Rock Fall been developing women’s fitting safety footwear for over 10 years, and in the early 1990s we manufactured and sold women’s fitting leisure and fashion footwear.
Design
An integral part of any style is its design, fundamentally it must function in the environments it’s intended for, meaning it has to have the correct sole unit and slip resistant properties, appropriate upper materials and be manufactured on the right last, or shoe mould. The materials used should exceed the desired test standards to meet the required international specified standards. A finally, it should be aesthetically pleasing and appropriate for the workplace or site.
Soles
A sole unit can have a variety of key attributes including:
- Self cleaning in mixed terrains
- Slip resistant on wet or greasy floors
- A large amount of the sole in contact with the floor
- Ladder grip
- Advanced durability
- Reduced weight
The soles used on women’s footwear are typically lighter weight and in almost all cases much narrower than equivalent men’s styles. It’s often a key part of what makes a style unique, Rock Fall soles enable us to meet Conductive, ESD, Anti-static and Electrical Hazard standards as well as SRC and HSL GRIP slip resistances.
Uppers
The uppers used on women’s footwear are marginally smaller and narrower, but higher than equivalent men’s styles. This is due to a woman’s foot, of the same size, being higher than a man’s. The upper is where most of the design is, this is where scuff caps, speciality stitching threads and other protective components can enhance longevity and safety. In truly fully waterproof styles a hydrophobic membrane will be stitched within the upper and lining.
Lasts
A last is used during manufacture to give the style its shape, one the upper has been produced it is lasted onto the sole unit. There are a variety of last types, some of which include:
- Mens
- Womens
- Boys
- Girls
Within these you have lasts designed for shoes, boots and high leg styles. As mentioned earlier, women’s lasts are smaller, narrower and higher than men’s or boys lasts. In some unisex safety footwear, for small sizes (3-6) a boys last is used rather than a women’s.
