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ICC demonstrates in Germany how it evolved from ingenuity to shoe engineering

- At a stand that defends the tradition of the family business, together with its capacity for innovation, Lavoro presents disruptive projects -

ICC-Indústrias e Comércio de Calçado, SA - marks 35 years of activity within the framework of a family business project dating back to 1872 - participates for the 16th consecutive time in A+A, the world's largest fair in the personal protective equipment sector, which takes place in Dusseldorf, Germany, from October 26th to 29th. ICC seeks to reveal how it evolved from ingenuity to footwear engineering.

Long gone are the days of hand-baked shoes and wooden shoe molds, built on a watermill that the family of Teófilo Leite, chairman of the ICC board of directors still owns in Felgueiras. The traditional production of the origins made way to podiatry, biomedicine, and biomechanics.

«The empirical knowledge of the foot, which made it possible to produce wooden shapes was replaced by digital biomechanics, favoring the production of professional footwear capable of benefiting the health of the foot, but also protecting it from the risks associated with different work environments», explains Teófilo Leite, chairman of the board of directors of the ICC, founder of SPODOS – Foot Science Center - assists in the task of giving greater scientific understanding to the production of professional footwear.

Disruptive proposals worldwide
In this context, and to celebrate its 35 years, ICC presents at A+A several disruptive projects, for the domain of professional footwear, that its Lavoro brand is developing with several business and academic partners:

- THERMICC: System with thermoelectric devices printed on the insole for heating and cooling the feet. Patent pending.
- SCIENCE DIABETIC FOOTWEAR: Therapeutic footwear with intelligent materials adapted to the condition of the diabetic foot, * with monitoring of clinical parameters. It aims to prevent lower limb injuries and avoid amputations.
- SHOE @ FUTURE: Footwear with biomechanical solutions of high functional demand, based on a “green” production of its components.
- AUGMANITY - Augmented Humanity in the work context: intelligent professional footwear, which aims to integrate industry 4.0 technologies and increase the industry's competitiveness.
- ECOSHOES - A project that aims to promote sustainability and a circular economy in the production of professional footwear.

A brand that preserves trees
Lavoro has a long tradition of respect for the environment which is materialized, for example, in the patent Clima Cork System (CCS). Since 1995, CCS provides the inclusion of cork in insoles and soles – a dynamic that does not represent the consumption of natural resources, but, on the contrary, a gift of life, both to cork oaks and the feet of professional footwear users.

Removing the cork from the cork oaks every 9 years allows the tree to regenerate and to continue to grow. Its use by Lavoro makes it possible to regulate the heat and cold inside the shoe, provides extra comfort, and contributes to the reduction of fatigue, by benefiting the uniform distribution of weight. Cork favors the creation of a plantar impression that makes the foot's adaptation to footwear more natural, favors the health of the foot, and, from the outset, a better quality of life for the user in the work context.


«Choosing professional footwear with cork incorporation means choosing a better professional life and giving life to a better planet» - summarizes Teófilo Leite.

Proposals that respect animal welfare
At a stand (4C58) with 210 square meters, Lavoro will present in Germany its wide range of professional footwear for men and women with great emphasis on the new Space Oddity and TT Lite models, but also on the classic Icelandicc.

The Space Oddity range, available in blue and green, including boots, features an upper with breathable materials, a protective Kevlar insole, a composite toe cap, and a sole that combines TPU with energy return technology, which favors the lightness of the shoe, shock absorption and the natural movement of the foot. Developed for light industry and services, it has both Vegan and Oeko Tex certificates, which guarantee the absolute absence of harmful substances, both for the user and for the environment.

The TT Lite range materializes the new generation of professional footwear from Lavoro's TT range. The dual-density of Bio PU makes this model one of the lightest, most flexible, comfortable, and softest in its range. Available in two colors (blue and green), it is suitable for light industry and services. The upper, a unique and seamless piece, in breathable and eco-friendly microfibers is a Vegan & Oeko Tex certified product. With anti-static properties, composite toe cap, and Kevlar insole, the TT Lite is also 100% non-metallic. *

The Icelandicc model, developed for cold environments, indoor or outdoor, features a composite toe cap, double density PU sole, leather upper, and the sheepskin lining that distinguishes Lavoro's offer in this segment and justifies its demand and the highlight it will deserve in the A+A. Lavoro ensures the tracking of its products of animal origin, using suppliers that are certified as responsible and that guarantee the animal welfare associated with the entire supply chain. Suitable for work environments with temperatures down to minus 40 degrees (-40º C), this is the boot that cold weather logistics require.