Leather and Footwear Journal

Volume 26, no 2

Contents
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DECORATIVE FINISHES IN FOOTWEAR DESIGN, SIGNIFICANCE AND CURRENT TRENDS
- Pages 45-66
  Jianlin HAN^{1, 2*}, Olena GERASYMENKO¹
  - ¹Department of Design, Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, Mala Shyianovska (Nemyrovycha-Danchenka) Street, 2 Kyiv 01011 Ukraine, emails: 525586813@qq.com, gerasymenko.od@knutd.edu.ua
  - ²Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Weiyangdaxueyuan, Yuanqu Road, 710021, Xian, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China
  ABSTRACT. The footwear industry faces a dynamic interplay between evolving consumer demands for aesthetic individuality, functional performance, and sustainable practices. While decorative finishes historically served as markers of cultural identity and status, modern challenges—such as balancing technological innovation with environmental responsibility, mitigating greenwashing risks, and integrating advanced customization—highlight a gap in systematic research on how these elements collectively shape contemporary design paradigms. This study examines the historical evolution, cultural significance, and contemporary innovations of decorative finishes in footwear design, emphasizing their role in merging aesthetics with functionality. Through a comprehensive literature review and integrative analysis of academic and industry sources, the research categorizes decorative finishes into six classes: textures, ornaments, patterns, surface treatments, colors, and specialized effects. The study highlights current innovations driven by sustainability and technology which enhance customization and reduce environmental impact. Social media and influencers amplify trends, transforming niche designs into mainstream demand through viral visibility. However, challenges persist, including balancing aesthetic complexity with durability, mitigating greenwashing risks, and integrating wearable tech under regulatory constraints. The findings underscore the dual imperative for the footwear industry: advancing eco-conscious materials and leveraging emerging technologies like generative AI and augmented reality for personalized designs.
  
  KEY WORDS: footwear design, creative design, sustainability, design customization, technological innovation, brand identity
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STRUCTURED BIOEMULSIONS BASED ON MIXTURE OF MEMBRANE CONCENTRATED PLANT EXTRACTS WITH APPLICATIONS IN FUNCTIONALIZATION OF TEXTILE MATERIALS
- Pages 67-76
  Demetra SIMION^1*, Alina POPESCU¹, Laura CHIRILĂ¹, Doina TOMA¹, Laurențiu DINCĂ¹, Daniela BERECHET²
  - ¹The National Research and Development Institute for Textiles and Leather (INCDTP), 16 Lucretiu Patrascanu st., 030508 Bucharest, Romania, email: demetra.simion@yahoo.com
  - ²INCDTP – Division: Leather and Footwear Research Institute (ICPI), 93 Ion Minulescu st., 031215, Bucharest, Romania
  ABSTRACT. The work refers to the process of obtaining structured bioemulsions based on mixtures of plant extracts (sage, thyme, mint and lemongrass) concentrated by membrane technology, formulated with surfactants (Lauryl glucoside, Tween 20 and Tween 80) and collagen hydrolysate, used for the functionalization of textile materials, giving them antibacterial properties with durability when washed. The bioemulsions are diluted with water in different concentrations and are applied to textile supports made of 100% cotton fibers, by the padding method, in three successive passes, with a take-up degree 85% and pressure of 2.7 bar, followed by a drying step at temperatures of 60°C and 100°C, for approximately 2-5 minutes. A method for validating durability is FTIR-ATR spectroscopy to identify the markers, for calculation of retention rates and analysis of decomposition curves. SEM electron microscopy is used for morphological confirmation of fixation of structured bioemulsions on textile materials even after 5 repeated washing cycles.
  
  KEY WORDS: structured bioemulsions, membrane technology, functionalization of textile materials, antibacterial properties and durability when washed
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INTEGRATION OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN VARIOUS STAGES OF FOOTWEAR DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING
- Pages 77-86
  Mirela PANTAZI-BĂJENARU^*, Laurenția ALEXANDRESCU, Dana GURĂU
  - INCDTP - Division Leather and Footwear Research Institute, 93 Ion Minulescu St., sector 3, Bucharest, mirela.pantazi@mail.icpi.ro
  ABSTRACT. The article analyzes process innovation in the footwear industry through the integration of digital technologies and additive manufacturing, with the aim of streamlining production and promoting sustainability. The paper documents the transition from traditional methods to an innovative workflow, which begins with concept sketches and continues with parametric design in Rhinoceros software. A central aspect is the ecological approach, through the proposal of biocomposites based on thermoplastic polymers and natural fiber waste, compatible with FDM 3D printing technology. The practical results of the research include the development of 10 concept sketches and the digital design of 17 component elements, including six sole models, six heel models, and five complete shoe models (upper and sole assembly). It is concluded that this synergy between 3D scanning, computational design, and sustainable materials enables enhanced customization and a significant reduction in production time, offering advanced solutions for the niche industry and the circular economy. The objectives of this paper are to document and clarify aspects of footwear design and manufacturing through the use of new technologies.
  
  KEY WORDS: footwear, concept sketches, design, 3D printing
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COMPARATIVE PHYSICOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF INDIGENOUS TRADITIONAL TANNED COWHIDE AND MODERN VEGETABLE-TANNED LEATHER IN THE AMHARA REGION, ETHIOPIA
- Pages 97-98
  Megabi Adane YIZENGAW^*
  - Leather Engineering Department, Ethiopian Institute of Textile and Fashion Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
  ABSTRACT. Despite modern methods being the primary way of producing leather (making up 80-90% of production), there are concerns about the environmental impact of using harmful chemicals like chrome. This study aims to investigate a potential alternative: the indigenous tanning method used in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. The study compares this indigenous method to modern vegetable tanning, assessing the physical and chemical properties of the leather produced, particularly in terms of environmental impact and potential advantages. The goal is to determine whether the eco-friendly nature of the indigenous method gives it a competitive advantage, even if there are differences in the properties of the leather produced. Both unhaired and hair-on indigenous tanned leathers were analyzed and compared with modern vegetable-tanned leather in terms of thickness, tensile strength, tear strength, water absorption, shrinkage temperature, pH, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The study revealed significant differences in physical and chemical properties between unhaired indigenous tanned cowhide leather and hair-on indigenous tanned leather, with modern vegetable-tanned leather being the superior option. Unhaired leather measures 1.32mm, while hair-on leather has a thickness of 1.58mm, both exceeding the recommended minimum value of >0.5mm. The tensile strength of unhaired indigenous cowhide hide leather is 9.62 N/mm², below the recommended value of modern vegetable-tanned leather (>12 N/mm²), while hair-on leather has a tensile strength of 13.41 N/mm². Unhaired indigenous cowhide leather has a higher elongation of 32.13% compared to that of hair-on leather, of 12.47%, neither meeting the recommended (>40%) elongation for vegetable-tanned leather. Unhaired and hair-on indigenous cowhide leathers have a tear strength of 80.33 N and 93.67 N, respectively, both meeting the minimum recommended value of modern vegetable-tanned leather (>20 N). Water absorption of unhaired and hair-on indigenous cowhide leathers is 207.47% and 235.50%, respectively, but do not fulfill the minimum recommended value of modern vegetable-tanned leather after 2 hours (<35%). Traditional cowhide leather, with unhaired and hair-on options, has a shrinkage temperature of 54°C and 50.33°C, respectively. The pH of unhaired indigenous cowhide leather is 6.1, while hair-on indigenous cowhide leather is 6.6. In FTIR tests, unhaired indigenous cowhide leathers have fewer single and double bonds, while hair-on indigenous cowhide leathers have more single, double, and triple bonds and fingerprints. The indigenous tanning method is a more environmentally friendly alternative to the modern vegetable tanning method. The study found that the indigenous tanning method produced leather that was comparable in quality to the modern vegetable tanning method. This suggests that the indigenous tanning method could be a viable alternative to the modern vegetable tanning method, especially in areas where environmental concerns are a priority.
  
  KEY WORDS: indigenous tanning method, cow hides, physico-chemical properties, modern vegetable tanning
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AUTOMATED EXTRACTION AND FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF SOLE PATTERNS BASED ON DEEP LEARNING
- Pages 99-108
  Yangxue LUO¹, Rui YUAN², Yuhan HUANG³, Jie ZENG⁴, Jin ZHOU^4*
  - ¹School of Finance and Commerce, Chengdu Vocational & Technical College of Industry, Chengdu, 610000, China
  - ²School of Computer and Software Engineering, Chengdu Neusoft University, Chengdu, 610000, China
  - ³Faculty of Intelligent Manufacturing and Automobile, Chengdu Vocational & Technical College of Industry, Chengdu, 610000, China
  - ⁴National Engineering Laboratory for Clean Technology of Leather Manufacture, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
  ABSTRACT. This study presented a computer vision-based method for the automatic extraction and functional classification of Outsole-Pattern design, which currently relies significantly on expertise and lacks digital support. An instance segmentation network based on the Mask-RCNN was utilised to segment the Outsole-Pattern from the image, thereby removing background interference during the pattern recognition. Subsequently, an existing deep-learning-based edge detector, DexiNed, was adopted to extract outsole-pattern edges, compute the greyscale map of the Outsole-Pattern lines. Finally, the EfficientNet served as the backbone network to classify the varied patterns according to their functional characteristics. Results demonstrated that the proposed framework effectively performed outsole’s image segmentation and precise edge pattern extraction, five classes of functional pattern were categorized: the lateral, the longitudinal, the zigzag, the block-shaped, and the circular suction cups—based on foot functional areas. Furthermore, classification accuracy was generally over 90% on our custom datasets. This method establishes a structured pattern database that transforms design knowledge into reusable digital templates, enabling the transition in footwear design from experience-based to data-driven approaches, hence enhancing design efficiency and aligning with trends of industry digitalisation.
  
  KEY WORDS: Outsole-Pattern, computer vision, edge detection, image segmentation, digital design of footwear
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