Grasshoppers brand owner Bolton Footwear partnered with Wellington-based tannery and supplier of leather sides, Mossop Leather, to introduce G-Tech leather technology to the new range.
Timothy Vermeulen, Grasshoppers designer at Bolton Footwear, says: “The style of our shoe is iconic, so we looked at how we could add something fresh, but still keeping with the classic style. This led us to the new Tint range manufactured in Doebuck leather from the team at Mossop Leather.
"What really stood out for us when partnering with them are the benefits of the technology that has been incorporated into this leather. The result is footwear that can keep up with today’s demanding standards without compromising on style.”
Three different scientific technology processes have been applied to the new Grasshoppers Tint range.
Hydroponic shoe-upper leather: WalkDry meets the highest water repellent demands while maintaining breathability. The tanning process permanently protects the leather fibres limiting water uptake in wet weather, whilst reducing damage from perspiration.
Anti-dirt shoe-upper leather: WalkClean is an effective leather treatment that targets oil and everyday stains in an exciting way. The technology applied in this stage permanently bonds to the leather fibres repelling liquids and blocks stains pushing spills way from the fibres. It also protects against salt staining, acid and alkali environments.
Breathable shoe-upper leather: WalkBreathe has been developed to promote the ‘breathability’ of the leather. Smart Polymer technology has been used during the tanning process that assists with the leather to ‘breathe’ while diffusing perspiration to the outside and controlling moisture levels on the inside. The result is managed thermal comfort for the wearer.
“Much like Grasshoppers, Mossop is a business with rich heritage too. Our values are aligned in terms of the quality of products we produce. We were both also aligned in our objective of taking a shoe style that is loved by so many in South Africa, and ramping it up with the latest technology, and introducing new colours,” concludes Vermeulen.
The new Grasshoppers Tint collection features men’s and women’s styles and officially launched on the Monday, 24 August.
