What Does This Unusual Icon In Your Shoe Tell You?
July 15, 2024
source: Reddit
The tradition of applying material symbols for shoes, including leather shoes, was always associated with consumer protection, the quality of products, and trade relations. This is a brief on the reasons that made these labels significant and how they have transformed over time.
During the early part of the twentieth century when shoe making business was on the rise, the types of material used for shoes also diversifying. This period also marked the use of synthetic materials in addition to the conventional ones such as leather. With competition intensifying, certain producers started using less expensive materials, and whilst this was disclosed to the consumer, many a time it was not which created a lot of confusion and at times deception regarding the quality and make of shoes.
This was done to safeguard the consumer and promote fair trade; therefore, most countries enacted laws that compelled shoemakers to show the source of materials used on every part of the shoe. These rules were meant to help to understand whether a shoe was made of leather or natural textile materials, synthetic materials or some other materials. This was specially true for leather shoes which were always costly and in great demand due to their quality and comfort. Shoppers looking to spend extra on a leather shoe required a solution that would effectively help them determine they were getting their money’s worth.
The labels that were used would contain symbols that everybody could comprehend and were easily distinguishable across different countries. This made it easier for the consumers irrespective of the language they spoke to be able to understand the major parts of the footwear. The symbols typically indicated the composition of the main parts of the shoe:The symbols typically indicated the composition of the main parts of the shoe:
Upper: The uppermost portion of the shoe which contains the foot.
Lining and Sock: The material that is used on the interior part of the shoe and the area at the bottom of the shoe that is in contact with the floor (insole).
Outsole: The interior bottom of the shoe which is in contact with the ground when one is walking.
In the case of all-leather shoes, the company would use the leather symbol to indicate that genuine leather was used in the entire making of the shoe. In the course of time, these labels served as a certification of quality and legitimacy of the footwear, which affected the consumer behavior greatly.
Today, the usage of such labels still prevails, but the details may differ with the country of use owing to the differing rules and regulations. Labeling has become very significant today especially in the global market, because a customer is likely to buy a product and receive it without physically checking it. Labels are useful in giving the consumer confidence on the quality of the product and the materials used in manufacture, thus enabling the consumer to make his/her purchase decision based on factors such as durability, comfort, ethical issues, and the required care.
The use of symbols on the footwear products especially the leather shoes has greatly helped in consumer protection and increasing the transparency of the market. It is a more general tendency to consumer rights and product labeling, which has influenced many sectors including the footwear. Because of these advancements, there is a continuous change in the approach to labeling, so that it remains helpful to the consumers when they are shopping for products in the market.