Shoe - redo from Mark Montano

For you crafty types - customise a boring pair of ballet pumps with an applique owl design. Enjoy!

How do I find a manufacturer for my footwear project? Part Two - Where Do I Look?

One you have listed the specifics for your footwear project (see this blog post for what to do http://www.shoenista.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/how-do-i-find-manufacturer-for-my.html )

You then need to find a factory. As menitoned earlier, you will need a factory that makes the type of footwear that you require. By now you should have an idea on where you wish to make your shoes, this could be for reasons of price or quality.

In some cases, some kinds of footwear is known for being made in a very specific place, for instance if you require a traditional espadrille then you need to visit the area of La Rioja in Spain. Certain countries may have a certain handwriting or be known for a certain style, for instance luxury high heels from Italy, mens formal bench made footwear from England and sheepskin Uggs from Australia. Of course all of these kinds of footwear can be found in China as well!

So how would you go about this then? I often receive contact from designers who say they are struggling to attract the attention of a manufacturer and it is clear to me why. Sending an email is unlikely to get a response from most shoe factories. Face-to face dialogue is by far the best way of presenting your ideas and if you can't do this, perhaps you should sign up for a business website, such as Linked In, join some of the groups and start a debate. You could add me - here is my profile - http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=19603758&trk=tab_pro

People don't like to do business with strangers, so don't be a stranger, start a discussion or go and meet someone face to face. And remember, people will probably be queuing up to take on your project, but be wary of this, there are many who will offer to do the work, but very few who will be able to deliver, so check each offer over very carefully.

Another good place to look for a manufacturer is a trade show. There are plenty of these, most of the countries which have shoemaking will also have a domestic trade show, the beauty of the trade show is that you will be able to compare different factories and check out their product all under one roof.

Often the websites for these trade shows will have a downloadable brochure so you can do some research in advance, perhaps if you discover enough you could set up some meetings in advance.

Before you work with a manufacturer, be sure of who you are dealing with, a footwear supplier found at random from a sourcing website may not be a good idea for your business at all.

My next posting will be about what to take when you have a discussion with a factory. It may not be what you expect!

Credits: photo from www.micamonline.com

How do I find a manufacturer for my footwear project? Part One - Specifics

This has got to be the question I am asked the most after, 'how do I get my shoe prototypes made?'

Well, it's quite tricky to find a manufacturer if you are new to the footwear trade. Many factories only work with established brands - the factories and agents that we work with tend to fall into this camp.

First of all if you require a footwear manufacturer, the first question to ask yourself is, what kind of footwear am I going to have made?

This is because shoe factories specialise only in one or two types of footwear - you cannot get high heels made in a sneaker factory. Some womens heel factories don't make long leg boots - they make only a specific type of footwear. This is because they don't have the machinery or the expertise or both.

For instance, to make high heels you would need a heel attachment machine.

A pattern cutter in a factory that makes high heeled boots will be skilled at springing a boot pattern (this is the art of cutting the pattern so that there are no creases across the front of the boot). A pattern cutter in a sneaker factory wouldn't know where to begin to cut a pattern for a high heeled boot! Occasionally you get a cross over in fashion and this becomes more apparent. Like when there was a trend for long leg boots with sneaker outsoles and styling - I can't tell you the problems I had trying to get a sneaker factory to understand how to correctly engineer the upper pattern for a high leg boot....anywayyy, you get the picture!

So, firstly you need to be specific about what you want -

Gender - mens, womens or kids?

Any special fitting issues? Width Fittings? Very large or very small sizes etc?

Construction - Heels or flat or both? If you are making sneakers, any specific construction such as board lasted or stroball? Goodyear Welted?

What about the soles? Are they moulded or not? Made from what?

Materials? Leather or synthetic? Textile?

Price? Low or High or somewhere in the middle?

Check back in the next few days for Part Two - Where do I look?

So who owns our athletes feet?

I'm a Londoner and it's our Olympic year this year and yes, we're already suffering from p.r. overload.

A big footwear related stink is kicking off over at the Olympics HQ over who owns our athletes feet.

Athletes have contracts with footwear suppliers which stipulates that they must wear that brand, but British athletes are required to wear Stella McCartney designed Adidas kit and this is the problem.

Nike sponsored athletes may step up to the podium barefoot to avoid breaching their contracts.

I spent several years of my career working with athletes and it was an eye opener. Athletes go for the big multi million dollar contracts, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will wear the shoes. Especially football players I've found can be superstitious about what goes on their feet, they might only wear one brand. That meant unpicking the logo on their favoured footwear and attaching the logo of the brand that pays them the sponsorship. Yes I have had to do that as a junior footwear designer. But shhhh! I didn't tell you that. No, it didn't really happen. I'm certainly not telling you which athletes were involved! No way!

Although I have to wonder, now in these days of HD tv, can this practise really go on anymore or are the interns simply being advised to stitch them more neatly?

Pictured: Adidas team GB Sneaker can be purchased here http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0073REGN0/ref=asc_df_B0073REGN06506594/?tag=googlecouk06-21&creative=22134&creativeASIN=B0073REGN0&linkCode=asn

Story Courtesy of The Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9071610/London-2012-Olympics-Nike-insists-its-footwear-contracts-are-legally-binding-as-podium-row-continues.html

ITS International Design Competition

I've just been contacted again about this International design competition. This year it's the eleventh edition.

The prizes are excellent, 5,000 euros for the accessories design prize and 10,000 euros for the YKK Award.

Website is here http://www.itsweb.org/jsp/en/index/index.jsp

http://vimeo.com/27026419

A Lifelong Unrequited Love

Because I'm a footwear designer, I get asked often, what is your favourite shoe?

I've done a few phone interviews with various BBC radio stations over the years, I get the impression that people expect me to be tottering around in Manolo Blahnik or stepping out of a limo in Louboutins, but no, I'm really not that kind of girl at all, never have been. Cannot do heels, I'm an outdoorsy type, walking a minimum of five miles every day, even more active in summer, even more walking plus some wild swimming and canoeing....

I took a pedometer with me on an overseas research trip once, I clocked up 15 miles each day!

Anyway, I'm rambling on here. When I was all of 17 years old and living in Yorkshire, where I grew up, I was already an avid second hand shopper. We didn't call it vintage, then, just second hand. Needs must, who could afford the outfits in Just Seventeen? I certainly couldn't, unless I saved for months.

Every Wednesday, it was second hand day at Wakefield Market and I often went with dad. At the market, I saw the shoes of my dreams for sale on a stall, oxblood leather Doc Martens Tassel loafers *in my size* for £4! They were unworn! I was in love. I tried them. They fitted like a glove. But I had only £3 - so I ran to find dad, borrowed the required £1 and returned to find......they had sold. Gone forever. :( I've never got over it!

I have loved these shoes ever since, but still have never owned any. But they have a special place in my heart. I love you Doc Martens Tassel Loafers in Oxblood, you are ''Number One'' in my desert island shoes list. xxxx

Urshuz New Eco Friendly Footwear Brand

Eco friendly footwear brands are ten a penny, these days. But things have moved on. Thing is, what is the point of saying your shoe is recyclable when you'd have to be a genius with way too much time on your hands in order to disassemble it so you could pop the component parts in the bin?

I'm pleased to say that there are companies out there that have asked this question themselves and the new shoe brand Urshuz (pronounced Yer Shoes) just launched with an innovative removeable sole. Once you're done, simply remove it and chuck it in the recycling or even better, send it back to Urshuz and they'll recycle it into new soles. Brilliant! You could also replace only the bits of the shoe that wear out, rather than the whole dog n' pony show!

Intrigued by this new concept, I caught up with the designer of Urshuz to ask him some questions......

You seem like an unusual company! As well as the shoes being unique, are there any other ways that your shoe company differs from regular shoe companies? Our slogan is “Change Everything,” and in the process of building this brand, we really did have to change everything about our approach to footwear. Because this product is so unique, we had to re-think things every step of the way, from the way we design our collections, to our production methods, to our merchandising strategy. So really, everything about the way we conduct business is innovative and unique!

How important were ‘green issues’ when you developed this line?From the get-go, Grant (Urshuz Founder and Chief Creative Officer) thought it was important to make his footwear line green in order to reduce its impact on the environment. Because Urshuz are designed with detachable soles, it was obvious that one way he could offer a green shoe was to make our soles recyclable. His vision for green footwear guided his material selection and led him to thermoplastic rubber (TPR), which is 100% recyclable, and is now used to make Urshuz soles.

Why are these shoes better than other eco friendly shoes that are out there? These shoes are different than other eco friendly shoes in two ways. Our product offers consumers a simple, uncomplicated way to recycle. Because the soles and uppers are not attached with any glues, the soles can be easily detached, recycled and reused. We ask that consumers simply send back their worn soles (in exchange for a $5 discount on a future purchase), which we’ll use to make new soles. It’s as easy as that! Our brand has a green conscious, and as we grow, we’d like to improve our product and production methods to make them even more environmentally friendly. Secondly, most if not all eco friendly shoes out there don’t give consumers the option to choose and change their style. We’re offering a product that is green, and promotes creativity and choice!

When can we get these in the UK?Hopefully in the next month. We recently launched our online store and now offer shipping to the United States and Canada, and we’re currently (and hastily!) working on setting up shipping to other areas, including the UK.

Any plans for a womens line? We have a women’s line in development which is expected to debut in 2012. It includes boat shoes, mary janes, and some adorable sandals and flip flops.

For more information and to purchase (and to hassle them about making their womens line available to those of us in the UK *cough* go here www.Urshuz.com