We set out to create the ultimate comfortable working boot. Our focus: re-think a boot rather than re-design its shape. We cleverly combined a neoprene sock with the boot’s familiar rubber. The archetype rubber working boot is re-imagined.
DUNLOP professional footwear is characterized by comfort, innovation, and protection. They briefed us to develop a working boot with the ultimate comfort. For professionals that need to be active on their feet for many hours a day, these boots are not a luxury but a prerequisite for effective work.
User research helped us to pinpoint valuable user insights. We talked to gardeners, farmers, foresters, and other profs to gather their user experience and wishes for a perfect working boot.
A snug fit, better ventilation, and 100% water tightness turned out their top priorities. For us, critical insights. We were ready to set out to re-think a safety boot.
We teamed up with the DUNLOP Protective footwear team. Imaginative by nature, we translated user-insights into a re-invention of the rubber boot, rather than just re-designing its shape. We re-imagined the rubber boot by adding a neoprene sock: a soft, comfortable, breathable though 100% watertight solution. PUROTEX ®, the specially developed 4-layer textile laminate, creates a breathable and waterproof upper. Dunlop developed an innovative mold technique to secure a watertight adhesion of the soft textile upper with the injected polyurethane layer.
The unique Snugfit – a tighter fit around the foot, improves walking comfort. A flex-zone (a la Chelsea boots) ensures that going in and out of your boot is still easy. No more clumping, and no more boots lost in sticky mud! Thanks to Stability fix, the user is sliding easily in and out of the boot. This smart integrated feature also keeps the heel firmly in position during walking and has unparalleled torsion control.
A working boot re-invented!
Boot comfort isn’t simply measurable. It’s something you’ll have to experience. To test our ideas, we made countless ‘proof of principle prototypes.’ We cut-open rubber boots, drilled holes in them, added strings, and hacked boots to test the comfort.
Together with the Dunlop team and experts, we created a boot with comfort never experienced before in a rubber boot. The boot is available in three varieties: the Dunlop®Snugboot Pioneer, Workpro, and Wildlander, with specific differences in functionalities and looks.
The boot was awarded renowned national and international design awards – A GIO Award for Excellence, an iF Design Award, and a Red Dot Product Design Award.
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2628 XG, Delft
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