Modern and beautiful shoes with BÄR principles!
Watch the interview live on YouTube or read the entire interview here. The interview is about the design and function of BÄR shoes. They stand for pure comfort and flexibility.
INTERVIEW BETWEEN DR. CLAUDIA SCHULZ AND CHRISTOF BÄR:
Dr. Claudia Schulz: BÄR stands for durability, safety and also for a certain shoe style. This is naturally due to the anatomy and shape of the shoes alone. There are the famous originals that you recognize at first glance, but how does BÄR deal with fashion trends, for example? Do you also take such things into account or do you say: no, we only make one particular shoe? I think a lot has developed in this area. A woman today who wants comfort and perhaps also needs a certain amount of orthopaedic support due to her physical problems still doesn't want a granny shoe, to put it disrespectfully. She wants a modern shoe. How does BÄR deal with this problem or these issues?
Christof Bär: So, as you have just said, our main task has always been to offer the foot what it needs at the right age. The main development of customers, which is of course easier to see with women's shoes than with men's shoes when it comes to this contemporary topic, is that they don't want to dress like a granny, they want to walk comfortably. We consistently strive to give the foot the best. Selling the most beautiful shoe on the market is no easy task. After all, you first have to make something on a last that fits the natural shape of the foot and corresponds to the current zeitgeist.
Dr. Claudia Schulz:Pumps are not so much in demand at the moment anyway, but rather the sportier shoes, sneakers of all kinds - that should actually suit him.
Christof Bär: Yes, you can see that too. I think this also increases competition because we can no longer operate in a niche alone. Of course, we have also co-developed shoes in these areas that correspond to this. The sneaker look is what counts here. For us, it's always important: what do we give the shoe in terms of toe freedom? That's the basic theme, and it works very well here or, as we said earlier, with sustainable materials, such as the SEAQUAL thread, which is even water-repellent. Lightness is always an issue, but it is always in conflict with what the foot requires in terms of anatomy, because light is not always as stable as you need it to be and you have to pay close attention to whether the guidance is there. Here we work with materials and combinations of materials that then also make up the value of the product. For example, we have a TPU/PU combination or a latex sole. This is not only top in terms of sustainability; it is of course also in line with the spirit of the times, the trend, so that we are also going in the direction of saying that there is actually no softer material than a latex sole, which then cushions and offers optimum comfort in the thinnest of spaces. In connection with this, we have the high standard of saying that we naturally take up the fashion trends. Our aim is to use a simple design to translate something onto a wide last that looks good, is wearable or reflects current trends - and this works through materials, material structures, colors or even details, such as colorful soles or laces. Or we work with small themes and accessories - like the little hearts here. We make the zipper visible and use high-quality sliders. To offer something that is 100% comfortable but can still be worn with trendy themes.
Dr. Claudia Schulz:A shoe that has a bit more volume is actually quite in keeping with trendy aspects, especially when it comes to the many wide pants, because otherwise the shoe might disappear under these wide pants. What I particularly liked was the shoe with the crepe sole that you just showed me. I think that with shoes like these, which are very clean and very high quality, it is of course also important that high-quality material is used that really has a uniform grain structure. For me, this falls a bit into the fashion theme of "quiet luxury" and for me these are already very modern shoes and of course the whole sneaker sector will continue, but I think you can definitely see a further development, even in the models you have just shown. BÄR hasn't stood still at all, but is observing fashion trends without wanting to be a trendsetter, but rather it's about satisfying the demands of this customer and still giving the shoes a modern, contemporary touch. This is exactly what I think they have done very well.