While Maasai warriors from Tanzania managed to run the London marathon in shoes made from car tyres, a new report shows that Westerners increasingly demand specialist footwear designed for specific sports, activities and occupations.

In the case of sports footwear, one of the main market drivers is the ability of the shoe to improve the performance of the wearer. In some sectors, such as football boots, this feature is regarded by companies such as Adidas and Nike as being more important than cost. Fabric manufacturers are therefore being encouraged to develop high performance products which continually push the boundaries in terms of weight, moisture management properties and grip.

The report shows that fabrics for footwear include those which are flame retardant, those which provide anti-static properties and those which regulate the temperature of the foot – and many footwear manufacturers are utilising a number of advances in performance fabrics to impart these characteristics. One way of regulating the temperature of the foot, for example, is to incorporate phase-change materials, such as those contained in Thermocules produced by Outlast Technologies.

The study further shows that a number of performance fibres and fabrics incorporating new properties are being introduced to the market to replace or improve existing materials. Also, consumer demand is growing for products which are “environmentally-friendly”. These demands are being met in several ways-by, for example, using blends of Fosshield antimicrobial and Ecospun recycled polyester fibres, or by ensuring that the methods and materials used during manufacture are not harmful to the environment. Or, why not be even more environmentally-friendly by recycling your old car tyres stocked up in the garage?