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

Why does it all look the same?

Am I alone in thinking that the shoe stores look the same as they did last year? I've just returned from the GDS shoe in Dusseldorf and whilst I've seen some interesting new ideas, there is lots of same ole same ole shoe designs out there. Such as washed leather, distressed, raw stack wedges, vaquetta and veg tans (but thankfully very few gladiators - phew!)

Why is this? Well in case you didn't notice (LOL) we're in a recession. We recessionista designers are going to have to think more creatively, because our clients don't have much budget for new heels, new lasts and new upper patterns, they cost too much money that our clients don't have!

This is one of the skills of a designer - to be creative with what you already have. I've always thought it is much easier to design for the luxury market. You can do lots of new lasts, new heels, your budget is unlimited. Your customer also has a huge budget. She probably won't be thinking, 'cost per wear.' Hell she probably won't even be walking in them, preferring to use a limousine, so you will be able to specify nubuck soles that don't wear that well, because it won't matter, (something that the Daily Mail got it's knickers in a twist about recently).

So I was interested to see this new shoe designers work, exhibited at GDS. He did get creative with what he already has, he designed these shoes by taking classic brogues, cutting them up and re-pieceing the uppers. Brilliant! For more visit http://www.mistercheng.com/

How Do I sell My Shoe Designs?

We are often contacted by budding new shoe designers, who have a portfolio of shoe designs and are keen to sell them and want to know how.

Footwear companies do not buy unsolicited designs in this way. Why?

The nature of the footwear trade is such that footwear companies have very specific needs. When we are contacted to help a company with their shoe designs they either give us a thorough design brief, or we have discussions with them to determine their needs and we then help them to write a brief.

A footwear design can be dictated by all kinds of variables. The factory, for instance.

If I am designing a shoe that will be made in Italy, for a mid price point, it's unlikely that I would design a shoe as the attached footwear spec sheet. The hand beading would be more suited to a shoe made in an Indian or Chinese factory and because of the price, perhaps we wouldn't make the sandal in leather. When designing for a client, I have to be aware of the capabilities of the factory they are using. There is no point in designing a shoe with a stitchdown construction if the factory does not have that machine.

Price is a factor. There is no point in designing some Swarovski encrusted amazing creation if our client has a budget of $10 ex factory.

Even factors such as weather, or cultural issues can determine the styling. When we designed shoes for a client in Asia we were requested to limit the amount of yellow in our colourways as it is a Royal colour and should not be worn unless you are the King!

As a shoe designer, one has to behave almost like an actress, getting into character, in order to understand what the customer of that particular client likes to wear. It is no good for the client if I just design shoes that I like and then try to push my personal taste on them. For instance I design lots of glamorous high heels but that isn't my personal style - I wear flats! Designing for others is a skill and I have to say I do enjoy the whole process of getting into character, understanding what that customer would like to wear. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that you got it right.

We do have customers who buy packs of designs from us. But they still dictate to us the kind of designs they'd like to see, before we put pen to paper and we do have to bear in mind where these shoes will be made.

There are companies that buy designs - to use in Footwear trend publications such as Footwear Plus. But this is a competitive area and they will want evidence that you have worked in a commercial environment and can forecast footwear trends.

So if you want to sell your work, what should you do?

Get some formal training. You need to understand footwear construction, otherwise you will make the mistake of designing shoes that cannot be manufactured easily.

Work as an employee to get some experience. Becoming a commercial designer is a difficult skill to learn, to appeal to the masses and to be able to design a shoe that looks great but isn't too costly to manufacture is a skill.

Or, you could learn to make shoes and set your own workshop up and make the shoes exactly as you please.

Totally Mental Modular Shoe Design.

Ok, call off the dogs. Forget flip flops with changeable uppers, forget removeable heels, don't bother with foldable ballet slippers.

Designer Sharon Golan pwns all of you with her modular shoe design. Only 256 combinations to work on. Plus an instruction book and a DVD to figure it all out.

What is it with Israeli shoe designers anyway? First Kobi Levi and now Sharon. Brilliant!

Source: Reuters

Who can make my shoe prototype?

One of the most common questions we are asked is if we can make footwear prototypes.

The answer is, no, this is not the focus of our business - we concentrate solely on design, not sampling. This is because we do not have a workshop. The designs that we create for our customers are made in the sample rooms of the footwear factories that will also be making the production.

First of all, what is the function of a prototype? Is it to sell from? Is it to gain investment?Is it to test out a patented invention?

I personally think that shows such as Dragons Den are a bit misleading - the entrepreneurs we have worked with at www.shoedesign.co.uk have not needed a prototype to gain investment. It's not really necessary. All I can think is that they need to see a prototype on Dragons Den because it would make rubbish television viewing if they didn't have something for us to look at! The most important thing to investors is a sound business plan. They will be more interested in your order forecast that whether that heel is a nice shape! The prototype comes after the investors. The usual course of action is business plan->investment->prototype.

If you want to patent an invention of course you will need a prototype, but this would normally come after you gain investment, not before. You will need to consider the capabilities of the person who will be making this - do they have relevant experience to do a good job? Do they have access to the relevant machinery to make your prototype?

If you want a prototype to sell from, beware - if you are selling to retailers, then it's really important that the shoe sample looks exactly like the production. So it really needs to be made in the sample room of the factory that will be making the production, otherwise it is impossible to get the same look. So you really need to find a suitable factory for your footwear range and this is why we always stress to business start up's that they need to start looking for a suitable resource sooner rather than later. And just the same as investors, they will also be interested in your business plan. If they can't see evidence of any orders, then it's pretty hard to convince them to take you on.

Although we do not offer a factory introduction service , we can help you with advice on how to go about this.

More on our website

Sneaker Design Courses?

I do occasionally get asked about these but they tend to be thin on the ground. Sneaker designers tend to come from an ID background, which means they are as likely to be able to design phones, but that also means that they may not understand much about footwear construction.

Students on footwear courses have to learn pattern cutting and making, but their courses tend to focus on traditional footwear and may only briefly touch on sneaker design.

So I was interested to hear that Parsons School of Design has introduced the Pensole Program - a four week course specifically in sneaker design and tutored by a Nike designer.

The great thing about this course is that in order to get a place you are judged on your talents as a shoe designer and not on the traditional qualifications.

I hope we will see some exciting new talent and some amazing new shoe designers emerging from this innovative program.

You may not be able to view this link as it requires a subscription to the USA magazine Footwear News, but you can always message me if you want to know more.

Picture courtesy of Footwear News

http://www.wwd.com/footwear-news/pensole-program-debuts-at-parsons-3620160?src=nl/FN/20110523

Cheesy Feet (geddit?)

I love 'Art' shoes, that is - shoes that aren't really shoes as such but are made for artistic purposes. Fashion Student Lisa Dillon has made some high heeled shoes out of cheese (yup, cheese you read this correctly).

More here, http://www.stylelist.com/2011/04/15/shoe-made-of-cheddar-cheese-sandwiches/