Located right in the heart of the Marche region, a leading example of the country’s footwear industry, is redefining the concept of the next-generation upper. It is Sneaknit, the company founded in 2019 by visionary entrepreneur Pierpaolo Sgattoni, who explains to us along with its history, vision and plans for the future.
We start with him, and his own history. How did you begin this journey?
“I am originally from Monte Urano, a small town in the Marche region famous in the children’s footwear industry, and I come from a family that has been active in shoe manufacturing and leather trading for generations. I started as an apprentice, in the factory, but I soon realized it was a world that was too small for me, I was curious and interested in relationships, and I switched to sales. In ‘92 I went with my father to sell hides for fashion, shoes and bags, and two years later I joined Mastrotto, a leading international leather group. For them I helped develop Mastrotto Express, a ready-to-deliver warehouse facility in the Marche region, which, with a turnover of more than 20 million euros within a couple of years, proved to be tangible evidence of the professional growth I was making. I then over time expanded my contacts internationally in India at first; right after, I went to China, and found my true vocation. It was here, at the Global Trade Port, the largest permanent market for footwear materials in southern GuangDong and northern Fujian, that I first saw the upper that would become the core business of my future company. I had been frequenting China for several years and some differences in point of view with the ownership were driving me away from Mastrotto. So I opened my company Sneaknit, right here in Civitanova, Marche.”
Many big brands in the footwear industry have noticed that the market is gradually turning toward the new system of manufacturing uppers that you have been successfully riding for a few years now. Can we go into more detail?
“These are innovative uppers, created in one step and already almost finished by the first machine. They are then finished with a laser cutting process, eliminating waste and adding elements such as TPU, embroidery or other accessories, all without the use of traditional stitching, but through techniques such as high frequency or digital printing. When I first saw it while visiting a company in China, this innovation blew me away. Not only for its production efficiency, but also for its sustainability benefits. A shoe factory that adopts these near-ready advanced uppers can consider 60 percent of the work already completed, a major advantage that reduces environmental impact and optimizes production time. With the Inlocked method then we can create uppers with one or two thicknesses. The second layer acts as a lining and allows the injection through a specific needle of warm yarns or wools with the aim of providing thermal comfort. The process allows different materials, such as polyester and wool, to be processed and reinforcements such as microfiber to be added for greater stability. The stiffness of the upper can be adjusted through the use of reinforcing yarns and hot melts, namely a thermoforming nylon yarn, which adds stability to the upper and improves fit comfort. These elements give strength and flexibility to the finished product, which is also useful under high performance conditions, as required in certain types of technical or work footwear.”
Sneaknit manufactures shoe uppers of all kinds: sneakers, pumps, casual shoes, boots, comfort. As well as outdoor and safety. What makes them so special?
“First of all, we use Knit, a knit that adapts perfectly to the foot in every movement, the shoe results light and breathable. Our uppers for the safety sector are composed of a textile fiber that does not allow perforation, an essential feature for footwear used by people working in places or factories where this risk is high and continuous. In addition, with their composition, they help reduce foot fatigue, even after hours of work. The standards regulating proper safety equipment and personal protective equipment have allowed a considerable step forward in terms of safety at work, pushing technology towards the search for new and increasingly up-to-date solutions. We have come to produce state-of-the-art safety uppers, constructed using high-quality, strong materials designed for greater quality and durability over time, which provide the foot with comfort and lightness, and can be used to their fullest performance in total safety. However, we see this as just a beginning. It is a growing market, and we too have grown in the past year, despite the difficulties that markets around the world are experiencing.”
It is a difficult and very demanding market.
“Right. Yet, we not only feel perfectly capable of meeting your most difficult-to-satisfy demands, we strongly encourage them. Each of our items is the result of a carefully thought-out design process that has been refined in detail. ‘Don’t ask us for standards,’ we tell our clients, ‘we can do so much more!’ With our laboratory and research center, we offer quality and highly customized solutions. For example, at the request of a client, we recently developed a special upper for those suffering from bunions, which includes a stretch area hidden by a stylish texture that provides elasticity and comfort. The research and development lab is a hotbed of innovation, where materials and technologies are constantly being developed to redefine standards of performance and sustainability. Why should we settle for the standard?”
What are your future plans?
“We would like to expand our manufacturing presence by opening a new laboratory in Italy that will work in synergy with the one in China. With the assistance of our team of skilled programmers, our machines, which can be controlled remotely, will be interconnected between the two countries. The team in China will send the necessary programs and the operator in Italy will simply have to load the materials and start production. This system will enable the Italian machine to execute projects exactly as planned by our Chinese laboratory. We are also developing a strategic partnership to further develop production. The idea is to partner with an affiliate that can invest in the purchase of new machines dedicated exclusively to our production, sharing the costs. We would focus on the sales and R&D aspects, the partner on production. With this approach, we would bring the innovation of uppers directly from our laboratory to the market, ready to be transformed into high-quality footwear. In today’s environment of geopolitical uncertainty, the need to bring production back to the local level becomes increasingly compelling, and by automating processes that traditionally were not, costs can be significantly reduced. Automation becomes a strategic choice to maintain high competitiveness, allowing costs to be balanced and human resources to be better utilized for high value-added activities.”
In addition to lowering production costs, is your careful look at environmental issues reflected in other arrangements?
“Attention to the environment is a primary goal of ours, and there are many measures taken in this regard. Such as the use of up to 100 percent recycled yarns, zero waste compared to the normal production process with cutting and hemming. Our uppers, made from totally biodegradable raw material obtained from recycling, are then fully recyclable at the end of their life or in case of disposal into the environment. All this is not only in compliance with certification laws, but also to ensure a greener future for future generations.”
Pierpaolo Sgattoni