How Can I Customize My Own Shoes

Design Your Own Shoes - Freaky Shoes

Outsoles for footwear  A study of 8 different outsole constructions.A study of 8 different outsole constructions. The shoe outsole is one of the most expensive parts of the shoe and a set of outsole tooling is by far the most expensive equipment needed to produce a shoe. Rubber cupsoles, compression molded EVA soles, injection molded outsoles and 5 others are uncovered and analyzed.

Waterproof constructions  An overview of waterproof construction techniques. An overview of waterproof construction techniques. Making high-quality waterproof shoes and boots can be a difficult technical challenge. See inside a waterproof boot. The shoe pattern, material selection, specific waterproof construction techniques, and conscientious testing must all come together to make it work.

Footbeds  Picking the right footbed, ten options to study. Footbeds come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. Picking the right footbed, ten options to study.  Footbeds come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. They may be customizable, removable, or glued in. It is important to select a footbed which will compliment your shoe design. Will it be molded or die cut? Multi-density, hybrid, or crystallized PU?  What material will cover it, what other features will you need for your shoe?

Webbing For Shoes  Options and uses of webbing. Its light weight and high strength make webbing perfect for use as lace loops, tongue pulls, back pull tabs, tongue anchors, and reinforcements. Webbing for footwear is usually made of nylon, polyester, polypropylene, or cotton. It can be knit with colors or dyed and comes in various widths, thicknesses, and even 3D features such as ribs or logos.

Plastic parts  A quick study of plastic molding for shoe parts. Almost every part of a modern athletic shoe is made of plastic, A quick study of plastic molding for shoe parts.Almost every part of a modern athletic shoe is made of plastic, we will look at injection, compression, and blow molded plastic parts for footwear. Technically speaking, textiles are woven from plastic fibers, foam is made of blown plastic, and synthetics are actually sheets of plastic with plastic fiber backings. We are going to focus on the plastic accessory parts which give shoes their special functionality.

Footwear Packing Specifications  How to design and specify packing materials for shoes. How to design and specify packing materials for shoes.Shoe packaging is a significant part of your product marketing presentation. It is also important to consider where and how your products will be sold. The shoe box for your average sports shoe may cost anywhere from $0.75 to $10 for high-end packaging. Learn how the corrugated board is specified by the weight of the skin papers and the size of the flute pattern and get the details on inner box vs. case box, graphics effects, die lines, etc.

Shoe material specifications  How to create a footwear specification. How to create a footwear specification. A detailed specification sheet is absolutely critical to your success. We will describe the requirements for your specification sheet, material maps, header details, how to specify the outsole unit and we will show you samples. The best materials used in basketball shoes.

Shoe material testing  Testing requirements for shoes and shoe materials. Testing requirements for shoes and shoe materials. Physical testing and lab testing of materials and the finished product are required to ensure your shoes work. We will review five types of testing including tests for waterproof shoes and bonding trials. How is a waterproof shoe made? Shoe designing materials and shoe fabric review.

Local market shoe materials  Using locally available stock materials. Using locally available stock materials. Local markets are storefronts large and small with every type of shoe material, shoe component, and manufacturing equipment available to buy. What will you find and how can you get the most out of your visit? Also, you must be careful when purchasing shoe materials from the local market. The supply factory’s contact information may not always be available, and there may not be material physical test data reports ready.

Material vendor relations  How to get the most from your material vendors. How to get the most from your material vendors. Your shoe material suppliers can be your best partners as you design and develop your shoe lines. How to find suppliers, develop materials, and what it means to nominate a supplier. Shoe material vendors and shoe material suppliers uncovered.

Material costing and consumption  How to calculate the cost of shoe components. Pattern consumption, cutting loss, labor, overhead, and profit and currency conversion are all important factors which make up the cost of a shoe. How to calculate the cost of shoe components. Pattern consumption, cutting loss, labor, overhead, and profit and currency conversion are all important factors which make up the cost of a shoe. See our infographic on the cost breakdown of the materials and a sample costing sheet. What are women's shoes made of? See what sneakers are made out of? What are men's shoes made of? We'll break down the costs.

Exotic and illegal materials  How to know if rare materials are safe and legal to use. How to know if rare materials are safe and legal to use. Exotic animal hides like snake, ostrich, alligator, and even elephant are used in footwear to create drama, luxury, mystique and a feeling of exclusivity. What do they cost and how do you work with them?

Shoe material supply chain  The challenges of sourcing footwear materials. The challenges of sourcing footwear materials.When looking at the supply chain for a specific material, there are four main factors to consider which include the country of origin and the vendor purchase terms. These factors along with others will be different for every material you specify. What are the materials used to make shoes?  Shoe fabrics, shoe leather, synthetic mesh, what materials are basketball shoes made of, and more. Remember, even a simple shoe can have materials from over a dozen different shoe material suppliers.

Building a shoe material library  Tips and techniques for collecting material swatch books. Tips and techniques for collecting material swatch books. It is critical to build a library of relevant material swatches and sample books. Having materials on hand allows you to communicate what the new design will look like to product managers, sales managers, or customers. How to get the most from shoe material vendors, shoe material suppliers, and shoe material manufacturers.

Designing Your Own Sneakers

Sustainable shoe production  How to reduce the environmental impact of your shoes.How to reduce the environmental impact of your shoes. Footwear designers, shoe developers, product managers, and factories can make choices to help reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of shoe production. We will consider different aspects of shoe production that can make your shoes more or less environmentally sustainable.

Shoe dissections  Cross section views of popular shoe styles. The best way to understand how materials are used is to see for yourself! Cross section views of popular shoe styles. The best way to understand how materials are used is to see for yourself! We have saved you some time, effort, and money by collecting 35 different shoe models for you to study. Each shoe has been photographed, opened up, and labeled to expose and review its internal construction.  See what Nike Shoes are made out of, what Vans shoes are made out of, what women's shoes are made out of, how a running shoe is made, what are the best materials for shoes,  what hiking boots are made out of, how a basketball shoe is made and more. You're going to love this!

shoe materials supplier sneaker materials list Shoe material vendor list Where to find top quality shoe materials. A listing of our favorites and their websites. Shoe material makers. Shoe material vendors. Shoe material suppliers. Shoe materials supplier information and sneaker materials list are listed in detail.

Depending on the import rules for your country, textiles are often a higher dutyrate. Shoes made with 51% textile surface area are sometimes 20%. A textile shoecosting less than $12.50 USD will be 20% +.90 duty! (depending on the country).However, there is a trick, by molding textile on the sole of the shoe you can avoid thehigh duty rates. Whatever you call it, synthetic, synthetic leather, PUleather, or just PU, thismaterial is another must-have for modern sports shoes. This class of material offers theshoe designer a huge variety of colors, textures, and features at a wide range of prices. Itwas once considered to be cheap junk not suitable for high-quality shoes, times havechanged. These man-made materials are often a composite made of two layers. A backing layer made of woven or non-woven polyester fibers combined with an external surface by “dry” lamination process or by liquid “wet” processes. Many of the leastexpensive synthetics have a fibrous woven backing with PVC skin made by a wet process. The surface on these may not be 100% smooth and the shoe willshow wrinkles and creases. This material is the cheap stuff found on inexpensive shoes.

 High-end leather starts with a water-resistant microfiber PU backing. This backing has a smooth surface, cuts cleanly, and can be dyed to match the surfacematerials. A microfiber style backing can be ordered in .5 to 2.00mm thicknesses, hassome stretch, and can have a water-resistant treatment. On top of this backing, the skincan be applied.Polyurethane plastic film .2 to .5mm thick is made in a separate operation andthe two layers are then rolled together with heat and pressure. PU outer skin is then printed, embossed, scuffed or polished to create one of the millions of surface options.The largest PU maker has hundreds of different embossing patterns that can be appliedto hundreds of different surfaces. If you can meet the order volume required, you can pick any color you want.

There are many types of foam used to make shoes, here we are going to reviewthe types of foam found in the uppers of shoes. Generally, foam is divided into two types, “Open Cell” and “Closed Cell” foam. Open cell is exactly what it sounds like, the plastic compound that makes up the foam cells is open, air and water are free toenter and exit the foam just like a dishwashing sponge. Closed-cell foam is exactly that,individual cells are closed or sealed not allowing the foams internal gas to escape.

Open-cell foam is generally softer, these foams are made of Polyurethane plastic.This type of foam is commonly known as “KF or KFF” foam Open-cell foam isavailable in different densities and in almost any thickness and color. Open-cell foamis used in the tongues and collars of shoes. Thin sheets of   PU  are used to backfabric in the most shoes uppers. PU foam allows the stitches to sink in and gives meshsome extra support while reducing wrinkles. Reticulated foam is the most open style offoam. This type is often used for ventilation features. Closed-cell foam is generally denser. Midsoles of shoes are all made from closedcell foam. Midsolefoam is covered the article Outsole Design.Common Closed cellfoams include EVA(ethyl vinyl acetate), PE (Polyethylene), SBR Styrene butadienerubber), PU (Polyurethane), Latex, and Neoprene are the most common types. Each hasits own properties. EVA foamis used for backing mesh materials, 2mm sheet EVA willmake the fabric waterproof. Neoprene and SBR are used when elastic propertiesrequired. Latex is common for  collarlinings. PE foam is very light but not so durableso its use is limited.When working with foam it is important to know what foam is appropriate forthe shoe upper and what is appropriate for cushioning the shoe There is no best material for shoes. What is best for a running shoe is not the bestmaterial for a work boot. The shoe designer, footwear developer, and product managermust work together to pick materials based on the price, performance, durability, dutyrates, comfort and styling. Every shoe will have a different material requirement

 Men are simple and like things to be as uncomplicated as possible – especially when it comes to our wardrobe. For example: if we’re going to the gym, we grab gym shorts and gym shoes. A trip to the beach means swim trunks and sandals. And anything that isn’t a sneaker or a sandal gets classified in the overwhelming category of “dress shoes”, right?