Hello fellow footballers,


I'm the Product Manager, Footwear Dept. for hummel International and I've just set up a new personal blog about the design and development of football boots.

I've always had lots of players and friends ask me about how new boots are designed/developed...instead of saying the same thing over and over again, I thought I'd put together a blog with all the info! check it out,

first pullover

I'll be going through the entire design process from concept to development to production, showing lots of new concepts, sketches and designs.

My first feature will be the development of the new hummel 6.2 Concept FG, with lots of exclusive pics (because I designed it) before the shoe hits the market feb 06!



check it out, and i would appreciate any suggestions on features on comments on the new boots.

R
first pullover
footwear design/development blog
football.concept.design.development.prod uction.pics.marketing

Hello,

i think that is a great idea, but only possible since ur a rather small company in terms of football equipment, which doesn't mean ur products are not quality though!
I`m curious what u think is the most innovative football boot on the market and what u think is the most quality boot?

John

I dont know how you can say that hummel products are not top quality? what is this based on?

As a matter of fact, being a smaller company actually in many cases means better quality. in any mass production the larger the production the less care is taken on each product. some of our boots for example are hand made in japan and have been rated as the most comfortbale, best quality in market! would you rather have a 1 of 1000 bentley or a mass produced dodge neon?..

as for the most innovative boot in the market, i think there are many ways to judge "innovative". I have to repsect nike for some of the new thinking that went into the vapor when it first came out, using microfibre and ideasfrom running sprints, but as well, i would say design and feature wise some of our (hummel's) new boots for 2006 are very innovative and unlike anything on the market.

again, being a small company actual allows us to take more risks in innovation and design because we are a niche brand. also being a privately owned company allows us to make the best products possible and not only have to make lots of low price boots to make money for stockholders....

check out the new boots for 2006, and try some hummel boots, and i would be happy to hear what you think!

Richard
first pullover
footwear design/development blog

Hey how much are those cleats going to be because all of the hummel boots that I like right now are way too expensive at like $300 or something!

oh well, what have i done, i am sorry, since i am not native english speaker, errors occur, the sentence should have been which doesn't mean ur products are not quality though!
I am sorry, but i never wore any Hummel boots, so i can`t tell from experience. Are they delievered to Germany?

P.S.: I edited m first post, but it was nice to start a disscusion about mass production of large companys and caretaking of smaller ones.

My favorite boot is Mizuno Morelia Wave, it´s also handmade in Nippon and it`s the best boot on the market in my opinion.

Great idea mate! :-) Make sure you keep us updated becaus eI would very much like to know a boot is made, and how long the process takes.

Same here.
I have one problem with Hummel though your boots are to expensive! Your cheapest one I have seen is $100. Also here in the USA Hummel boots are about unkown mostly because not very many people, such as me, want to spent $100+ on a boot from a company they don't know a lot about. You should have some quality lower priced $50-$90 boots, more people will be more willing to take the chance on a $50 pair of boots than a $200 pair. Then if they like them they will spread the word about the company and buy more of your products. Just my opinion. Nice site.

about the first pullover
there exactly like the f50+'s, hummel's boots tend to be similar to other boots at higher or the same prices so i question the words innovative
why wouldnt i buy the f50+'s over these
ManUtd4Life jokes that hummel makes them 300 dollars or something but i could honestly see hummel charging 300 dollars of these boot
the fact is the idea of making just high end boots will be this companies demise
the marketing of this company doesnt compete with that of nike or adidas and now nomis starting to become a factor
nomis saids 16 times better in the rain, 8 in the wet while ur company offers "the vault" wow that's really lame
hummel doesnt have star's promoting there shoes either, a move it should make
whenever i open a eurosport i see a fashion model or crap like that wearing ur shoes while puma has eto'o and pires, nike and adidas brandish many stars

those are my views on hummel

Ev9912 is right. Hummel should take a chance on say an $89 boot, this is because many people (especially football players) want functionality out of thier boots and not fasion. This is what Hummel advertises, and that doesn't sell boots man! I love the creativity, I love the energy, but if you want to make something innovative, one must appeal to a broader spectrum of customers. Thats why adidas and nike stomp on everybody. They have functional boots for everybody, meaning we can afford them. I don't know about you, but I would rather buy a boot that has functionality over fasion, hummel just has not proven that yet. By the way, that pigskin thing on the shoe is the ONLY innovative thing i have ever seen from hummel EVER (besides polka dots on the boots but I won't even go there....).

i
ve seen a $400 pair of hummell boots. haha i posted a threrad on it a long time ago. not many people took to the idea of spending that much on a pair of boots.

You've tapped into a forum where consumers discuss there likes and dislikes in shoes. Why not model your products based off that? I don't mean for you to copy everything about someone elses shoe and call it your own but take details people like about shoes and create your own that best fits those needs. At least that's something I would do >_>;

Hummel shoes are expensive and look pretty basic. With that kind of price tag and simple designs I never really payed them much attention. Sorry.

P.S.
I just noticed but in the picture you have posted above the shoe has cow print and crocodile leather looking parts on it. I would so NOT buy those shoes but hey I'm just one guy.

those look so stupid and i really hope they dont makw them...b/c ppl will waste $400 on stupid hummels

Excuse me? I think it is an honour to have the Product Manager, Footwear Dept. for hummel International on this board and contributing to discussion. Please refrain from such thoughless and baseless comments. I, on behalf of the SP moderating team, would like to thank you rkuchinsky for such insights into the Hummel brand. Hope we see you around the board more giving us first hand insights into the world of Football gear.

Thanks,

Will

wow, lots of discussion here.

first of all, to clear up a few things being discussed. (most of the discussion here seems to about the US market, so I will focus my reply on the US).

1. hummel IS a company that is different from many of the others (nike, adi, etc.). We approach the football market from a different perspective. We are a small company. For hummel, we believe in making unique products for a selection people. Not necessarily a product that will make everyone happy.

2. hummel does have boots at all price ranges. The US, however, is a very big market, with many retailers, and many brands and some of the mid and lower price range products may not be available at all retailers. They way the industry works is that we present our entire collection to the buyers at various companies (ie. eurosport, eastbay, bigtoe) and they select what products they want to sell. The retailers have selected the top price point shoes. As a mater of fact, I was just in the US meeting with these buyers about the 2006 line a few weeks ago..

To date, in the US, the position of hummel, (that has been very successful so far) has been to focus more on the higher end.

Still, I appreciate your comments, and can tell you that for 2006 we will be offering a much wider selection of products and prices in the US.

3. Some of these higher end products, like the ones in the Vault Series that have been mentioned do cost a lot of money. However, they are all hand made in Japan from top quality kangaroo leather, and feature excellent fit, performance and comfort. Ultimately you get what you pay for.

4. It is true that we dont spend millions of dollars on sponsorship and advertising like Nike/adi. Honetly, we really dont believe in it, and would rather spend our money on developing good products that speak from themselves.

These days, I think that many people are smart enough to realize that just because some star is getting paid millions of dollars and wearing some boots, it doenst really say much about the product itself. It doesnt even say that the player thinks those boots are best. How many players switch boots when they get a new endorsement deal with another company? its all about money! We believe strongly that our products are very good, and they will speak for themselves and people will wear them becuase they want to, not get paid to.

5. Style and design are personal. I wouldn't expect everyone out there to necessarily like the new 6.2 Concept Fg boot (the one with the croc look i pictured). Thats fine- its not the kind of boot designed for everyone. Still, the people who do want something very different (and very technical- which I will explain more on my site later), LOVE the boot! And it is not like something that the big companies would/could ever do as it is smaller market, something the big guys dont spend time on...

For 2006, as you will see (more sneak pics on my site later), we have developed a full range of products in style and technical features that offers a different product for different kinds of characters/personalities. Just as some people love the classic copa, and some love the synthetic hi tech vapor, not all people are alike. More than any company, I think hummel respects this and creates products that allow players to make their own choices, and express their own chracter.

Ultimately it is up to the player to decide what to wear. You can wear something that a satr getting paid millions is wearing to be just like them, you can wear what everyone else on your team is wearing, or you can wear what you feel comfortable in, what you like, what works for you, and what you believe in. Its your choice.

R

PS. The reason I posted here in this forum in the first place was to get comments. Trust me, I do appreciate and listen to all the comments discussed. As well, that is part of the idea behind my site first pullover, to give behind the scenes info about all the thinking that went into the boots, but also to get feedback from players while boot s are being created so we can make boots that are good for the players.

first pullover
footwear design/development blog

You are a true, down-to-earth person rkunchinsky. That is exactly what i think and belive in every perspective of any kind of market. The quality of the product is what matters most. All of the top of the range boots, except maybe the Copa Mundial is ALL bulk made in large factories in less privilaged countries. Even though it may say 'Made in Italy' like Nikes Mercurial Vapor it was most likely fully manufactured in asia, but the last part of production was in Italy. Knowing this only a few manufactures actually have hand made quality boots in my opinion. Probably only Adidas's Copa Mundial and Hummel are the only real hand-made manufactures. They may be highly priced but it is because it is made of much more quality then the crap other big name brands release. An good example of this is famouse designer brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Fendi, Hugo Boss, Burberry, Lacoste etc. Why do people pay US$80 on a polo shirt? Why do people pay US$1000 for a bag? Because it is 100% quality. They will simply last forever, no matter how much abuse you give them, and im sure this is the same for Hummels boots.

Even though ive never tried a pair of Hummel boots, if i had the cash, i would definitly buy a pair of hand made in Japan boots. How many of these do you come across, and also in this day and age ever thing is made relativly well. So the WHAT YOU PAY IS WHAT YOU GET rule is in place here is my opinion. So if you love you Kangaroo Leather US$140 boots, how much better do you think a pair of US$300 boots are going to be.

I understand most of you will probably say what im telling you is total bull, but i understand one thing about design, design is design. It is NOT the final product, what im taught in my graphics class is that put down every god dam idea that is in your head NO MATTER HOW CRAZY, it may or may not contribute to the final idea but it may contribute in someway in making the final product the best it can be.

Also on the site is ONE design, but Hummel is a world famous, successful company, probably with many designers. And that is probabaly one design in the first process of finding a boot to make, out of hundreds and hundreds of designes. We will probably never see that boot on the market, but maybe a boot with that ones similarities. Its all part of design.

Also finally we know that some people really care about what the boot actually looks like. But i for one, and i know many others dont. We dont want a boot that stands out. We want a boot, that will do its job. To protect our feet, to be comfortable and to make us play football to our full potential. I for one actually like word-of-mouth to tell me how good a boot is and how it performs. This is why i like these forums. But it doesnt matter how uncool the boot looks.

Lol i went on for a bit aye, most of it probably doesnt make sence, feel free to critisice but i will stand by my words and debate right back!

Thankyou rkuchinsky (Richard?) for trying show us how the world of business works. That some companys may use advertising and stars to promote their boots, But there are still some companys out there who have the heart to produce boots to the best quality.

Thankyou

Ken

ok, i think that the leather is very important on a football boot. but i dont think that it costs so much that the boot is 300$. i. e. nike air legends leahter is nearly as good as the hummel boot, but they cost only 125$.

But have you tried both of the boots? Have you tested the boots againsts wear and tear? Have you tested the boots against time? I have the Legends as well and the leather is way crapper then my Copas.

Ken

I actually wanted to add i Puma boot to my collection which would have been either the Puma King Exec white/blue or the Puma Cellerator Zero 5 in gold/black or white/red! But Rkuchinsky is praising his Hummel boots for their unique design and quality and i am really keen on testing the best Hummel pair available, which also some Pros obviously wear (JDT?, but certainly Dennis Rommedahl!!)

HUMMEL Ibrox FG

Price: 45€

HUMMEL JD2 FG

Price: 54€

HUMMEL San Siro FG Classic

Price: 112,50€

HUMMEL T2 FG

Price: 90€

HUMMEL Villa Park FG

Price: 81€

Dennis Rommedahl

Having worn hummel boots for several years Dennis Rommedahl is thrilled with the Villa Park

"The Villa Park has a very cool and contemporary styling and I really think that these boots are some of the best that hummel has ever made", Dennis Rommedahl says and adds "in the game of football you can choose from an abundance of different boots. I've chosen to wear hummel because I like the fact that they're a Danish company with a proud history that makes different and exciting boots which help me stand out when I play for Charlton and the Danish national team".

"At PSV I wore another classy looking boot, the silver/red Tomasson and I still wear the Sharkz SG when the pitches are wet and soft", Rommedahl concludes.

http://www.hummel.dk/sw10157.asp

So i need advice for a good pair, which seems to me the San Siro, T2 oder the Villa Park! The design of the Villa Park and the quote of Rommedahl makes this one my favorite right now.
Btw i am alround player, can play positions from defence to attack, i need a comfortable, safe and light boot!
Rkuchinsky u have some advice maybe? I want to go for quality, not shine of the stars!

John

The Villa Park looks the nicest out of all of those. I live in the US and I didn't know the hummel had any cheaper boots like that. I thought they were all outrageously priced like the few I've seen in Eurosport/soccer.com.

thanks for the support and understanding of ken and others.

as i mentioned in my last post I (and hummel) really do appreciate the comments and will certainly consider all the points raised in developing future product. that is the reason I enjoy participating in these forums, and also have started my blog, first pullover, which, incidently i do in my own personal time, and is not company sponsored.

as for the comparision of boots, there are many things to consider. for one, the price of the leather is only about 50% of the cost of a boot. ther indeed are different kinds of leather, but also workmanship, outsoles, labor (ie. china or japan) and other factors determine the price/quality of a boot. just something to consider.

in terms of recommendations of boots, ultimately it is up to the individual to decide what is best for them. everyone has personal preferences, and just as some value fit more than wight, some value style equally as price. this is entire thinking behind the new 2006 boots as mentioned.

for hummel, we are proud to offer boots for all types of players. at the moment, as discussed here, the villa park is an excellent boot, both in terms of material and design. it uses 100% Pittards WR Premership Goat skin leather, which is a top quality material equal or better in some respect (such as abrasion resistance and water resistance) to K leather. hummel is the only brand currently in the market using this material (but i know that some of the other big brands are now testing it.)

for 2006, we are presenting a entirely new collection (and will still offer the villa park as well), with 3 new models- the 4.2, 6.2 and 8.2 for different types of players in different styles. Over the next few weeks, I will be showing some more pics of these new boots on my site. The 6.2 Concept FG is now featured in a case study on first pullover.


again, thanks for all the feedback and interest.

Richard
first pullover
footwear design/development blog

Thx i am interested in the Villa Park, but i need to know which size, how does they fit compared to other brands? adidas i have uk 10 for example and nike uk 9.5, what would be best for a hummel boot?

Richard, I have a question for you.
What are your views in the use of Kangaroo leather, as opposed to synthetics used to mimic such leather.
Furthermore, how many of your models feature KL, and how much does that affect the price aftermarket?

good question about K leather and material for soccer boots. actually there are many misconceptions here that I would be happy to clear up.

when talking about material, there are many things that are important, and different factors that make different materials more appropriate than others. these include price, ball control/touch, weight, water absorption, abrasion resistance and quality

For sure, K-leather has been a very good material for soccer boots since first introduced around 20 years ago. compared to bovine (cow) leather it is much stronger, has better abrasion resistance (in general, some treatments to cow leather can match K), and is particularily good for being very lightweight and soft feeling. hummel is still using K, especially on our top made in japan boots.

K, does have some issues however in breathability, and cost/quality. especially over the last year or so, because K leather can only be made from kangaroos in australia, there has been lots of issues with supply and demand. becuase of very dry conditions in australia over the past few seasons, the kangaroo population has decreased a lot. this leads to less kangaroos being born, and so less available to be made into leather (the australia government strickly controls the industry and export quoto of K to ensure kangaroos dont go extinct. recently this has drastically affected the price and quality of the skins available. with less raw material available, the price has increased alot (supply and demand), and the overall quality has decreased. anyone who has bought a copa now vs. 10 years ago can probably vouch for this.

A new material that hummel is now using to replace K leather in some of our top boots is Pittards WR Premiership. This is a goat skin material made from a special kind of goat with a ptented treatment process. Compared to K, this material is generally of better quality (the goats are more available in raw material), cheaper (by a little bit, but every penny counts and affects the retail price!), just as soft, and better for abrasion resistance and water resistance.

It is important to note that these benefits of goat skin are combinations of both natural and added properties of the leather. To explain, without getting too technical, all leather has two main parts- the outside skin surface (the grain) and the layers underneath (the corium). Compared to K, goat has a thicker layer of grain which gives it the better abrasion resistance. also, the structure of the corium or fibre layer is more open than the K, giving it better breathability properties. In addition, the Pittards leather is treated with a special WR (water resistance) treatment that is dyed into the fibres (not just sprayed on top) so it is fully water resistant, breathable, and durable.

hummel is the only brand to use this leather in soccer boots at moment (but i do know other big brands are looking into it!)!

Another material now common in soccer boots is synthetic material. Most common for top boots (such as the 6.2 Concept FG for hummel 2006- our first top boot that uses synthetic) is the use of SuperMicrofibre. This is a PU material with a special backing layer that gives it very good, soft, properties similar to leather. Synthetic material is very durable, strong, water resistant, and has the advantage of having almost no stretch (all natural materials will stretch), and can do a wide variety of surface treatments like silver, chrome, croc emboss, etc.

For 2006 hummel, we have used all of the above for our top boots. Depending on the player and style, different materials are appropriate. One of our top boots, the 8.2 Concept uses a combination of two of the best materials- Pittards WR Premiership and SuperMicrofibre.

I hope this answers some of the very good questions raised. Thanks to this inquiry and some others I have recieved by email, I will soon be doing a complete, more in depth review of the different materials mentioned here on my blog, first pullover soon. I fully believe in giving the players the most info possible, and am open to any questions or comments. I wish more brands and players in the industry would demand facts and info like this, not just hype. A more informed opinions helps everyone! thanks for the questions!

sorry for such a long post but there is lots of info important!.

Cheers,

R
first pullover
footwear design/development blog

Puma uses the same pittards leather on thier boots and they don't cost like $400.
I would really like to try some hummel boots but I can't afford them, the reason why i bought my vapors was because pros used them and the general consensus with the sp community was that they are a good boot (except for blisters). Do you really think that the ONLY reason pros use a certain boot is because of major endorsements? I don't think so. If I was a pro and Nike offered me a deal for a boot that I didn't like I could just go to another company and get thier boot. Simple I am a pro. And for many pros thier contracts with thier teams (which also hold contracts with adidas so they can be a marketing icon IE beckham) are very important and are often worth more money than thier boot contracts, so why would a pro jepordize his career over money he got by marketing a bad boot? If hummel really wants to get somewhre with thier botos they will show the pros how much better of a boot they produce than say adi,nike,puma,reebok, joma, and lotto and get deals with the pros. If you did that then hummel would be on the map.

i think you have some misinformation.

1. the Pittards leather used on the Puma boots (I assume you are talking about the King SL) is not the same as the new Pittards WR Premiership gast skin material I was talking about on the new hummel boots. The Pumas use a material called Soccerlite by Pittards which is a COW skin with the added benefit of WR100X water resitance. it is a good material, but not at all the same as the goat skin in cost, abrasion resistance or feel. I actaully just had a meeting with Pittards this last week, wednesday, so know what im talking about here.

2. I dont know how many times I need to cover this same point, about the $300 boots, but-
A. those are K leather boots made handmade in japan
B. they are not the only boots we make
C. they are very high quality and excellent materials, etc.

3. The way endorsement deals work is not really as you have described. for one, the money is a huge factor for these stars. why do you think some stars change boots from nike to adidas for example? because all of a sudden they liek a different boot? I'm not saying that the boots the stars use in anyway are bad boots, but just trying to illuminate the facts. Do you think Beckham actaully loves Gillette razor blades and Police sunglasses too becasue they are the best razor blades and sunglasses?

As for team contract vs. boot contract, they have nothing to do with each other. A team may be sponsored by one company (ie. nike), and the individual player can be sponsored by another for boots (ie. adidas). I dont think a player has ever "jeoporadized" his team contract by choosing a certain boot contract.

In regards to hummel and sponsorship, I have mentioned our position in an earlier post, so wont repeat it. Still, I do aprpeciate your comments, and see the importance for some people in seeing pros in certain boots. The reality of the situation is, however, in most cases the company with the most money wins. Just look at how far nike has come in the football market over the last 5 years or so just hrowing money at the top teams and players. That is their strategy and it works for them.

Obviously for hummel being a small company, ewe dont have the same resources. We believe in being competitive by putting the best products we can on the market and letting the players decide. Try some hummel boots, and I would like to know what you think.

We do however sponsor some teams and players, including Aston Villa, Hearts, and many teams in the Scandinavian league (hummel is a Danish company), as well as others in asia. Still, i think a player like Rommdahl, who has been playing in our Villa Park model for the last year WITHOUT getting paid says a lot more about the quality/performance of a boot than Beckham playing in Predators for millions..... you decide.

Richard
first pullover
footwear design/development blog

Thanks for taking you time to do this rkuchinsky it is very interesting. I have one question whats up with the crocodile skin? I know some people will think thats cool but most people won't. They might be cool in nice dress shoes and stuff but on soccer boots? And won't that just make the boots heavier and less functional adding the unneeded weight of the croc skin?
Thanks

the croc skin is actually a SuperMicrofibre synthetic material (simmilar to what is on the vapor) with an emboss pattern to make it look like croc. It is actually a very lightweight and strong material.

The croc pattern is about two things-
1. the pattern is styled after a dress shoes, as you mention. this concept was created in response to the new kind of player now being seen in football (especially european football): sophisticated, unique, fashionable and technical. Beckham is a good example. For more about the thinking and ideas that went into the boot and material, please check my blog, first pullover as I have gone into considerable detail there. There is a case study on this specific boot on my blog you can read here.

2. the shiny material and croc finish are also technical performance features. the shiny finish gives much better grip on the ball in dry surfaces, and the croc helps increase grip in wet conditions by chanelling the water into the grooves in the pattern. think about how the tread on a tire works in the rain.

R
first pullover
footwear design/development blog

This is just a post to thank you Richard for sharing your insights (i've posted in other threads commenting on the intelligence of many users in this boot room, and it's been proven yet again by the continuing ignorant and unresearched comments attacking the craftsmanship of Hummel).

I've been playing the game for over 15 years, and I've definately been aware of the company, but availability has been the main problem in getting to sample many products, as others have stated. If anything I've been able to find more Hummel tracksuits than footwear (until Eurosport started carrying the boots)
After reading your posts I'm very intrigued to see what will be included in the 2006 range! perhaps some "croc" skin in the various other colors....so pimps can play soccer too...
anywho..
Something kind of similar to the "Croc" pattern or at least a raised-textured microfiber and/or leather boot has recently been introduced by the Australian company Nomis- despite them originating as Aussie Rules Football boots. Their "Wet" and "Dry Control" (or whatever its called) is supposed to have either 4 or 16x the grip and control in wet or dry conditions.
Seeing as you've recently met with the Pittards people, can you give any estimate or guide (numbers) as to the improved efficiency after the leather is treated?
And another trend I've noticed particularly in the recent ranges of Hummel boots was the Hollow stud pattern- used to eliminate extra weight. Could you share any information on the other benefits of this outsole? Even though it is lighter, would it have an impact on weight dispersion or stud pressure (ex: under the balls of the feet); will it be included next year?

It's good to see that at least some companies stay true to their sporting roots without relying on expensive adverts, commercials, and having to endorse players (more adverts). As you responded earlier, being a smaller company means you can concentrate more on quality..that's really cOOl, especially these days
Good luck with the pullover
Thanks for your time

Thanks for the explaination, makes more sense now.

Richard, I think that it is a great idea to come to us to ask us our ideas and what we think. The boots hummel is putting out I didn't even look twice at until now because the expensive ones were the only ones I had seen. Thank you for showing us that hummel makes boots that are regularly priced, too. I am now very interested to see and try put the new Pittards goat skin stuff. If its really better than K-leather that would be amazing. I will definately check out the 2006 hummel line of boots now.

Hey.
First of thanks to richard for sharing his time with us. As head of footwear for an international company he's probably quite a busy dude. He sure as hell doesn't deserve to get abused or whatever.
As an obsessive individual i can totally see where hummel is coming from. Their entire philosophy is to produce boots for people who care more about what is on their foot rather than what pros are wearing it. The idea is that a few people will buy the high priced boots for their quality and individuality, rather than sell hundreds of thousands of cheaper cookie cutter boots which are all exactly the same.
adidas and nike etc pay millions to heaps of pros to wear their boots, which they perhaps wouldn't otherwise, and rommedahl wears hummels for FREE purely because he likes them. Thats awesome, and thats the way it should be. Just because a pro wears a boot doesn't even mean its the right one for them. Half of them are wearing customised ones that fit exactly to the shape of their feet and everyone knows about the the azt 90 III sole fiasco.
I like the car metaphor. Rolls Royce doesn't try to sell millions of inferior cars at price points. They sell the best at a price that reflects this. In economics its called the "snob effect". The select few will pay the extra to get the best, rather than pay less for an inferior mass produced asian model.
I've never tried on a pair of hummels(never seen any, i live in a small town), rarely even heard of them, but i love them already cause they have individuality and quirkyness that no one else has. eg polka dots, pink, purple and green boots= so cool. Croc skin is also awesome. Gonna have to get some.
Here's a parting thought. How many of you bought bright coloured vapors or f50s or whatever to stand out? Hummel is doing them same thing only on a whole new level.
Cheers.

lol lets not get racist up in this piece, and by the way, hummels are made in japan.

Nah i was talking about cars still. Most (not all) asian made cars are in a quantity over quality based market. Thats the point i was making. Sorry to anyone who took it the wrong way.

I believe if Hummel just got more into the United States and got to soccer stores throughout the country the sales would rise majorly. Right now only a selection of stores around me in Massachusetts have them. I tried on the Tomasson at a local soccer store and I almost bought them, but they did not have my size so i bought Predators instead. If there was a little more marketing around the U.S, i believe these top quality boots will rise up in sales very...very... quickly

Indeed getting our (hummel) boots out there is very important to getting people to try them and feel for themselves the quality and performance.

At the moment we are working very hard to get our boots into more soccer specialty stores and also have the large catalog retailers (BigToe, Eastbay and Eurosport) carry more selection of models/sizes, etc.

In terms of marketing, as I mentioned earlier in this post and others, we are doing what we can given that we are a small company without the resources of a Nike or Adidas. Either way, for sure the best exposure we can get is to get boots on players of all kinds, both professional and recreational.

I'm not in sales, but for sure if you are having difficulty finding hummel boots in your area I would recommend you emailing us. You can try info@hummelamerica.com

In any case, our position in the US is certainly growing thanks to the great response we have had on the relatively small number of boots getting out there in the US market.

Certainly for 2006 with our totally new collection there will be a larger presence and with some of more more different models, such as the 6.2 Concept FG some good exposure.

thanks again for the comments!

Richard
first pullover
footwear design/development blog

Continuing the discussion started in the First Pullover thread, I have started this thread to open discussion about the NEW 2006 hummel boots yet to be released.

I will be posting some sneak pics here and answering additional boot related questions about content posted on my footwear design/development blog, first pullover.

If you have any questions or comments about hummel boots, I would be happy to answer them.

Richard
first pullover
footwear design/development blog

Product Manager, Footwear Dept.
hummel International

Hummel sucks...............................simple as that...

What kind of comment is that?!!

If you have any constructive criticism I would be happy to hear it.

I am posting here to open an educated and informed discussion.

R

The first NEW 2006 boot I will be posting for open discussion is the 4.2 Concept.




More pics to follow. stay tuned.

In the meantime, I would be happy to hear any constructive comments about current hummel boots.

Best regards,

Richard

first pullover
footwear design/development blog

mate, what kind of comment is that. Constructive criticism is what we are looking for. Consider this your verbal warning

Can you post a pic of the whole boot Richard because I can't really amke a good judgment from that small of a pic.

Can't wait for some more pics. Is that blue shoe in the picture made of that goat leather stuff you were talking about in the other thread or something else, never really seen any thing like it before. Thanks for your time Richard.

so i'm guessing youve had a pair of hummels? why dont you give us a review. or is your opinion just an ignorant one?

I abslutely agree, and everyone here is right to have an opinion even if it offends some people, and especially people that design and make these boots, i HAVE owned hummel boots and they were rubish, i mean i've seen some rubish in my day, but those arent even good enough to be called rubish!!!

It's not that you're not allowed to dislike a boot, but tell us why, what was so bad about them. This helps everyone involved

For sure I will be posting some more pics of the new hummel boots. New pics should be up by tomorrow for sure.

As for anyone with comments about hummel boots, I would be happy to hear USEFUL comments, not just mindless derrogatory one liners. If you have indeed worn hummel boots, and have had an issue with them, please let me know-

1. what boots you wore
2. at what level do you play (pro, rec?)
3. how long you wore them
4. what the problem was

As a designer, and product manager for hummel, anything useful we can learn about the response to our boots is positive so we can make better boots in the future. That is the reason I am happy to take part in these forums and share pics of new boots, and reply to comments.

At hummel are always working to improve our products. We do a very throrough testing programme before the boots are ever produced, and try to make the best products we can. Still, every foot is different and every player is different, and no product is ever 100% perfect which is why new models are always released to improve on the past...

Stay tuned for more pics or new boots soon!

Thanks,

Richard
first pullover
footwear design/development blog

If a nike guy came in here and was trying to let us know about their products, most people here would be kissing his/hers ass about the vapors. But i for one would say why would nike make that boot. Sure its light but what about the blisters and comfort. I, like a few people on this thread dislike vapors, and when we say that all you gold boot loving people go crazy! But most of us have resons, because we have TRIED vapors, and compard to other boots they suck! But as i like to say EACH TO THEIR OWN, but please, Hummel does not suck, and if you think they do, please leave reasons, not just 'Their boots dont come in Gold and Chrome.'

Ken

Ken, and others,

thanks for the support and understanding. I would hope more people in this forum can see the positive side of what I am trying to do in this open discussion can contribute.

After all, the more comments I get about what YOU (the players) want in a boot, about what you like and dont like, the better I am able to make it! When was the last time another big brand asked you directly what you want?

Ken- your point about "each to their own" is very spot on! As a matter of fact this is exactly the philosophy that hummel believes in! The hummel brand is and will always be for the player that wants to make their own choices.

We dont do huge $$$ sponsorships and expect you to buy our boots becuase some pro is getting paid to. We do things that are different "like the gold croc 6.2 Concept posted in the other thread and on my blog, first pullover. We do some of the best quality and performance boots handmade in Japan..

We are and will always be a small brand and pride ourselves at being able to make products for players that would otherwise go unaddressed by the "big guys". There isnt a single boot right for every player, and we dont go for the lowest common denominator.

I didnt mean this thread to turn into an overview of the hummel brand and philosophy, but for sure dont mind answering these kinds of points. We are a small brand and dont do lots of marketing, and I do find there are lots of misconceptions about the brand and our products. Any way I can help provide good information.

Richard

PS. For 2006 we DO have a gold boot.


first pullover
footwear design/development blog

lol so you do have a gold boot aye!? Oh well, in my opinion even i do like the look of the boots, which have all matters of different colors, I personally still like the classic darker colors. Because i see football as a sport for the person to express themselves with the skill that they have, not what they wear. BUT if certain boots do seem to have a aura of greatness, i will not hesitate to purchase it, like with my Nike Vapors, but in that case, it did not prove itself to me. So if the gold Hummel boot ever does come into my range of purchase, and if it does have a good hype around it, not just what the company says, i think most of us here would be willing to purchase it. Even if it does look completely ridiculas!

Oh and sorry to be bothering you with all my long posts, but out of personal interest, currently on your blog you have made out a boot out of the masking tape, is this the boot that is made out of the crocodile synthetic skin, if not what is the primary material going to be. Also what kind of colors would it be coming in. And finally my last question is a bit corny but i am 16 years old, and i take graphics (product design and making) in my school. I am also finding this highly interesting, the structure of making the boots. Combing two things i like, design and football! Firstly how did you become employed in a football/sport designing team, secondly how would you reccomend being emploeyd by a sporting design company, and finally what stage of university and how many years of study did it take for you to be at the stage that you are? Sorry about the questions but your job has really interested me, and i was thinking about what i would need to do for this to be my future!

Ken

For sure the skill and performance of the player is key.

No boot will make you a susperstar, even if it is the same boot that some pro wears.

The 2006 hummel boot collection is designed with different types of players in mind, allowing the individual to choose what is best for them.

To give you a better idea of the full range (pics of all will go up later), below is an very brief overview.

There are 3 new 2006 boots for 3 different types of players with differnt style desires and technical needs-

4.2 Concept FGC is a classic boot in appearance, but with modern technical features and premium material. This is boot which i posted a small pic earlier in this thread and will post more pics tomorrow. The 4.2 player is more traditional, loves the sport and the history of football, and is often the kind of solid player that is a team captain.

6.2 Concept FG is a top tehcnical boot with alternative style. This is the boot being discussed now on my blog, first pullover with gold croc look SuperMicrofibre material and a technical lacing system and construction. The 6.2 player wants all the advantages of a true technical boot but wants to express themselves in a unique way and wear something different than everyone else on the pitch.

8.2 Concept FG is a fully tehcnical top performance boot with a unique combination of premium natural and synthetic materials and a custom fit system, support cage, etc. The 6.2 player is a technical player looking for every additional performance advantage possible.

In response to your questions about the 6.2 on my blog, if you follow the entire case study on the site theres more about the thinking and material, etc. The next part of the case study will get more int othe material and color specifications.


As for getting into footwear design, the best way i can recommend is to go to university for an Industrial Design degree (product design). there are many good schools across the US, and lots of shoe designers start out in product design.

Hope this answers some questions.

Richard
first pullover
footwear design/development blog