Madras will begin pre-sales of the “meta insole” jointly developed with Tanack on the crowdfunding site Makuake on February 17, starting at 2:00 p.m., prior to its release this spring.
The meta insole uses TANAC’s “Crystal Gel,” a medical gel material that stretches more than 10 times when pulled and has high repulsive elasticity and excellent restorative properties, for the insole. By supporting the entire foot while conforming to the sole, the meta insole improves comfort, stabilizes walking, and reduces fatigue.
In the area of leather shoes and business shoes, in which Madras specializes, the insoles are generally simple in shape, and when walking or standing for long periods of time, the load is concentrated in two places, the base of the toes and the calf, causing pain and fatigue, leading to flat feet that cause hallux valgus, and muscle stiffness that puts stress on internal organs connected to the sole. This can cause pain and fatigue, lead to bunions from flat feet, and strain the internal organs connected to the soles of the feet due to rigidity of the muscles.
Therefore, meta insoles are designed to support the entire sole by creating a shape that follows the arch of the foot, placing softer crystal gel throughout and combining harder crystal gel in the area of the arch of the foot. In addition, the crystal gel has the property of stretching well even with weak force, so it easily conforms to the shape of the sole.
The company claims that this structure will not only improve the aforementioned symptoms, but also improve posture. At the presentation, the reporter actually tried on a pair of shoes with meta insoles. Unlike what he had imagined, the shoes felt as if they were pushing up the entire sole of the foot, rather than enveloping it. When wearing leather shoes for long periods of time, we often try to find a way to walk or stand in order to relieve the pain in our feet, but I was aware that this leads to poor posture.
Madras President Tatsuichi Iwata, who spoke at the presentation, expressed a sense of crisis that the markets for leather shoes and business shoes are threatened by casual wear, such as no neckties and sneakers, and the rise of inexpensive imported products, and said that “innovation in shoes is necessary. He explained that “innovation of shoes is necessary” and that the meta-insole development is based on the “foot therapy style” that promotes health from the soles of the feet.
The meta insole is available in two types: for men’s shoes (sizes S-LL: 24.0-27.5 cm) and for women’s shoes (sizes S-L: 22.5-25.0 cm), priced at 13,200 yen per unit. A lineup of shoes with meta insoles as standard is also available, and will be available at the Madras Online Shop and directly-managed stores starting in late March.
In addition, Makuake will offer early bird discounts ranging from 36% off (8,500 yen) to 28% off (9,500 yen) and discounts for multiple purchases.
© Source travel watch