, alterations to the way
people move and psychological
distress. However, even though
there is no cure for the disease,
things can improve with the right
management.”
8
Nicoline van Enter presents the latest Y
Trends predictions at GDS
CREDIT: GDS