Florida shoe factory

Earlier today we went to Florida shoe factory in Norwich.

The process of making a shoe.

1. Look at the magazines that predict the fashion trends for the next season.
2. Go to trade shows and get ideas for your shoes from there.
3. Make a themeboard (moodboard) for ideas such as colours of your shoe and materials.
4. After getting your ideas sketch the shoe you want to make that would be suitable for your target audience.
5. Draw your design on the computer and print it out on a plastic vac.
6. Scan design onto computer (CAD)
7. Make sure its the same size which is usually 4 1/2
8. They had a machine that cut out templates for your shoe, it can draw, cut out plastic and cut out paper. Cut out template with paper.
9. Send the templates to the factory.
10. The clicker man uses the templates to cut the material needed for the shoe.
11. They used heat to form the heel.
12. Use glue to stick the sole on
13. The women do the stitching and the men use the machines.
14. A bottom ruffer is used to mess up the sole of the shoe so it has grip and its not slippy.
15. The women attatch lining and insoles.
16. They then used a mini blow-torch to burn off unwanted fibres.
17. Then the insole is cleaned with a cloth
18. They put the shoes in a gas chamber and that makes it water-resistant.

Unknown facts about Florida shoe factory

1. Their expensive materials come from Italy.
2. The shoeboxes are made in China and flat-packed and sent to Norwich prison, the prisoners build them up to put the shoes in.
3. Their universal colour magazine is called Panton.
4. Making the shoe watrer-resistant adds another £5 to the price.

When we got there this man showed us around and told us every one's job and what they do and how they do it. The first man we saw was called Huzane and he sketched the designs for Van Dal. He told us about how he got into the job and everything that he does. After this man called Justin showed us what he does. He puts the design onto the computer and cut out the templates He cut out a template and he gave everyone a bit of the template. After that we went down to the factory and had a look at that everone else does, first we saw this man called Richard and he had a sharp pointy knife and cuts out the materials for the shoe and he cut some for everyone to take back with them. And then we had a look at everything and had a look at what everyne does. And when we finished lookingwe went into the Van Dal shoe shop and then we went back to Wymondham high.

Visiting Florida Shoe factory has helped us think of different ways we could develop our shoe. For example we could get magazines that predict the next fashion trends and make a theme board and then sketch our shoe.