subject: Rieker Make Only The Highest Quality Rieker Shoes [print this page] Rieker Make Only The Highest Quality Rieker Shoes
The early shoemakers were artisans who created cottage industries based upon the patronage of the local gentry. They produced handmade shoes and trained apprentices to do likewise. It was only the Industrial Revolution and the concept of mass production that changed things dramatically.
Suddenly the manufacturer could satisfy demand from a much bigger customer base and that was not the only change that took place. Leather had been the basic material predominantly although wood and canvas were others. This changed with the use of rubber and plastics while the development of adhesives meant that time consuming stitching was not essential.
A further change came when other parts of the world challenged the traditional manufacturing industries of the West with their cheap labour force and strong work ethic. Suddenly the whole business had changed. Some traditional names maintained production in their original bases, rieker shoes while often opening new manufacturing centres for reasons ranging from labour costs to expansion of markets, the name rieker spread. Different companies adopted different policies with some companies retaining a brand name but stopping manufacture and sourcing shoes from a variety of factories and asking them to be branded. Others with no manufacturing experience but marketing flair entered the market and have been successful.
But new materials are not the whole story. The men's dress shoe is still made primarily of leather, both the upper and the sole, in whatever design fashion dictates at the time. More casual shoes may use plastic or similar for the soles, something a little cheaper and fitting for the many occasions during leisure time when meeting friends at the pub for a drink or a visit to the cinema, theatre or local restaurant.
Laces have been traditional but elasticated sides and slip on using concealed elastic has added to the style options. However there are luxury shoes which do not involve the use of leather at all. The athletic shoes that are a product of the last decades of the twentieth century are made from plastics, rubber etc., yet have such design and comfort that they can command a good price. This can partly be attributed to the cost incurred to create a global brand and the ongoing cost of maintaining it. Used in such popular sports as basketball in the USA, and aimed to achieve all the demands of an athletic society, they revolutionised footwear as society began to enjoy more leisure time.
The shoe now matches clothing in its need to fulfil aspirations. The better a person looks, the happier and more confident he or she feels about circumstances, whether out on a first date, attending an interview or making a sales presentation. There is a microscope of pressure in modern life and the shoe plays its part in countering that microscope. Rieker shoes and the latest dress, style from rieker and the new designer in the favourite fashion house, ladies can meet the pressure of everyday life head on.
