Domestic technical textiles Industry Segment-wise consumption of ...

Sport shoes components
Product characteristics
Sports footwear is used while playing outdoor sports like football, cricket, hockey, tennis, etc. These
shoes are also used for running / jogging and as casual wear. In India, most of the demand for sports
shoes is from the casual wear segment.
The specifications of the sports shoes vary with the end user requirements. For example, the football
shoes are black in colour with coloured strips on the quarters. The tongue and the quarter portions
have foam backed cloth lining. The sole of either rubber or leather is then attached by hand-sewn
process. The rubber soles have grooves or leather studs for better hold on the ground. In case of
cricket shoes, the upper is made from either white chrome or from nubuck leather. The lining of
tongue is made of foam. The sole of the cricket boot is made of rubber or of leather.
The technical textile components typically used in the sport shoes are as following:
• Shoe uppers made of PU/PVC coated/Laminated fabrics
• Linings on the counters and below the shoe uppers
• Others including non woven insoles, laces, tapes, labels, elastics, sandwiched meshes, etc
The shoe upper material should have uniform thickness and colour and should possess water-proofing
property. The desired characteristics of the shoe uppers are
• Breathability
• Dimensional flexibility
• Colour fastness
• Light weight
• Durability
The shoe uppers and linings account for 90-95 % of the technical textile components used.
Market dynamics and key growth drivers
The Indian shoe manufacturing industry is concentrated in the small scale and cottage sectors. The
manufacturers are concentrated in Agra, Delhi, Vellore, etc.
The shoe manufacturers source the requirement of laminated fabric from the laminators and / or
suppliers/dealers. The laminators source the base fabrics from the fabric manufacturers and laminate
them with PU or PVC. Polyester is the most widely used fabric for sport shoes. These companies also
supply the lining material required.