Product Sourcing. Notes from a small business. Day 5436.

It is Lineapelle week and on Tuesday I will be setting off for Milan to visit the International Leather Fair at the Fieramilano exhibition centre in Rho. My objective is to source new and interesting materials for our UK customers.

Our target sourcing area will be predominantly located in Hall 9 where Chinese exhibitors will be showcasing their new collections in polyurethane and textile based materials. Our initial research shows that we should not expect to see much by way of bio-based options but we have made some encouraging progress in this area.

I held a very interesting and hugely encouraging conversation with a Canadian based company called Evoco, who are doing some great work in this field. Their technology “replaces traditional petrochemicals with ‘new’ carbon, using green chemistry to radically reduce carbon emissions by up to 70%.” (www.evocoltd.com) Some of Evoco’s footwear componentry is already in circulation and, whilst currently above our price range, the fact that it is exists and some very clever people are coming up with viable solutions in this space is a light at the end of the tunnel. This week it feels like the prospect of an affordable, bio-based polyurethane upper and lining material for high-street footwear products has a tangible form. I do not anticipate this being available in the near future, but if we can lock on to this positive momentum and draw our customers into the process, then the implementation of meaningful change could be achievable.

Our work over the last fifteen years since I founded Phoenix Footwear has been driven by a desire to offer our customers product that belies its cost price. Working with essentially polyurethane upper materials in this space, we have seen huge improvements since we started. It does not seem so long ago that you could spot a non-leather shoe from the other side of the room. Today, I often have to pick up the better PU products and examine them closely, to establish whether or not they are actually leather. Due to the roll-out of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) in the European Union, a regulation dating from 18 December 2006 and the Proposition 65 (Prop 65) California law passed by direct voter initiative in 1986, which aims to protect drinking water sources from toxic substances, whilst still being almost exclusively petrochemical based, the integrity of these materials has significantly improved.

The sophistication of the pre and post production finishes that can be used on synthetic materials is impressive. From nubuck leather-like finishes, onto a sanded and embossed PU coating to post production hand burnish options where, as in real leather production, creams are used during upper finishing to apply natural burnished finishes to give a richer, less uniform finish (these come with a fairly big warning that not everyone will either appreciate or understand a hand burnished finish and the natural imperfections that come with it)

At the top of this week’s shopping list is an improved suede alternative. We have used a real-looking microsuede for many years which looks great in sampling but takes on a hard, boardy hand-feel after the heat used in lasting (the term used when referring to ‘pulling the upper over the last’ — the word ‘last’ comes from the Old English ‘laest’ meaning footprint and is a fundamental tool used by shoemakers and cordwainers around the world. The last is an anatomical foot form used at every stage of shoe manufacturing, from the design room to inside the factory itself) With a string of improved materials coming onto the market we are looking for a convincing new suede look that maintains a soft suede ‘nap’ after lasting, whilst not looking like velvet and revealing the textile base layer through the coating. This will provide a highly versatile option for our customers as we look ahead to our Spring Summer 2025 development program.

We will also be searching for additional relaxed synthetic and textile options to support the huge shift towards a casual lifestyle that dominates current trend outlooks. Our customers are looking for materials that will support products with the broadest end-use possible. This particular area will come with some technical challenges as we ask our factory base to ‘soften’ the finish of the final lasted product. Traditional methods of bonding all of the internal layers of the upper and lining will need to be modified to create a ‘loose-lined’ internal, that allows the shoe to relax after the last is removed, rather than rigidly holding the shape of the last. We thrive on these challenges, which are where we look to add value by offering our customers premium looking products within a non-premium budget.

This is a significant trip for me as the last time I was in Lineapelle was in February 2020, just as the Chinese seamstresses at Milan fashion week (mostly from Wuhan) were unknowingly launching Covid into an unsuspecting Italian populace. I made it home without Covid. But the transformation that our business has undertaken since my last visit is humbling. I look forward to this trip not just for my material sourcing objectives but as a metaphorical line in the sand. This is where we go forward into a new version of ourselves, this is a fresh start into a future where we will tackle industry challenges with an inquisitive mind and a relentlessness of purpose.

I can’t wait.