Compound

To make a brilliant idea possible, an idea alone is not enough, some ingredients are fundamental: a functional and functioning, as well as innovative, project and a material suitable for that planned idea. Vitale Bramani’s idea was to raise the level of safety in the mountains, his design was the Carrarmato sole and the most suitable material was rubber, inspired by tires, which are functional on any surface.

Thanks to Charles Goodyear, in 1839 the properties of rubber, obtained from more than three hundred plants growing in the tropical areas of the Earth, can finally be stabilized. Goodyear is in fact the inventor of vulcanisation: the process that allows rubber, heating it together with sulfur, to obtain complete stability of its properties, including strength and elasticity. Therefore, Vitale Bramani initially works with a company that is already a great expert in the field, to produce the first prototypes of Carrarmato soles. Subsequently, he continues to innovate, creating increasingly high-performance soles thanks to his compounds, which combine natural rubber with various chemical agents for stabilisation, coloring and to give those particular characteristics that make Vibram technologies among the most innovative of all. Durability, traction, elasticity, adaptability to any type of terrain and grip, i.e. the ability to grip and hold, have been the trademarks of Vibram soles since the very beginning.

Vibram Gumlite (1989) is the compound suitable for casual footwear, while for the outdoor world the Vibram Megagrip (2013) and Vibram Arctic Grip (2016) compounds represented real revolutions in terms of grip, the first one on rocky surfaces and slippery terrain, the second one offering unprecedented resistance on wet ice and snow thanks to the combination of technology and sole design.

In the field of environmental sustainability, Vibram has always sought new solutions. In 1994 the Vibram Ecostep compound, made up of 30% recycled Vibram rubber, is the pioneer eco-compound for the world of soles. In this direction, the latest innovative solution is Vibram N-OIL, an even greener alternative for the world of footwear, consisting of 90% natural ingredients, 100% natural colors, natural pigments derived from plants and organic farming. The final frontier is precisely this: conceiving an entire production process that does not involve the use of solvents or chemicals, without losing performance and grip.