Finding the best last measurements to update your fit is a challenge for every shoe brand. Let’s take the stress and frustration out of that process. Here we identify the 2 best strategies for improving your last design based on our work with 100s of brands.
Starting with another brand’s last is not going to guarantee good fit.
Frequently brands will come to Heeluxe and say, “We think SHOE X has the best fit. We copied their last and want you to compare our shoes to SHOE X.” Very rarely will their shoe fit like SHOE X.
If the brand was able to get a similar last shape (typically, they do not), each brand is likely using different upper patterns, different upper materials, different toe caps and heel counters. Fit is the intersection of all aspects of a shoe—and while it is great to start with a last it’s not the only thing that matters.
There are 2 easy ways to optimize your last.
The first is to work with a quality last engineer–and once you’ve found one, hold onto them! Last engineers are the secret to combining the science and art of last shape: it’s not all about the numbers.
The second is to have clear data on how your shoes fit compared to top competitors. This data integrates every part of your shoe that affects fit and comfort: last, construction, pattern, and materials. Since 2015 fit sensor measurements have quantified a customer’s fit in a shoe and this information can be provided to a last engineer so they know exactly how much to modify a last to get a desired fit outcome.
The best approach here is to have 3 pieces of information.
This information and recommended changes are communicated to your last engineer so they can tune your last. This results in your shoes fitting their best.
How Heeluxe helps your brand with this
New technologies make it easy to get shoe fit measurements. All you need to choose is do you want to use human feet with sensors applied to them or do you prefer to use a completely electronic technology like SmartLast. Both solutions provide your last engineer with data to create your best last—with no headaches!
To learn more about fit testing with sensors, contact info@heeluxe.com
