Materials made for walking: footwear that puts planet earth first.

Spring Design Partners wrote this great article on brands turning the tide on their industry’s waste, and there is a ton of it— or, rather, tons.. .  Read the full article here.
FDRA's Monthly Material Cost Report Highlight: Rubber
Global rubber prices continue to creep higher on rallying oil prices, weather-related supply disruptions, and export interventions by Asian suppliers. Nearby RSS3 rubber futures traded in Singapore touched a fourteen-month high just shy of $1.80/kg in recent days. The earlier-mentioned Agreed Export Tonnage Scheme came into effect in April, withholding nearly one million metric tons in rubber exports from the market for four months...On balance, we continue to expect tapering prices in the long term in spite of the recent—and perhaps shorter-term—higher prices.
Footwear's only event focused on materials! Join us August 13th, the day before the NW Materials Show, in Portland as we hear from leading experts and industry leaders on key issues.
FDRA's Footwear Innovation Advisor Tiffany Beers joins Shoe-In Show for this fun video episode as the crew discusses the latest updates on renewable materials... and the rise of automation and its impact on the American workforce.
Register for The Upcoming Materials Show
The Materials Show  returns this August to the NE & NW with exciting new partnerships and presentations. In addition to our great roster of footwear materials suppliers, the  Footwear Materials Summit by FDRA , and trend presentations by Peclers Paris, this years' exhibitions will feature talks by WTIN at both US shows and the introduction of  Premiere Vision Sport : a specially-curated selection of Active and Performance Sports Apparel exhibitors from Asia, America and Europe. Register today at  Americanevents.com
Every single piece of these sneakers is made from plants

The Plant Shoe, he adds, will eventually wear down, as all shoes do. But instead of tossing this pair in the trash at the end of its life, it can go in a compost bin, where, once they’re exposed to bacteria and natural composting agents, they will start to break down in around 45 days. Read the full article here.
  • Search by filter (type, color, pattern) for materials from your trusted suppliers.
  • Have specs for the material instantly.
  • Communicate directly with suppliers in real time with any questions.
  • A fully secure network (suppliers cannot see other suppliers...brands cannot see other brands).
  • The cost for your materials teams is $0 while shaving off days of development each cycle.

View our 36 second intro video above.
Other Upcoming Events of Note!