These Easy Wellies from Sonja Vrbovszky are currently being shown at the Tokyo Design Festival 2008. They're a vast improvement over traditional rain boots in that they feature integrated handles.
The handles of the Easy Wellies can be used to carry the boots around or as leverage while putting the boots on in inclement weather. A simple, yet immensely useful improvement for a springtime fashion staple.
Implications - One of the best ways a company or brand can distinguish itself in a crowded marketplace is by creating a product that features a practical and stylistic alteration to an age-old product. By amending a traditional product to add a pragmatic element, the brand establishes itself as an innovator.
Rain Boots with Handles
Easy Wellies
Trend Themes
1. Integrated Handle Footwear - Incorporating handles in footwear can improve usability and make the brand more innovative.
2. Fashionable Practicality - Combining style with practical features can help distinguish a brand in a crowded market.
3. Product Improvements - Making small, useful modifications to traditional products can establish a brand's identity as an innovator.
Industry Implications
1. Footwear Manufacturing - There are opportunities for companies in the footwear industry to explore innovative improvements in their products such as adding handles for easy carrying or to improve usability.
2. Fashion Design - Fashion designers can incorporate practical elements, like handles, into their designs to create unique and innovative fashion staples.
3. Outdoor Gear - Outdoor gear companies can leverage innovative improvements, like handles on rain boots, to provide added usability and convenience for their customers.