brand science
Posted by Sara Zucker on November 18, 2009 11:21 AM
A brand wouldn't be a brand without some support, right? Well, many footwear designers credit their strong heels to Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), a polymer developed by a government team working on synthetic rubber patents. Without it, many women would literally fall flat.
“The most important innovation in high heels is the ABS molded high heel,” said Nicholas Kirkwood, 29, a shoe designer who won the British Fashion Awards emerging star prize last year. “It’s what allows them to be really high and come in multifaceted shapes.”
ABS is responsible for Manolo Blahnik's famous “spindly” heels. Blahnik shoes enforce a central steel rod, surrounded by ABS plastic and a polyurethane tip at the bottom.
Blahnik said, “balance is the most important aspect of creating a 115-millimeter heel. To achieve it, I use a compass, a ruler, my eyes and my hands.” Some designers use a CAD (computer-assisted design) system, but Mr. Blahnik prefers traditional tools.
Roger Vivier worked for Christian Dior and created the classic silhouette in 1952. He eventually branched out and formed his own brand, but his original heels were made of wood before creating the “talon aiguille,” or “needle heel,” which was reinforced with steel. By 1956, designers at an Italian trade fair had created the basic composition of today: a central metal stem enclosed in a plastic shell.
To keep the heel firmly attached, artisans in his factories position five nails, each at a 7-degree angle and about 8 millimeters apart, in a martini glass-like configuration. A compressed-air gun hammers the nails in place, and a screw is driven through the insole and into the heel. The process must be fascinating to watch.
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