The Footwear Forum - Latest Selection

A total of five articles are certainly worth a mention in the leather segment, with three of the variants originating from the August Renz leather factory. A fully vegetable-tanned shoe-upper leather side made from regional southern German cowhides. These are ideal for casual shoes and sneakers, and available in three different thicknesses and colors. Another highlight is the black-colored leather from Ocean Plastics, 100% solvent-free PPU on stretch knit.

brrr is showcasing variants made from 100 % recycled polyester with a high water column and more breathability. Outlast, on the other hand, impresses with its thermal management technology for shoe linings and insoles. Sitip Spa’s sustainability strategy focuses on reducing emissions and optimizing the use of resources by means of the development of the Native Sustainable Textiles fabric range. Native Colorado is a GRS-certified warp knit fabric made from recycled polyester that is ideal for linings.

As in the apparel sector, there is now a wide range of great membrane variations. The range includes bio-based membranes, bio-based nylon membranes, membranes with TPU, bio-based PU membranes from Hdry, a variant with branded fabric, a polyester branded membrane from Event, recycled TPE laminate, a Copra membrane from the apparel sector, an insole-prepared membrane from Event and an Ecobootie model from Tempora. Sympatex managed to surprise us last fall with an innovation in the membrane sector, Caserta from Sympatex is a 3-layer shoe insole made from 100 % recycled PES, combined with a dynamic, breathable PES membrane that is 20 % bio-based and 15 % recycled. The lining fabric has a soft, knitted finish and is suited for cycling, running and golf shoes. With “b5”, Hdry has turned to a bio-based membrane that manages to reduce dependence on fossil fuels for high-quality, high-performance clothing. The membrane boasts a high proportion of organic material that guarantees performance while placing importance on the responsible use of resources.

In the accessories sector, it is clear that it also possible to work sustainably in terms of laces, zippers, buckles, clips, eyelets and ribbons. Natural rubber, elastane made from recycled polyester and water-based insoles (Outlast) set the tone.

Here we have many very nice combinations of polyester wool, recycled polyester, Imbotex wool with PLA, hemp wool PLA, hemp cellulose PLA and a 100 % recycled Highrise Insulation from Primaloft.

This new category presents fabrics inspired by the apparel segment that have now found their use in the footwear sector. The range extends from fashion-inspired membranes to extremely robust ripstops, linen-cotton blends to fabrics that can be used as both inner linings and uppers.