The blue shoe laces of ‘The Bluelace Project’ by Flint and Tinder are representative of an effort to show retailers that consumers are conscious about domestically-produced goods. In its Kickstarter campaign for Bluelaces, Flint an Tinder revealed that they approached one of America’s last shoelace makers to “to produce the very best shoelace they'd ever made.”
The blue shoe laces that were produced are triple braided, coated with waxed cotton and capped with aluminum bullet tips. To prove just how strong the Bluelaces are, American strongman Matt Mills used them to pull a 13,000 pound truck. This is certainly a testament to how much these shoelaces embody American strength.
With 21 days still left on its Kickstarter campaign, Flint and Tinder have already tripled the amounts they initially hoped to raise, showing that Americans are passionate about buying American-made products.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Domestic Manufacturing
- Flint and Tinder's success in marketing their domestically-produced shoelaces shows a trend towards consumer preference for American-made goods.
- Strength and Durability
- The emphasis on the strength and durability of the Bluelaces highlights a trend towards consumers valuing long-lasting products.
- Crowdfunding
- The success of Flint and Tinder's Kickstarter campaign speaks to the growing trend of using crowdfunding as a means of funding and launching innovative products.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Apparel and Accessories
- The success of Flint and Tinder's American-made shoelaces highlights an opportunity for other apparel and accessories companies to emphasize the value of domestically-produced products.
- Manufacturing
- Domestic shoelace manufacturing could see a resurgence if more retailers emphasize the value of American-made goods.
- Crowdfunding Platforms
- The success of Flint and Tinder's Kickstarter campaign illustrates an opportunity for other crowdfunding platforms to market to businesses that emphasize domestic manufacturing and durability in their products.
