Eric Marcelissen

Background

About Eric Marcelissen

To go to the office every day you’ll have to get out of bed first. When you snooze the alarm one time too many you risk to stay behind for the rest of the day. Planning can be your worst enemy when you start too late. That is one important thing I have learned over the past 40 years of my working life in shoe business. As a third generation member from a family of shoemakers, I have seen many innovations pass since the start of my career in a typical Dutch wooden clogs production facility in 1980. You could say that after 40 years I’m back to square one: from biodegradable wooden shoes to 3D printed, biodegradable shoes. Back in the 1980ies and 90ties innovation in the shoe industry was very low. Fortunately it slowly picked up and now innovation is on the highest I have every seen. Light, fly and dry leathers… Microfibers coated, breathable, vegan… blown, injected, vulcanised rubbers, EVA… and PU, TPU, TPE, TPR…. Knitted socks. uhm. uppers. All recycled, lightweight and biodegradable please… Oohcean waste…naturally. and for a nice price of course. The shoe industry has finally been really industrialised and I love it. The market for shoe materials and technology is moving so dynamically and fast that, for this old shoe dog, it is sometimes difficult to keep up with. It’s a wet dream for every shoe developer. A candy store if you prefer… All our development dreams can come true. There are no limits to creativity anymore. You just have to start… don’t 'weigh(t)'