Footwear

Footwear:

Any outer covering of foot which provides protection of foot from heat, cold, rain, dirtiness, dampness or roughness of the ground in walking and standing as well as provides decoration to increase aesthetic appeal of a costume.

Function of Footwear:

• To protect the sole of the foot from the heat, cold, dampness, dirt or roughness of the ground in walking and standing.
• To protect the upper part of the foot and the leg from the cold, rain, thorns, and insect or other bites.
• To assist the foot to perform some abnormal task. This includes the various sports such as football, cricket, hockey, running, fishing, riding, mountaineering, dancing, etc., all of which today have their own special footwear.
• To overcome abnormalities in the foot itself, the surgical boot being the extreme example of this.
• To complete a costume.
• To indicate rank or office.

Materials used in footwear:

·    Upper materials

·    Lining materials

·    Bottom components

Lining materials/Linings:

The lining is the material inside the shoe that comes in contact with the entire foot: the sides, top and heels. The main purpose of lining is to cover the inside seams of the shoe and lengthen the shoe's lifespan. Linings made out of certain materials cushion and comfort the foot or draw out moisture. They can be made out of a variety materials.

Purpose of using lining materials:

Lining is used for many purposes.

·    To consolidate damaged area support.

·    To strengthen the object.

·    To effect certain esthetic considerations such as flattening or removing of creases.

·    To place a barrier between the object and an auxiliary support.

·    To provide for temporary support during overall conservation treatment.

·    To provide a structural support after removing a poor quality mount.

·    To stabilize dimensional and planar movement of the support or media.

·    To facilitate the handling.

Quality of lining materials:

·    Resist abrasion with wear

·    Absorb moisture & transmit

·    Smooth ,Mellow & soft

·    Light weight & flexible

·    Resistant to mould & Fungus

·    Washable to good hygienic condition

·    Non-cracky & non-shrinky   

 Types of lining materials:

A strictly scientific classification into animal, vegetable and, perhaps, synthetic categories would not prove satisfactory or particularly helpful since the materials used for shoe uppers may cut across these divisions. A more useful classification is under the broad headings as they are used in the trade, i.e. Leather, fabric, synthetics:

           i.       Leather lining

         ii.       Fabric lining

       iii.       Synthetic lining

  Leather lining:

Leather lining is perhaps the best quality lining, but it's also the most expensive. Leather lining feels soft on the skin and will conform to the shape of the foot over time. It's also durable and allows air flow, letting moisture evaporate. Although leather is the highest quality material for lining, certain shoes, particularly athletic shoes, don't use leather lining because the leather adds extra weight.

      i.       Cow lining:

Bovine or Cowhide leather is the most abundant and common leather source. Cowhide offers maximum value for texture, appearance, durability, and comfort. Cowhide is easy to care for, the least expensive due to its availability and is dirt and water resistant. Cowhide is one of the heaviest leathers making it very tough wearing and durable featuring a pebble grain appearance. Although it can be somewhat stiff, cowhide breaks in easily. Cow leather is used for virtually every leather product including outerwear, jackets, casual and biker style coats, gloves, belts, saddles, bags, furniture, straps, shoes, boots, and upholstery.

Calfskin is used to produce a high quality, attractive leather with a soft, fine feel. Calfskin has a smooth surface, which is dense, lightweight, and abrasion resistant. Calfskin takes on high luster with use and is used in bookbinding, dresses, shoes, and straps. 

ii. Split leather:

 Split leather is leather created from the fibrous part of the hide left once the top-grain ofthe rawhide has been separated from the hide. During the splitting operation, the top-grain anddrop split are separated. The drop split can be further split (thickness allowing) into a middlesplit and a flesh split. In very thick hides, the middle split can be separated into multiple layersuntil the thickness prevents further splitting. Split leather then has an artificial layer applied tothe surface of the split and is embossed with a leather grain (bycast leather). Splits are also usedto create suede. The strongest suedes are usually made from grain splits (that have the graincompletely removed) or from the flesh split that has been shaved to the correct thickness. Suedeis "fuzzy" on both sides. Manufacturers use a variety of techniques to make suede from full-grain. A reversed suede is a grained leather that has been designed into the leather article withthe grain facing away from the visible surface. It is not considered a true suede.

iii. Goat Skins:

 They have an area of 4 to 8 sq. ft. with a coarse fibrous structure varying between butt andbelly. Substance is thick. Vegetable tanned goat skins are used as linings.

Goat skin leather is an economical, strong and durable, with a smooth fine grain. Goatskin isslightly softer and tougher than cow leather and is lightweight, comfortable, supple, flexible,and water-resistant. Pigskin is used to manufacture to gloves, casual shoes, coats, vests,bookbinding, wallets, belts, and protective clothing. Kidskin is a very soft leather made fromthe hide of a young goat 

iv. Sheep Skin:

Sheep skins have loose fibrous structure, loose grain surface and light substance with a softfeel. They have an area of 2 to 9 sq.ft and are suede finished. The wool sheep skins can besheared. Sheep skins are used for linings .

 

Sheep skin leather is extremely soft, comfortable, and pliable. The finely grained leather is thinand supple with a buttery texture. Sheep leather is lightweight, warm and delicate and absorbs

water well. Sheep leather’s low tear and tensi

le strength stretches and well and reshapes afterwearing, however it can distort with excessive use. Because sheep skin leather drapes well andflows, it is often used to make high-end leather garments especially coats, dresses, skirts, jackets, and pants, as well as, vests, slippers, handbags, hats, footwear, and rugs