News

Andre Valentino

Kuraray Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo; President: Yasuaki Wakui) and men's shoe manufacturer Mikuni Seika Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kobe; President: Chuukoku Kanetani) have jointly developed a comfort business shoe using Kuraray's next-generation man-made leather PARCASSIO. As a result, the companies announce that an ultra lightweight business shoe, each weighing only 260 grams, will go on sale on April 28, 2006, under the "Andre Valentino" brand.

Until now Mikuni has been manufacturing and selling shoes made from natural leather. Its range of light and easy-to wear shoes has been well received. Turning its attention to our high-performance material PARCASSIO, which resembles natural leather extremely closely in appearance, it has achieved greater lightness and succeeded in producing an ultralightweight business shoe weighing only 260 grams.
Similar types of business shoe would typically weigh about 400 - 500 grams, although Mikuni's own lightweight range weighs approximately 300 grams. The new "Andre Valentino" range achieves a further 13% weight reduction. There is a developing trend towards appropriate and easy-to-wear business shoes in the target market of active professional men from their mid-thirties to fifties.

PARCASSIO, which has been on sale for three years, uses a special polyurethane skin that improves air and moisture permeability. In addition, it can achieve the look and feel of natural leather because the finishing and processing techniques of natural leather are used. Being lighter than natural leather but with a similar appearance, and combining greater suppleness and softness, high-surface flexibility and abrasion resistance, PARCASSIO is the next-generation man-made leather most suited to shoes. PARCASSIO has also been used in other footwear types, such as travel and walking shoes, ladies pumps, sports and golf shoes.