How To: Find the Right Walking Shoe

Sneakerhead sells shoes off his feet in public

SNEAKERHEAD SELLS SHOES OFF HIS FEET IN PUBLIC by DjDelz

Where did the deubré come from: Je ne sais quois

If you are a certain age, Thingummyjig (1976–83) was a Scottish Television program showcasing the best in haggis, heather and tartan talent. The program was hosted by the acerbic, Jack McLaughlin (aka “The Laird o’ Coocaddens”). The origins of the term ‘thingamajig’ (n), in its many spellings, remain unclear but may stem from Middle English ‘thing’, derived from Old English þing, from Proto-Germanic *þingą. The word originally meant "assembly", then came to mean a specific issue discussed at such an assembly, and ultimately came to mean most broadly "an object". Thingamajig appears in the English language around 1824, but is predated by thingumbob (1751), and thingummy (1796). Synonyms include: dohickey, doohickey, doodad, doover (Australia), doomaflatchy, gizwiz, kadigan, thingamabob, thingumabob, thingummybob, thingo (Australia), thingummy, whatchamahoozie, whatnot, whatsit, and whatchamacallit. Something whose name has been forgotten or is not known.. The earliest recorded variant of ‘whatchamacallit’ is what-calle-ye-hym, attested from late 15c. A modern equivalent, origin unknown, is the Scottish term ‘doobrie,’ meaning something unspecified whose name is either forgotten or not known; a thingy or whatsit. < br>


The collective name for given to these words is placeholders which typically function grammatically as nouns and can be used for people, objects, locations, or places. Most are documented in at least 19th century literature.

In 1994, Damon Clegg, a Nike footwear designer, when presenting features of his design for a Nike ACG boot, and when he came to describe the ornamental shoelace tag, (which lacked a name). he instinctively used the term ‘doobrie.’ Clegg had heard his college roommate use the placename when he was unable to remember a specific name. His college friend was from Glasgow. The audience took the term ‘doobrie’ for a technical term, and the word caught on. Over time, the pronunciation evolved to doo-bray with various spellings. Eventually with the publication of a catalogue for the Nike Air Force 1 in 2006, Nike introduced the "deubré".

The deubré has two holes through which the shoelace is threaded, like a bead on string. When the shoe is laced, the deubré is centered between the first two eyelets (closest to the toe), with the shoelace passing through and behind the deubré. A deubré is typically made of metal, plastic, or leather, and may be decorated with a logo or text. Sometimes the deubré acts as a lace lock, eliminating the need for tying. A deubré may be used on a dress shoe or an athletic shoe.

Hi-Tec Navigator. The latest in walking technology.

Très chic shoes laces

You have the right kicks this Christmas, but you also need to stand out from other sneakerheads, so what do you do? One of the easiest ways to take your sneakers to the next level is with a pair of custom laces. Seems the marketplace for shoelaces is just as varied as sneakers and the options are endless.

From prehistoric times animal and vegetable materials were used to tie up simple shoes and can be dated to circa 3500 BC. Two hundred years later more complex footwear worn by Ötzi the Iceman, (circa 3300 BC), were bound with "shoelaces" made of lime bark string. The shoes were waterproof and wide, seemingly designed for walking across the snow; they were constructed using bearskin for the soles, deer hide for the top panels, and a netting made of tree bark. Soft grass went around the foot and in the shoe and functioned like modern insole.

By the Middle Ages, it was common for lacing to pass through a series of hooks or eyelets down the front or side of the shoe.

It was however, only after the introduction of the low laced shoe with the quarters overlayed by the vamps (the Oxford Shoe) did shoe laces become an essential accessory in the 17th century. Oxford students were the first to make the shoe style popular and these were worn with stockings and shoelace charms.

Modern shoe laces were made from leather, cotton, jute, hemp, or other materials used in the manufacture of rope. Today shoelaces incorporate various synthetic fibres which enhance their properties and make them more comfortable. Flat shoelaces can be tied more securely than those with a round cross-section due to the increased surface area for friction. Generally, a flat tubular lace will stay tied more easily than a round lace with a core because the flat lace can be more crimped within the knot. “Fat Laces” describe very wide flat laces are often called "fat laces".

All can be worn with decorative lacelocks, shoe lace tags or Deubré

New colourways allow laces to be matched to the colours of schools, clubs and/or groups.

More embellishments include, the tips of the laces (or aglets) finished in copper, plastic, brass or monogramed goldplate. Aglets help prevent the twine from unravelling and also makes it easier to hold the lace and feed it through the eyelets.

Shoelaces are typically tied off at the top of the shoe using a simple bow knot. Besides securing the shoe, this also takes up the length of shoelace exposed after tightening. When required, the knot can be readily loosened by pulling one or both of the loose ends.

There are many ways to lace a shoe with six pairs of eyelets. The most common is termed criss-cross lacing. Many methods have been developed with specific functional benefits, such as being faster or easier to tighten or loosen, binding more tightly, being more comfortable, using up more lace or less lace, adjusting fit, preventing slippage, and suiting specific types of shoes.

Other lacing methods have been developed purely for appearance, often at the expense of functionality. One of the most popular decorative methods, checkerboard lacing, is very difficult to tighten or loosen without destroying the pattern. Shoes with checkerboard lacing are generally treated as "slip-ons".



Footnote
Lacing patterns are so unique they have been used to convey secret messages, according to Melton and Wallace in 2007. The intelligence historian and retired CIA officer wrote "The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception," based on two manuals written by professional stage magician John Mulholland.

During the Cold War, the CIA hired Mullholland to teach their covert operatives sleight-of-hand tricks and secret signals they could use in the field.

Service agents for the CIA could convey important information by tying their shoe laces in a certain way.

In today’s urban culture, criminal gang members use their clothes in a variety of ways to communicate with each other and to symbolize their gang affiliation. Gang clothing or colours are either openly displayed or clandestinely hidden in for example, the colour of their shoes and laces. Lacing patterns and colours declare either gang affiliation or insult.



More about shoelaces
Feet Unique
Ian’s Shoelace Site
Shoelaces Express

References
Melton H. K., and Wallace R. (2009) The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception New York : William Morrow.

$20,000 Crocs

Handcrafted 24-carat gold sport shoes made of crocodile-skin went on sale for $20,000 at Dubai’s Sole DXB footwear fair at Level Shoes .



The uppers were made from crocodile skin immersed in 24K pure gold. The crocodile’s tongue was used with the delicately hand stamped Athletic Propulsion Labs logo. These limited edition made-to-order shoes are personalized with the owner’s name detailed on the inside of the shoe. The shoes take 12 weeks from order to delivery.

Mile high sneakers

EasyJet released a pair of smart shoes featuring the airline’s signature orange. The Sneakairs are designed to help travellers explore new cities by giving vibration cues through the soles when it’s time to turn. The high flying kicks were equipped with Google Maps integration.



Back in 20111, low-cost carrier airBaltic launched the airBaltic shoe in 2011 as an advertising promotion. The tech-free shoes that features a passenger-jet motif caused such a buzz the company ordered a limited batch of 1,000 pairs which you can still buy at 49.90 Euros at the airBalticShop.

As a promotion, Ad agency Eleven, Inc. spent almost eight months with Virgin America designing and executing The Virgin America First Class Shoe. The one-off Italian leather sneakers had a functional Wi-Fi hotspot, LED mood lighting, airline seat belt ankle straps, USB ports and a video screen. The promotional shoes were auctioned off on eBay raising $97,877.77 for Soles4Souls, a not for profit organization that fights poverty by distributing shoes and clothing to those in need.

Keep these kicks: Ramos Ad-Rock

Keep (as in earning your keep) is an independent apparel company which sells vegan shoes. Former Beastie Boy, Ad-Rock aka Adam Horovitz, has designed a new shoe for the company that will help raise money for Planned Parenthood, Pitchfork, NY.

The "Ramos Ad-Rock" was designed for winter warmth and boasts a primarily black design, accented with magenta laces (reference to Planned Parenthood) and an embroidery of "Horovitz" split between the right and left shoe. The shoe is available to pre-order at $US97 a pair and will ship late February 2017.

Earlier this month, Ad-Rock hosted a rally against hate in Brooklyn's Adam Yauch Park, which was renamed for the late Beastie Boy in 2013 and was recently defaced with anti-Semitic, pro-Trump graffiti.

DIY Self-Lacing Nike Mags!!

adidas Futurecraft Biofabric prototype shoe

The adidas Futurecraft Biofabric prototype shoe was unveiled at the Biofabricate Conference Parsons School of Design in New York, recently. adidas and AMSilk have got together to explore the use of Biosteel® fibres in performance products like lightweight shoes.

The German based, AMSilk GmbH supplies synthetic silk biopolymers using a patented biotechnological process, The organic high-performance material can be used in multiple ways, including in medical or technical products as well as cosmetic ingredients.

The protoype adidas Futurecraft Biofabric shoe has an upper made entirely from 100% Biosteel® fibres. The woven upper is high performance for sport, and biodegradable. The lighter shoes (15% less heavy than conventional synthetic fibres) are extremely strong and resist tensile stress, making them ideal for sport. The shoes are still in the development stage but no doubt will in some form be available in the near future.

Faster than a speeding bullet?

Nice to think there is a pair of super shoes out there that could turn a couch potato like me into another Usain Bolt. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is there is not, nor is it likely there will ever be. After millions of dollars have been spent on research and development shoe companies have failed to impact on World breaking records, as witnessed by Rio 2016.

Companies like Nike tirelessly try to achieve the magic elixir by many novel ways which involve the latest technologies but to no real avail. Whilst success in other areas of sports clothing such as swimming and cycling etc., have proved more fruitful field and track shoes remain more or less the same. Shoes remain the most vital piece of equipment an elite athlete has but to date, new models do not shave millimetres of performance records.

Modern sport shoes with their high colourways etc., function mainly as advertising billboards for apparel companies and shoe deals give the means of financing athletes. Usain Bolt (Jamaica), makes $32.5 million a year, including $30 million in endorsements. Far less visible athletes make between $10,000 to $25,000 annually from their contracts with shoe companies, along with prize money and other endorsements. Shoe designers continue to produce shoes which undoubtedly, do not distract athletes from a good performance but despite all manner of comfort and traction tweeking, modern footwear alone will never replace years of training, good coaching and the right body mechanics.

Iofit : Smart Golf Shoes to improve swing

Iofit is a new company hoping to developed golf shoes designed to help improve a golf swing based upon analysis of the wearer's weight transfer.

In the past, swing monitoring technology has largely been the preserve of watches or trackers clipped to the shaft of a golf club. Although systems like that can effectively track the path of a club, there is a lot more to the perfect swing than just the hands. Driving the Iofit system is a set of pressure sensors embedded in the outsole of the shoe. Connected to a companion iOS or Android app, the system uses a posture analysis algorithm to measure changes in pressure distribution as they happen.

The app processes information about which foot is being favoured, whether there is more pressure on the front or rear of each foot, and how weight is being transferred through the ball. Feedback includes elements of your swing that need changing combined with detailed breakdowns of how your data compares with professional golf players. Further options include how to practice an improved swing, and receive feedback on how consistent those practice swings were. Finally, this information can be shared with coaches or friends through the app. Currently, Iofit is seeking US$30,000 on Kickstarter.

Nike vs. Adidas: The knitted sneaker

Knitted (assembling a shoe's upper by knitting) running shoes i.e., the Flyknit was introduced by Nike in 2012. Acoording to the company it took a decade of research and development to perfect the manufacturing technique.

A year later adidas, introduced their version of the knitted shoe, the Primeknit. Nike immediately filed a patent infringement lawsuit in Nuremberg, Germany seeking to prohibit adidas from making and selling in Germany, The case was filed in and limited to Germany because adidas made and distributed the Primeknit in Germany. The German court granted Nike's injunction and ordered adidas to halt the sale and production of its knitted sneaker. After adidas appealed the ruling it was overturned on the basis the technology involved in making the shoe's knitted upper had been around since the 1940s.

Further Nike’s design patent failed to meet the novelty element required and striped Nike of the right to continue to pursue adidas for patent infringement. Nike’s patent was also deemed invalid in Germany. Both Nike and adidas started selling their respective knitted footwear in the U.S. More legal squabbles continued over the patent ensued in the US, and although these were initially rejected the matter has been referred to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to decide whether Nike’s invention, in fact, obvious and thus, ineligible for patent protection, among other issues.

adidas Speefactory: Back on US soil

Adidas intends return some of its shoe production to the U.S. The “Speedfactory” in Atlanta, Ga. factory is staffed mostly by robots and will produce running shoes. The US Speedfactory will create 160 jobs for human workers. The first Adidas Speedfactory was piloted in Ansbach, Germany and caters specifically to localised demand for customized shoes made out of local materials. According to the company the move toward Speedfactory, is not about replacing traditional production, but instead allowing retailers to order based on current trends and receive product without waiting for shipping from overseas.

Chinese professional basketball players : No private shoe deals

Professional basketball players in China are prevented from having private shoe sponsorship after the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) have signed an exclusive five year deal with local brand, Li Ning. Players are now prevented from wearing Nike, Adidas shoes on the court. The ban includes everything from jerseys to shoes. The new sponsorship deal is estimated to be worth $300 million (US) and any player who defies the ban will face suspension according to the CBA.

Problems already arose recently when Yi Jianlian (Guangdong Southern Tigers and former Los Angeles Lakers) complained of sore feet and removed his Li Ning shoes to wear his Nikes during a game. The referee refused to let him back on the court but when he reappeared still wearing his Nike sneakers later in the third quarter, the referee allowed him in the court. He now faces a one match ban. Previously, players were allowed to wear their personal sneakers but only with the logos covered and if they were prepared to pay a fine.

Footnote

In the US, a salary cap limits the amount of money players can earn, but they can benefit from lucrative endorsement deals such as a shoe contract. Many players have a number of sponsorships and are able to significantly supplement their income through endorsements.

Inside the Factory S02E06 Shoes

Golden Kicks: The Shoes that Changed Sport

Golden Kicks: The Shoes that Changed Sport by Jason Coles reveals the stories behind some of the greatest shoes in sporting history, the roles they played in sport s most significant moments, and how they have made the transition from classic sportswear to mainstream streetwear. Discover the amazing stories behind the shoes, the people who made them, and the athletes who wore them.

Zaid Osman's Sneaker Exchange

The Sneaker Exchange, was created by Zaid Osman and is where people buy and sell their own footwear. The young entrepreneur's business idea came about after living abroad while growing up. Born in South Africa, he moved to Richmond, Virginia, at four, before moving back to South Africa at 15. Once back in South Africa he was aware the kicks left on the shelves were the very ones which would sell well back in the US. He started buying them and selling them back to the US sneaker freakers. Sneaker Exchange events, also feature live music and the next event is on October 29 in Cape Town, South Africa.. Osman tries to support South African sneaker culture through his store Lost Property. Started in his parent's house in 2010, before Sneaker Exchange, it started as the hub for sourcing limited edition products for customers in South Africa.

In the Shoes Of Zaid Osman - Lost Property Story from Man Of Action Concepts on Vimeo.

The HyperAdapt 1.0

Nike is releasing their fully functioning, self-tying shoes at select stores throughout the United States on Nov. 28. 2016. The HyperAdapt 1.0 shoes employ what Nike calls “adaptive fit” technology in order to adjust to the individual wearer’s feet and aside from flashy LED lights they have a relatively simple design.

The Pensole Footwear Design Academy, Portland, Oregon

In 2010, former design director D'wayne Edwards of Brand Jordan started the Pensole Footwear Design Academy based in Portland, Oregon, offering intensive courses in shoe design taught by people who have worked at companies such as Nike and Adidas. Classes are usually three or four weeks long and cram in what a student might learn over the course of a full college semester. Students learn to do consumer research, study materials, and prototype design. The school invites applications from young people who want to pursue careers in the shoe industry but don't have the basic training to get started. There are 18 places each year with 850 applications.

Introducing The World's First Sneaker Design Academy

"Beyond the Sole" - The Documentary

Nike, Adidas, Reebok Olympic shoe deals

Dva Myacha : Russian revival

In 1957, Moscow played host to the VI International Youth and Student Festival. Over 34,000 foreigner visitors came to the capitol with many wearing sneakers. These fascinated the Soviets who had never seen the unusual rubber-soled shoes before. Three years later the USSR started mass production of sneakers Various models were popular however, the best among them and the most desired ones were the models of the Soviet-Chinese production, in particular Dva Myacha (Two Balls) sneakers which cost only four rubles. The new trend caught on quickly and no self-respecting Muscovite was without a pair. But fashions change and by the 80s Russia made sneakers had become passé. Fashion buffs dreamed of Adidas whilst domestic footwear became associated with underachievers who did not have access to foreign goods.

In 2013, young entrepreneurs came up with the idea to revive the legendary brand. Yevgeny Raikov from Moscow, found an old plant with maintained original from forty years ago and used new technologies to make the new Two Matches sneakers more comfortable. A pair of the new Russian kicks costs 4,000 rubles ($60). Since the beginning of July more than 1,000 pairs of Two Matches have been sold. According to the manufacturer nostalgic middle-aged buyers make up only 30 percent of the clientele, the rest are young people. The company are planning to add many more models to the collection, some of which will form a retro collection of the sneakers that were produced from 1965 to 1976.

EXCLUSIVE Adidas Futurecraft 3D Prototype Review

ANTA KT Fire basketball shoes

Ding Shizhong is a self-made billionaire passionate about shoes. He owns Chinese sportswear giant ANTA. Shizhong dreamt of helping his family's financial burden when he was 1, and began selling shoes his father made at home, In 1994, he started ANTA. Initially sportswear brands benefited from the surge in interest in sports following the 2008 Beijing Olympics but an oversaturation in the local sportswear sector meant there was a critical slowdown in sales. ANTA soldiered on and under the direction of Shizhong crafted a multi-brand strategy to engage a diverse Chinese consumer market. In 2009, the company acquired Fila's loss-making Chinese arm, positioning ANTA label as a high-end sports market outlet in China. Fila revenues have been growing at an average of 40 percent over the past five years. As part of the same strategy the company went into a joint venture with Descente (Japan), which specializes in winter sports equipment and apparel and more acquisitions are in the pipeline.

Among ANTA’s most high profile investments are partnerships with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in China and the Chinese Olympic Committee. The company's endorsement and shoe deal with the Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson resulted in the development of the point guard's signature and top selling ANTA KT Fire basketball shoes.

ANTA dressed the Chinese national team for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Global Sports Shoes Industry 2016 Market Research Report

Global Sports Shoes Industry 2016 Market Research Report

Shoe Dog: Autobiography of Phil Knight

In his new book Phil Knight tells the story of Nike, from its creation in 1962 until it went public in 1980. It details the story of an MBA graduate with a crazy idea of importing running shoes from Japan to the multi-million dollar company it would become. Knight emerges as an obsessive, driven individual who was not above descending to dubious business tactics when necessary. Surrounded by his core management team, known in frat-boy parlance as "the Buttfaces" he forged ahead where no other Shoe Dog went before. Great read .