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    Q: What is Urethane, what other materials are used in making footwear?

A:

Also called Polyurethane, it's not a natural material but a synthetic. It's used as both a material for soles, and also as an upper. It can be painted upon easily, it's strong, durable and light weight. Urethane is most commonly used for Wellington boots. Some other popular materials used for making shoes are canvas and leather. Canvas is ideal as a material for uppers, it's light weight and durable and used for sports shoes. Cloth based uppers are also common in warmer climes of the world where the foot needs to breath more freely. Leather is the most common material used for uppers in colder climes of the world. It's also used as a sole, but this isn't as common because leather is not water proof. Leather uppers vary greatly in looks and durability. This is because the different hides from animals vary in their properties.