US distributors and retailers organized a conference in Raleigh, at the College of Textiles of North Carolina State University. Topic of discussion: Innovation and the development of new materials for shoes. Outcome of talks: shared opinions on the necessity to innovate, almost an alarm. To have a future, they say, the footwear industry must follow a virtuous path of technology and innovation. An example of that: 3-D printers. Otherwise: technological innovation that allows the end consumer to personalize, in store, his/her shoes’ type. Jeff Dougherty, materials manager at Wolverine World Wide, invited brands, as well as retailers, to challenge themselves to create and develop new materials, pointing out that leather should push on the accelerator and innovate quickly. “I believe we have to challenge the industry – explains Dougherty – as well as ourselves, to continue searching for that something that will change the situation we are in”. To support his words, Dougherty has brought up the example of Apparition (https://www.laconceria.it/archivio-riviste/numero- 16-4/), the see-through leather developed by ECCO (Danish).
All met at a conference and sounded the alarm: “Innovation or death”. Say US footwear retailers
