Thermally Insulating Insoles Footwear Concept

The concept of thermally insulating footwear involves using a material to restrict the transfer of heat and maintain the wearer’s body temperature. Added value in terms of sustainability can be gained by using standard manufacturing technologies frequently found in the textile industry to produce new products beyond present paradigms. Specifically we develop knitting techniques on a circular knitting machine to enable production of a thermally insulating textile composite for a multi- component footwear system. Four cornerstones defined the project; sustainability, availability, comfort and flexibility. The first two relate here to the production, while the last two are coupled to the wearer’s experience of the product. Using an elaborated functional design tool the footwear system was theoretically divided into functional layers; inner, middle and outer, combined with an inner and outer sole. These detachable layers together create a flexible footwear system. A ready-made product, the middle layer with thermal insulating properties, was practically developed, taking use of a heat and water soaking protocol for inducing relaxation in the material and by this air encapsulation. Thermal insulation in insulated footwear works by trapping a layer of air that retains heat generated by the body while preventing cold air from entering. Materials like fleece are specifically engineered to provide this insulation.