One SmartLast Covers All Lasts
Shoe manufactures have 100s of lasts in their inventories. This article explains how your brand can use one SmartLast to test every shoe regardless of the last it was built with.
SmartLast is a last only in name
SmartLast’s is not an actual “last” used in a factory to build a shoe on; it is a human foot form with sensors. The SmartLast foot shape and size is based on a global average human foot measurements. This smart foot has sensors embedded within it that measures fit pressures that the upper puts on the foot. It also has two Lidar laser distance gauges that measure the empty space above the foot and in front of the foot. The SmartLast sensors are calibrated and tuned to measure the fit pressures every type of footwear.
SmartLast combines the real-world feedback of your best human fit testers with the accuracy of the best wearable tech sensors.
How does this “Smart Foot” provide fit feedback?
SmartLast makes collecting fit data easy. All you need to do is put the SmartLast in the test shoe, tell the console what category the shoe is in and you’re done. The SmartLast system automatically analyzes the fit of the shoe in 9 key regions and compares that data to how your customer’s expect that shoe to fit.
Over 7 years of collecting foot measurements, perception feedback, and sensor based fit data from 1000s of human fit testers on 1000s of shoes went into creating the fit measurements for SmartLast. The measurements tell us exactly what someone feels when they put on a shoe and what they find most comfortable in every category of shoe from high heels to hiking boots. It also allows us to differentiate the changes in fit for different activities. Data was also collected in different countries, like China, France, Vietnam, Canada, Mexico, Denmark, and the United States so that we could understand how fit preferences change in different geographic regions.
The combination of an easy testing system backed with impressive amounts of data validation is why we say SmartLast is, “the fastest way to accurately measure shoe fit.”
What about different when you want different shoe fits for different categories or geographic regions?
The SmartLast data ranges can be customized to a specific fit preference and shape. If a brand has a specific fit standard- for example if they use a last that is more narrow than average-the data ranges for their SmartLast system can be altered to match their standard.
There are also many different foot shapes to accommodate. A 3D foot scanning company analyzed foot shapes from North America, Europe, and Asia and found that there are statistically significant changes between foot shapes by region. When making SmartLast we faced two options to meet the fit needs of different geographic regions: make many different SmartLast shapes (lots of money and more difficult to use) or use one SmartLast foot form and adjust the fit pressure targets for each region. By using the later we’ve made it easier, more affordable, and more accurate for brands to identify how their shoes will fit in different areas of our world.
Our brand already has the last we want, why do we need SmartLast?
Different materials and dyes can change fit dramatically! In one recent study SmartLast tested seven running shoes from a single brand that were all built on the same last. The results of this data show that one of the shoes fit very tight on the ball of the foot while the others shoes fit loose on the ball of the foot. The upper materials, seamlines, overlays all affect how a shoe fits, even shoes created from the same last. In another study different colors of dyes to the upper knit changed the fit by up to ½ size. Using multiple colors within the same shoe can result even lest consistent fit. While the “last comes first”, SmartLast makes it easier to identify how different upper patterns and materials are impacting what your customer will feel.
Contact SmartLast today to be the “Last” step of shoe manufacturing!
