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Understanding
Footwear Labels and Symbols
Ever look
at that label on your shoe
and wonder what all those
symbols are supposed to
mean? Whatapair.com would
like to provide you with
some shoe label education
and information. Shoe labels
are becoming more important
to many consumers due to
personal preferences such
as durability, comfort,
and social or political
conscience.
The shoe label will provide
you with all the information
for the materials used to
construct your shoe. There
should be two labels on
your shoes. The first label
tells you the origin of
the manufacturing. This
label is a requirement of
the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) and the U.S Bureau
of Customs and Border Protection.
The second label is a breakdown
of the construction of the
shoe. That shoe label is
divided into two columns
and each column has three
categories. The left column
is the three parts of the
shoe and the right column
shows the materials used
for the part. Below we have
taken this label and broken
down the categories and
provided the definitions.
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Shoe
Symbols -
indicated on left-hand
side of label
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Upper:
This is the part of
the shoe that you
are initially attracted
to, the part that
you can see.
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Lining
and Sock:
This is the inside
of the shoe, the
part that provides
you with the comfort
and support that
you desire.
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Outer Sole
or outsole:
This is the bottom
of the shoe, which
will show on the
bottom part of the
shoe but the main
function is to protect
your foot from the
ground below.
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Materials
Symbols -
indicated on right-hand
side of label |
Leather:
This is the hide
or skin from an
animal that has
been put through
a process called
tanning. There are
many types of leather
and that is an educational
page all in itself. |
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Coated
Leather:
This is one of the
processes of treating
leather; basically
the leather is coated
with one of a variety
of products for
the desired look. |
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Textile:
This means fabric,
the list is endless.
This is one of the
symbols the vegans,
vegetarians and
eco-friendly consumers
look for because
it means all natural
or man made materials
are used for the
construction. |
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Other
Materials:
This is still man-made
materials just a
little different
because these materials
usually refer to
the sole of the
shoe. The most common
of these materials
are Thermoplastic
Rubber, PVC, Rubber
Compounds, Crepe,
and Composition.
All of these materials
are friendly for
the Vegan, Vegetarian
and Eco-Friendly
consumer. |
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What
a Pair!