How a Football Boot is Made

This series covers the full scope of production processes.

While the manufacturing production process might vary depending on the design of the shoe (ie. if it is a football boot or running shoe), and the specifics of each step in the process may be done in a slightly different way from factory to factory, the general process and steps involved is the same.

Click the Read More link below to view the the production process of the hummel 4.2 Concept FGC football boot, produced in China.



Click the Post Titles below for each part in the series.

Introduction

Materials

Cutting

Printing and HF embossing

Stitching

Lasting

Assembly

final QC and packing

Footwear Terminology

A to Z of footwear technical terms, construction methods, part names, and more.


Buff
To remove material by a sanding or roughing process. For example, EVA midsoles are buffed before assembly to help break the smooth surface for better adhesion to the upper.

Cement/Board Lasting
A lasting process where the insole board (carboard or texon) is inserted onto the last bottom and the lasting margin (excess) material of the upper is lasted onto the board and cemented to the insole board. Shoes of this type are usually more stiff and heavier.

Chemi-Sheet
A nonwoven reinforcement material that is impregnated with a chemical hardener that sets with application of heat or another chemical. Used commonly for counter or toebox reinforcement.

CM EVA
Compression Molded EVA. A foamed midsole material that offers good cushioning and compression set.

Collar
The opening area of a shoe at the top.

Colorway
A color/material combination.

Cosmo
An type of non-woven upper lining and reinforcement material used commonly on cross training and hiking boots that provides a stiffer (compared to Tricot) lining and support for the shoe.



Coutner
The back/heel of the shoe.

Eyelet
A hole through which you lace up a shoe.

Eyestay
The part around the lace opening (throat of the shoe). Can feature webbings, eyelets, etc.

FG
Firm Ground. Refers to football/soccer boots/outsoles designed for use on hard, natural surface.

Insole Board
The bottom part of the lasted upper.

Last
Anatomical representation of the foot for constructing a shoe

Lasting
The process of stretching the preassembled upper around the last, by machine or by hand.

Lasting margin
The upper material part that when lasted folds over the edge of the last onto the bottom, overlapping the insole board.

Midsole
The component of a shoe between the upper and outsole used to provide cushioning, fit, comfort and support.

Outsole
The bottom component of a shoe that provides grip and traction.

Overlay
An upper part which is over another part.

Padding
Refers to foam or other material usually inside the collar or tongue to add thickness/cushioning and improve fit.

PU (upper material)
PU upper materials usually use a thin layer of PU foam with a non-woven or fabric backing for reinforcement and strength.

PU
PolyUrethane. Synthetic (plastic) material with minute bubbles or cells and a skin like surface. Used for upper materials, and in a different form for midsoles or padding foam.

Pullover
A prototype sample for checking pattern and fit.

Quarter
The side of the shoe. Can have many subcomponents and parts.

SG
Soft Ground. Refers to football/soccer boots/outsoles designed for use on soft (wet) natural surfaces.

SKU
Stock Keeping Unit. A unique model/style/colorway/size. Commonly used to refer to a unique colorway. Ie, if there are 2 models each with 5 colorways, there are 10 SKUs total.

Slip Lasting
A lasting process where the insole board (usually canvas) is stitched around the last bottom edge to complete the upper. Usually used for more lightweight, flexible shoes such as running shoes.

SMU
Special Make Up. A special request by a customer (ie. distributor, retailer, etc.). It is normally just a different colorway of an existing shoe, but in some cases can also be a whole new shoe. There is not much more to it, really, just that it is requested directly. In some cases it may be part of a special marketing campaign (ie. one of those "exclusives" for Foot Locker you see), or might just be a product to better serve a particular niche covered by the market demographics, location, etc. (ie. maybe some country/market sells more brown colored shoes, but there are none in the main collection).

Stitch and Turn (seam)
A seam which is stitched to join two parts then flipped inside out so the stitch is hidden.

Toe Cap
Upper part on the toe, usually and overlay.

Tongue
Part which covers the top of the foot. Usually a separate component stitched inside the shoe at the bottom of the throat.

TPU
Thermoplastic PolyUrethane. Synthetic (plastic) material usually used for molded details and components on a shoe such as a molded eyestay, logo, counter reinforcement or waist stabilizer.

Tricot (a brand name, used to refer to a material, also Cambrelle)
Upper lining material, usually used on running shoes that is made from a sandwich of mesh type fabric, that allows a lightweight, breathable construction.

Turf
Refers to football/soccer boots/outsoles designed for very hard/round natural surfaces like dirt or turf and also synthetic grass surfaces.

Underlay
A part of a shoe upper that is under another part.

Upper
The part of a shoe created around the last.

Vamp
Area of the shoe/last on the front/top.

hummel Technologies design

As mentioned in the 8.4 PIO FGX Unboxing post, I have been involved in more than just "footwear design" here at hummel. A large part of my work is the strategic design and creative direction of the hummel Footwear brand.

One of the very first things I did after starting at hummel 2.5 years ago was to build up a portfolio and create a brand package for technology and performance features that are used in our footwear.

Click the Read More link below for more information.



The purpose of this technology portfolio was to further communicate the unique performance aspects of our shoes and create a better understanding of performance and value in the mind of our customers.




The above Technology Matrix I designed to visually communicate the idea that different parts of the shoe (ie. upper, outsole, etc.) use and feature different type of technologies (ie. cushioning, breathability, etc.) Each technology is therefore tuned and focused depending on the location and application of the part/implementation.

Together with this matrix, I created a series of names and logos to be identified with each product benefit. We went through lots of different ideas for names, some really terrible (ie. matress for cushioning) and others just strange (ie. TSS, Thorax Support System, based on words from a bee's body, for support).



As well, the graphic icons went through several rounds of design iterations. Here's some early explorations.







The final logos and technology micro-brands are now used across all our technical footwear product, and some technical apparel as well. Every performance shoe includes a hangtag with the tech logos and matrix and tech logos are also incorporated into the product design of the footwear.









A small point that some may not notice, but something that help make the product and the details stand out for a consumer.

8.4 PIO FGX is here!

Finally! After more than 1 year in development and production the first 8.4 PIO FGX production shoes arrived today at the office direct from our warehouse (via the factory in China, of course).

The 8.4 PIO FGX has, since the project inception, been my "baby" and incorporates the culmination of several years of work in rebranding the hummel footwear product.

From the design of new box, new sockliner technology, new graphics, new hangtags, new outsole, new upper, new materials and more, I have been involved in every aspect of the 8.4 (in addition to all the other products.

Coming tomorrow and later this week, The Unboxing, and more on the thinking, and details that went into the final 8.4 PIO FGX product.

R

8.4 FGX first pullover samples

I'm still working on a more complete post with detailed notes about the development of the 8.4 FGX, but in the meantime, I came across some early pullover pics I would like to share.

The initial idea for the 8.4 FGX was a lightweight, breathable mesh football boot, inspired by our indoor shoe, the 9.3.

Click the Read more link below for more pics of the initial concept and pullover.



As development progressed in consultation with sales, testing and marketing, the concept evolved into the current 8.4 FGX, for a number of reasons, including the commonly wet weather and low demand for mesh football boots in our main markets of northern Europe and Scandinavia.

Below, you can clearly see the pattern inspiration and material influence in these first samples of the 8.4, taken directly from the 9.3 indoor shoe with a nylon screen mesh over top an airmesh quarter with hot melt TPU details.

hummel Old School SS07 part 5 > specification and colors

Concurrently with the pattern development, colorway options and material specification is worked out.

To develop narrow down the colorway and final spec, first, a wide range of color options are quickly explored. Using the outline drawings of the style in illustrator, a number of different directions can be discussed and looked at.

Click the Read More link below for more pics and info.

Normally, the footwear designer will first create many options, then later reduce the options and further develop the stronger ideas, to present to Sales and Marketing for consultation and final selection.

Once the colorways for each style have been explored, and an overall line plan direction identified (at hummel, because we have such small collections, with few styles, I try to create a strong collection theme or plan in colors/materials), material and color specification is determined.




This process involves picking the Pantone colors for each part and the corresponding material. At this stage, for simple shoes like these, an jpeg file is created from Illustrator with material callouts for the factory to follow.

Interview and 8.4 PIO FGX review on Foot-Boots.com

Ive just finished an exclusive interview with Alan from Footy-Boots.com that is now posted. The interview discusses some of the thoughts behind the new football boots and the design and development process at hummel.

Link to Interview

Footy-Boots.com also has a nice review of the 8.4 PIO FGX as well.

8.4 PIO FGX review


www.footy-boots.com

Indoor 2007 catalog photoshoot

As mentioned, the latest Indoor 2007 catalog will also feature a lot of design/development process work. Sketches, photos of sample, factory production, etc.

To capture the development process from the design studio perspective, another photosession session was set up, moving more than 10 boxes of papers, samples, binders and bits from our real office to a photo studio. Due to the tight space and lighting, it was impossible to capture our actual studio environment.

Click the Read More link below for more pics of the photosession and "design studio" pics.





As you can see (and I'll maybe post pics of our real studio sometime soon if possible), the studio shots capture all elements of the design process.

Quite a bit less messy than my real desk, perhaps, the studio environment is, indeed, one filled with a variety of materials, inspiration, binders, samples and bits of shoes.

Indoor 2007 catalog photoshoot

Over christmas and just before New Years, things were busy here putting the catalog together for our latest Indoor 2007 Collection.

This catalog will be a special version of our normal presale catalog featuring great product photos, technical information and more. Inspired in part by the popularity of First Pullover, this catalog will also feature design/development process work.

I have been working to art direct the catalog, working closely with our in house graphic designer Martin Kristensen on the concept. An exciting part of this special catalog is also the image shots for a new campaign that brings the sex appeal back to what used to be one the most popular sports (hjandball) in Europe.

Click the Read More link below for more sneak peaks and images from the Indoor 2007 catalog photoshoot.




All photography is by Anders Kavin, well-known for the great product photos of previous footwear collections.





The image shots using the model were designed to communicate the main feature of our new shoe, fit. Using a series of provocative, suggested images, they shots engage the viewer and communicate visually key features of the new shoes.



Stand by for a later post with the design/development process shots, the final image shots from this photoshoot, sketches from the catalog, plus pics of the latest collection.

hummel Old School SS07 part 4 > development, cont'd

Depending on the project, normally more than one pullover sample is made to correct and determine the pattern. A complicated, technical shoe may take up to 5 rounds of samples to get right.

For the development of the SS07 Stadil, we went through 2 rounds of pullover samples, adjusting mostly small details and further refining the design on the second round.

Click the Read More link below to see the second round samples and corrections.

Click on the images above and below for a larger photo to read correction points.

hummel Old School SS07 part 3 > development

Once the design had been transferred to a half gauge pattern by the pattern-maker in Asia, a first pullover sample was made to review.

In reviewing this pullover, several changes and adjustments were made to the pattern in order to try to keep the look as close as possible to the original, and the overall look in keeping with the retro style.

Given that there are really no "rules" for most of these points and the final result is somewhat subjective, it is down to the experience and skill of the designer/developer to correct the pullover and make improvements.

Click the Read More link below for more pics and info.


As you can see, even a relatively basic style such as this requires a lot of adjustment and modification. Small changes like collar height, throat width and toecap shape all make the difference between a nice looking shoe and a bad looking shoe.

Click on the images above and below for a larger photo to read correction points.

hummel Old School SS07 part 2 > design

Taking inspiration from photos of the original style, line artwork was created to develop the pattern of the new product.

While following the original as closely as possible, some changes were made to update the style. These included adding a woven label on the tongue with English and Danish text (based on the tongue logo of another vintage style), changing the chevron pattern was update to reflect our current logo standards and dimensions, and using a newer vulcanized outsole instead of the original handball rubber cupsole.

Click the Read More link below for more pics and info.



The name was also revised to be "Stadil", based on Christian Stadil Hansen, national team keeper and relative of hummel Creative Director Christian Stadil. Christian Stadil Hansen still ranks in the top 20 of All Time greatest handball players with 146 Denmark National Team Games. Giving more personality and history to the shoe, this new name reflects our company philosophy of "Charater Since 1923".

hummel Old School SS07 part 1 > vintage inspiration

New for SS07 (coming Jan/Feb 2007) are several styles inspired by actual vintage
products. Unfortunately, almost no samples were kept from our rich 83 year history, and little more than back catalogs from the 1980s and few earlier photos remain in our archive.

To bring back from our past key styles, equal parts of creativity and development were needed to recreate designs only using grainy catalog photos.

Clck the Read More link below for more info and pics.


One such style inspired by hummel handball history is the 'Stadil'.

Inspired by an original 1980's style called "Handball Ten" (also shown in some catalogs as the "Zurich"), the Stadil authentically recreates pattern and design language of he original model and adds new retro inspired details and contemporary appeal.

Switzerland, FC Thun testing

Its been more than a month since my trip to Switzerland, but a very busy schedule here and more travel have meant I havent been able to post earlier.

In any case, here's some pics and info from the trip.

For the most part, the trip was a special visit to hummel sponsored club FC Thun. As you may remember Thun qualified for the Champions League last season, and I attended one of their final group stage games against Ajax in Bern, Switzerland.

More info and pics after the Read More link below.




This trip, the meeting with the team at their home pitch in Thun focused on presenting the new 2007 Football boot collection, and working directly with a few of the players selected to test new 2007 products.



Overall, the response to the new collection was overwhelmingly positive with demand for test shoes higher than samples we had to give! Keep an out out in future matches and training sessions for these new hummel boots on the feet on FC Thun.















The Thun home pitch and training facilities were also great to see. Located in the foot of the Bernese Obleand Swiss mountains, by lake Thun, the view and beauty of the surrounding environment are incredible. Surely one of the best locations possible to train and inspire an athlete!

hmlFIT customized fit technology

Looking for the Perfect Fit? Using a revolutionary new smart-foam material, this sockliner system can be custom molded to your foot using heat for ultimate comfort and performance.

A custom molded sockliner provides maximum surface contact with the foot, ensuring fewer pressure points and better performance and control.

This special sockliner is included with all 8.4 Concept/Elite FGX boots.

Click the Read More link below for more details.







1. Heat
Warm sockliners in a regular or convection oven (warning: do not use a microwave oven at 100° C (212°F) for 2 minutes to activate red custom foam layer.



2. Customize fit
Remove sockliners from the oven and immediately place them into your football boots. Put your boots on, fully laced up and stand with your weight equally balanced for 2 mintues to customize fit.




3. Use
You may walk around while the insoles are still warm to improve the impression in the toe area. Insoles are now ready for use.


*Be sure to check complete instructions and warnings included with product inside box for more information.

More info coming soon.

hummel football 2007 NEW preview > 4.2 Concept FGX/SG

New for 2007, the hummel 4.2 Concept FGC/SG features an exciting new material > Pittards WR100X Analine Goat Skin.

The military use this leather for the very thin, but high performance gloves worn by the Special Forces who jump out of helicopters and slide down ropes to action. In these high wear circumstances, gloves are required that will give good water and sweat resistance, but also excellent touch and softness feeling like a second skin. It is also very important that these special gloves prevent rope burn and wear.

Click the Read More link below for more pics and info.





In our new football boots, these combination of unique features (softness, touch, weather and sweat resistance and high abrasion resistance (20% more than K-leather), make it the perfect material for premium control and performance.This uniquely finished natural aniline offers up to 5 times higher breathability than standard Kangaroo Leather with no sacrifice in water or sweat resistance.

In addition, as it is a very lightweight leather with a unique fibre structure, the resulting boot is 22% lighter than the copa and comparable classic leather boots.

Unlike reguar-finish leathers, this Analine leather needs no "break-in" period. It is super soft fresh from the box, and will only improve and mold to your feet with wear. As well, because of the Analine finish, the surface of the leather has a more dull, natural similar to some baseball batting gloves or driving gloves.





The 4.2 Concept features a classic round FGC outsole, or soft ground SG outsole, and a great mix of classic style with modern technical advantages included a glass reinforced heel counter, and asymmetrical design.

Dk. Grey/White/Gold

To be released Jan 2007

hummel football 2007 NEW FGX outsole preview

As mentioned earlier, one of the most exciting things about the new coming 2007 hummel football collection is the development of a 100% new boot, the 8.4 Concept FGX.

The boot was designed from the ground-up (or inside out, depending how you want to view it), and features a number of revolutionary new innovations designed encourage the best fit and performance possible.

One of these important developments, is the new FGX outsole.

Click the Read More link below to learn more about some of the features of the new FGX outsole.



Build around a completely new, wide fit, anatomical last, the new FGX outsole was designed foremost to offer the maximum balance of performance in comfort and traction.

Featuring a combination of stud shapes, the FGX uses rounded blade studs for grip and control on the majority of the studs. These studs are constructed with a visible dual density TPU column in the center, that helps transfer energy and impact to the internal midsole.



To help protect against the traditional concerns of traction blades, ACL injuries, the FGX outsole features a unique pivot point design in the medial forefoot area, with 3 conical studs as typically found on a classic round stud design.

This pivot point and use of round studs, help enable good grip and quick direction changes and avoids the problems of over-traction that ocurr sometimes with bladed designs. The result is a safer and more comfortable performance.


In addition to these features, the FGX outsole has been designed around a DYNAsymm internal latice chassis. This support grid offers good strength, flexibility and reduced weight. Using a truss-like X beam structure, like a bridge beam construction, a minimum of material can be used to provide great strength. Unlike lightweight carbon fibre, which can have too much spring, and is prone to snaping under extreme loads, the TPU DYNAsymm chassis will evenly flex and bend and responds more like a normal outsole.



As well, for top quality durability, the FGX outsole has 4 metal rivets per outsole, including one placed in the medial forefoot, and a custom metal logo rivet in the heel. Most boots have only 1 or two. These rivets help protect against delamination.

stay tuned for more info and pics coming soon!

R

footwear concept design process

I get a lot of emails about interest in the footwear design process. Most commonly, it is requests to share the sketches, drawings and concept design process. Here are a few pages from my portfolio that cover this process. These sketches help illustrate the concept design process from inspiration to idea exploration to technical design and specification.

These examples are from my design of the hummel 9.1, from the 2005 Indoor Collection.

More pics after the Read More link below.


enjoy!

R





The first step of the concept design process is inspiration and general design direction. In this case, a lot of inspiration came from the unique Scandinavian aspect of the hummel brand. Looking at the combination of Scandinavian modernism, technology and design found in places like Volvo car design, Stelton tableware, and Arne Jacobsen furniture, a clean, refined aesthetic was developed with formal cues between organic and geometric.

Initially, concept design explored a wide variety of solutions, looking at branding, overall pattern resolution and functional characteristics and features.

Once a general aesthetic direction was developed, further exploration was done in functional and feature-based systems. Working with professional players and teams, areas of focus in cushioning, support and durability were identified.



Here, technical specifications, construction and details are worked out, as well as material and colorway options. These clearly labelled drawings help communicate design intent to the factory for development of samples.



Outsole technical design and the final product.

football boot production > final QC and packing

Final QC (Quality Control) and and packing are the last steps in production before a finished shoe is done in the shoe factory. Throughout the production process, there is constant checking by QC inspectors at the end of every step and during the process for specific manufacturing issues. This final QC inspection is a more general checkng of the shoe.

Click the Read More link below for more info and pics.





The QC inspectors on the coveyor line at the end of the process check to ensure the size is as marked inside, check to ensure that both right and left shoes match in color and also check for overall quality of finish (excess cement or dirt, loose threads, wrinkles, etc.). Any shoes found with problems at this stage are either sent back down the line to be fixed if possible (like small areas that need to be cleaned), or rejected completely, destroyed, and not packed with the order.



This step is also when the shoes are finally completely laced up.




After the final QC inspection, a set of workers add all the additional packing materials that are attached to the shoes. Hangtags, extra laces in small ziploc bags, etc.



From the end of the line, the shoes are put onto a conveyor that lifts them to an adjacent room, the Packing Room.



In the packing room, the inner cartons (shoe boxes) are put together, and the shoes are wrapped in tissue paper, and put into the shoe boxes. The correct stickers are also put on the shoe boxes that indicate the model, color and sizze of the shoe that is inside.



Lastly, the shoeboxes are stacked up temporarily, and then finally placed into larger cartons 10 or 12 pairs per box, all erady to be shipped to the final warehouse destination, the store, and then finally into the hands of the customer!







Materials

Cutting

Printing and HF embossing

Stitching

Lasting

Assembly

final QC and packing

football boot production > assembly

Sorry it has been a while since the last post. Time flys when deep in the heart of the development season, and i've been in Asia a total of 24 days during the last month and half!

In any case, heres the second to last in the Football Boot Production Series....Assembly.

Assebly is the final production process before packing and final inspection in the manufacturing of a football boot. In this step, the finished stitched/lasted upper is prepared and attached to the outsole. I know I say this for all steps, but this is as well a truely important step.

If the upper and outsole are incorrectly prepared or assembled, there can be big problem of delamination (when the outsole breaks away from the outsole) during the agressive wear that a football boot encoutners on the pitch.

More info and pics after the Read More link below.




The first step in assembly is to prepare the outsole. A special primer and cement is applied to the TPU outsole by hand. The worker must ensure that all areas are correctly covered with the right amount of cement in an even coating.



The special primer/cement is cured by UV lights to activate the glue.




Meanwhile, the lasted upper is buffed using a small electric hand sanding type wheel, to rough the leather around on the bottom to better help allow it to be cemented to the outsole. The buffing ensures that the fibres of the leather are open and the cement penetrates enough to get good bonding.



The lasted upper is then attached to the outsole. This must be done very carefully to ensure the outsole is put on straight and inline with the upper. The toe is first attached, then the heel, the the center area is presseed into place by hand.



The cemented upper and outsole are then pressed together using a hydraulic press which applies a constant pressure for a contant time to get good bonding between the upper and outsole. To ensure even pressure is applied to the main outsole bootom, a special silicone molded form is placed under the upper (you can see it is a tan color) which has a negative shape of the outsole mold into it. Without this press pad, the pressing machine would only apply pressure to the stud tips which would warp the studs and not provie any pressure to the main outsole bottom which must bond to the upper bottom.



the final step is the insertion of the metal rivets in the outsole bottom. For this a rivet machine is used which is loaded like a machine gun with multiple rounds of rivets, and then activated by the operator with a foot pedal when the outsole is in place. The metal rivets go through the TPU outsole and lasting board to provide additional bonding strength to hold the outsole on.



Materials

Cutting

Printing and HF embossing

Stitching

Lasting

Assembly

final QC and packing