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Fashion Footwear
High heels in the workplace
W
hen the organisers of last year’s Trade Unions Congress set
the conference agenda for Liverpool they could never have
envisaged the media attention generated by the debate which
was designed to discuss the merits, ethics and consequences
to their physical well being of women who are expected to wear high
heels in the workplace.
The debate not only gained a massive number of column inches
with accompanying images in both the broad sheets and tabloids but
also received saturation coverage on national TV and radio. Who said
that the footwear industry was at the bottom of the pile when it
comes to the media spotlight?
The debate opened up a whole range of issues from which the
footwear industry could learn and benefit – primarily in the foot care
and “below the ankle accessories” market.
Essentially the member proposing the motion, Lorraine Jones from
the Society of Chiropodists & Podiatrists, claimed that some women,
including shop workers and air stewardesses, were required to wear
high heels as part of their professional dress code.
She said that two million working days were lost every year
through lower limb and foot-related problems and that women who
wore high heels risked long term health problems such as knee
“Women in particular are continuing to spend
damage, corns, bunions and deformity. Those supporting the motion
were at pains to point out that men were not subjected to the same
on fashion orientated footwear, despite the
demands in the workplace.
recession...”
Below the ankle solutions
Given that no two person’s feet are exactly the same, individuals
are always likely to experience different “pressure points” from
wearing any kind of footwear – and high heels are only likely to
exaggerate the situation. This could range from the toes, ball of the
foot, the arch, the heel itself and the back of the heel.
Whilst it is fair to say that a number of foot-related brands have
introduced products designed to address these problems, this sector
of the market in the UK has not experienced the same level of growth
as other countries.
One of the most successful exponents of this market has been
IMPLUS. Based in the USA, they have developed the “below the
ankle accessories” market to an extent that their portfolio of brands,
which includes Apara, Airplus, Sof Sole and Sof Comfort, nets them
an annual turnover of $130 Million. They supply over 50,000 outlets
in North America and 65 countries world wide.
They work hard on producing attractive and informative
merchandising units and point of sale material to make an impact on
the huge hitherto untapped market.
They would like to see retail footwear outlets here in the UK make
a strong commitment to attack this sector of the market as it offers
“new business” and will add to the appeal of the store.
Dave Watkins, Sales Director of Cherry Blossom, is confident that
the UK market is ready for this and both their “Original” and new
“Premium” ranges have a number of these products on offer.
Watkins quotes recent research to underline his enthusiasm:
“Women in particular are continuing to spend on fashion
orientated footwear, despite the recession. According to Mintel
market research sales of shoes (53.1% growth) easily exceed those
for general clothing (39.7%) in the period 1998 to 2008 and recent
figures confirm this trend.
“With the vast majority of these fashion lines incorporating a
sizable heel the opportunity is there for products to assist comfort
and protect pressure points. This summer’s trendy gladiator sandal
is likely to re-appear this winter in a heeled version, so there is plenty
of scope here” he concludes.
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FOOTWEAR TODAY
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JANUARY 2010
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