A lot of the industry is still surprised to find the Rock Fall women’s range, despite it being in the industry for such a long time. Horror stories of young women on site having to wear 2 or 3 pairs of socks are still prevalent today.
The Rock Fall women’s range is now more than 10 years old and we’re proud to be distributors of the range. Alongside having shoes, boots and slip-on office styles Rock Fall includes a range of specialist features such as being fully non-metallic, ESD rating to less than 35megaohm or being 100% waterproof tested for a minimum of 8 hours.
How does Rock Fall Class a style as women’s Fit?
For Rock Fall to class a style as Women’s Fit, it means they have constructed it using:
- A narrower upper design
- A specific Women’s Fit sole unit
- And most importantly a specific Women’s Fit last (or shoe mould)
These lasts are designed to accommodate the difference in women’s foot shape, this includes the heel-to-forefoot ratio as women have a narrower heel in relation to their forefoot.
A gender-specific last improves the fit, comfort and durability of the footwear in the Rock Fall Women’s Range.
Rock Falls Women’s fit Jargon Buster
Design
An integral part of any style is its design, fundamentally it must function in the environments it’s intended for, meaning it must have the correct sole unit and slip-resistant properties, appropriate upper materials and be manufactured on the right last, or shoe mould. The materials used should exceed the desired test standards to meet the required international specified standards. Finally, it should be aesthetically pleasing and appropriate for the workplace or site.
Soles
A sole unit can have a variety of key attributes including:
- Self-cleaning in mixed terrain
- Slip-resistant on wet or greasy floors
- A large amount of the sole in contact with the floor
- Ladder grip
- Advanced durability
- Reduced weight
The soles used on women’s footwear are typically lighter weight and in almost all cases much narrower than equivalent men’s styles. It’s often a key part of what makes a style unique, Rock Fall soles enable us to meet Conductive, ESD, Anti-static, and Electrical Hazard standards as well as SRC and HSL GRIP slip resistances.
Uppers
The uppers used on women’s footwear are marginally smaller and narrower, but higher than equivalent men’s styles. This is due to a woman’s foot, of the same size, being higher than a man’s. The upper is where most of the design is, this is where scuff caps, specialty stitching threads, and other protective components can enhance longevity and safety. In truly fully waterproof styles a hydrophobic membrane will be stitched within the upper and lining.
Lasts
A last is used during manufacture to give the style its shape, one the upper has been produced it is lasted onto the sole unit. There are a variety of last types, some of which include:
- Men’s
- Women’s
- Boys
- Girls
Within these you have lasts designed for shoes, boots, and high leg styles. As mentioned earlier, women’s lasts are smaller, narrower, and higher than men’s or boy’s lasts. In some unisex safety footwear, for small sizes (3-6) a boy’s last is used rather than a women’s.
How are Rock Fall Continuing to progress Women’s Safety Footwear?
Rock Fall’s advice is that everyone’s feet are different, wearing shoes designed specifically for you is the best way of avoiding sore and painful feet. For this reason, we continue to enhance our Women’s Fit offering, In addition, we supplement this with an enormous range of styles manufactured from a size 3 on a standard fit, due to the wide variety of industries that require specialist footwear.
