The evolution of shoes and the importance of Industrial Districts on footwear innovation: a clear example proposed by Salewa with the new Ortles Couloir boots.

Abstract

Innovation is a process of technological advancement or economic-productive improvement that allows companies to always be relevant in the market. Innovation also includes the discovery and introduction of new constructions, materials or features in a commonly used product such as the shoes. The footwear industry presents paths of constant evolution, in the face of new needs arising from the markets, such as, for example, the strong demands for sustainable products. An established and relevant support to the innovation processes is provided by the presence of industrial districts, represented by companies belonging to the same industrial sector, agglomerated in a specific area. The district favours not only the interactions and relationships between similar companies, but also between companies operating in similar sectors, which development is favoured by the district itself. The interconnections that are created between the different companies, and the relationships that can also arise with local institutions, encourage the innovation processes, facilitating the creation of new know-how and its sharing. The footwear division of Salewa, a European leader in mountain products, operates in Montebelluna, in the heart of the footwear cluster of the mountain shoe. This has allowed the German-born company to develop increasingly innovative and performing products for mountain activities such as the new Ortles Couloir boots.