Vessi - The World's First 100% Waterproof Knit Shoes
Created by Vessi Footwear
A stylish, waterproof, breathable and lightweight sneaker that keeps your feet cozy and dry no matter the weather.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Daily Update & Guide to Find Your Perfect Fit!
over 6 years ago
– Sat, Feb 03, 2018 at 12:36:43 AM
Hi Vessi Family,
We're back with a few exciting updates! First off, we want to thank you for your patience this past couple of weeks as we finalize the few final details of our survey to make the process as seamless as possible. We are aiming to get them out early next week! Here is a sneak peek into how your Vessi's are tested.
Grip is important in all kinds of shoes. Have you ever wondered how they test it? This video shows the forefoot area of our Vzero midsole being tested for its level of slip-resistance. The forefoot midsole is weighted down on a wet/sleek metal surface and connected to a pulley that exerts a constant tension. The machine then measures the distance traveled and determines if it's in the passing range of slippage. But please be careful everyone : ) When walking on wet surfaces always take extra caution because good slip-resistance only enhances your grip it doesn't make them stick to the surface.
Abrasion resistance is vital to determine the wear and tear of a pair of soles. The type of surfaces you usually walk/run on and the frequency of use all play big roles in the wear and tear of shoes. Wear and tear is different for everyone and is a reflection of everyone's unique lifestyle. However, our job is to ensure that the soles are up to industry standard so you can fully enjoy your shoes without having to worry about wearing them out too fast.
So please allow me to explain how abrasion-resistance is tested : ) We start by die-cutting the Vzero foam and the rubber treads into cylinders. We then measure the mass of these cylinder chunks then attach them onto a roller coated with super rough industrial grade sandpaper. Please keep in mind that rubbers and Vzero foams are tested separately to ensure that they are both above each material's own industry standards. The device pushes the cylinders into and across the abrasive roller using constant tension and travel speed. Once the materials have completed the abrasion process. We measure the chunk of material again to see how much mass it has lost. We have an industry standard scale to determine if the amount lost is acceptable with the type of material used and the type of shoes we are creating. Good news, our Vzeros have great abrasion-resistance! This is awesome because our Vzero midsoles are so light and flexible! But normally lightness and flexibility usually mean poor abrasion-resistance.
Production Update:
Check out another fun production detail we are finalizing right now. These are some preliminary production samples of pull tabs (loops) that go on the back of the shoes for ease of wear. We are testing different width and size of the Vessi letters. Our goal is to make the Vessi logo clear but subtle. Our favorite right now is the olive green loop's width but we will enlarge the letters a bit to fill out the pull tab a bit more. Just an example of an exciting detail we have the pleasure of working on because you've all supported us to get to this point. Thank you : )
Guide to find your perfect fit!
STEP 1: Place a piece of paper against the wall. Place one foot on the piece of paper with your heel against the wall. Trace around your feet making sure not to move your heel.
STEP 2: Measure your marking from the highest point of your toes to the middle of the heel in cm and add 5 mm.
STEP 3: Take the resulting figure and compare this to the JP/CM part of our chart and see what it is in US sizing.
Still unsure about your size? We are more than happy to help you find your perfect fit :)
The world’s most innovative chopsticks with levitating eating tips. They use the force of gravity to levitate the eating tips, keeping them sanitary without the need for a separate chopstick rest. See what it is all about HERE!
So here we have the Vessi Vzero midsole coming fresh out of the oven! This method is called a compression method where our raw Vzero foam is heated, compressed, and cooled in the molds to form the production midsole. This method helps us produce lightweight midsoles that are flexible and cushiony.
This is such a surreal moment, the production midsoles are coming to life! Thanks to all of you. We will stockpile some of these midsoles after they've passed physical property tests so we can start making production samples to practice.
Survey Update
We have partnered up with Backerkit to deliver your surveys straight to your inbox. Our team is just finalizing the final details for the survey before sending them off. We will release a formal update once these surveys are out!
Errored Payments
No worries! You will get a chance to update your payment information and keep your pledge level during the Backerkit Survey.
KLOK-08 Swiss Made watch pays tribute to the Sixties, from where it inherited the spirit and neo-retro design. KLOK-08 introduces a new way of telling time: two concentric disks rotate counter-clockwise to display the time on a vertical line at the top of the dial. CLICK HERE
Build projects and apps driven by machine learning for Android and iOS! CLICK HERE
Thank You!!!
over 6 years ago
– Tue, Jan 16, 2018 at 12:06:48 PM
WOW! What a crazy and fun 52 days it has been! We cannot believe that it's over. The entire Vessi team wants to say thank you to every single one of you that helped bring Vessi to life and helped us reach an incredible milestone... $1M ! We are excited and motivated to deliver the best shoe we can! We will be releasing regular updates to keep everyone in the loop of what's happening.
This journey has been beyond amazing and thank you again for your support!
Missed Kickstarter?
In case you and anyone you know missed our Kickstarter campaign, you can still pre-order on Indiegogo!
Color Selection, Size & Survey
A survey will be sent straight to your inbox in the next 2-3 weeks where you can place your color selection, size, and shipping information. You will also have the option to add-on additional pairs to your pledge during the survey.
We will release a formal update once all the surveys are sent out along with the photos of the final color selections and designs.
Here's a peek at our modified City Green Shoe.
WIIVV Insoles
Kickstarter takes about 2 weeks to collect payments from backers. Once everything is finalized, backers who pledged for WIIVV insoles will receive an email on how to collect their rewards. These insoles will be delivered in a separate shipment from your Vessi's.
A Message from Andy:
Dear every single wonderful backer,
Thank you all so very much for coming along on this incredible Vessi journey! My name is Andy, one of the Vessi team members. This is definitely not the end; it is just the first chapter of you and our story together. Thanks to every single one of you fantastic supporters, we can begin the next stage of our journey of mass production preparation leading into full on production. You all have made a special impact in our lives and we will make you and Vessi proud. We are set to transform Vessi into shoes that can have a small impact on all your lives. Whether it be traversing through busy rainy streets or rolling dewy hills we hope to be a tiny part of all your life journeys. We sincerely appreciate everybody for allowing us to do that.
Throughout the past few weeks I feel like I have gotten to know so many of you and made a special shoe connection. I never thought I would be so incredibly happy chatting with everyone about shoes and helping answer whatever questions they have. Thank you all for giving us this opportunity and to experience such a supportive community. I really feel like we are a shoe family!
At the beginning, I was not the greatest at expressing our shoes or myself with words. So I sincerely appreciate all the feedback and support that everyone contributed. Through these comments and messages I better understood everyone’s questions, suggestions, and needs. This has really matured me more as a shoemaker. Thank you all for that. You’ve all been great friends and teachers.
Prior to Vessi, I’ve been in the footwear and apparel world for years but I never felt that I was completely immersed in it. I knew I really like shoes and enjoyed creating them but I felt like I was wandering through the world of shoes without a clear goal. Through this opportunity made possible only by you all and our fantastic team I now know my goal in life. Now I have a much clearer vision on where I would like to go with you all and Vessi. I hope you will join us on this journey.
Through Vessi we hope to make everyone’s lives a bit more comfortable in the wet :) and we hope to make everyone’s adventures a bit more exciting as you can now keep on keeping on in all sorts of weather. But the inner overly cautious Andy would still love for everyone to stay safe and take care when out and about. Haha, I think I ruined the moment. SORRY!
I would like to thank every single one of you incredible backers again for giving us this opportunity.
Thank you very much.
I would also like to thank my team partners, without them none of this would be possible either. So thank you all so much. Extremely excited to work with you all more to bring these shoes to life!
To all of you, I look forward to sharing these shoes with you soon. Until then take care and all the very best.
Stay tuned for updates to come and more information about what’s happening behind the scene!!!
Sincerely, Andy
SNEAK PEEK at the production Vzero midsole + rubber treads made from the production molds : ) Remember when I said one of the most difficult and time-consuming task was making of the mass production molds? Thanks to you all, here is a testing sole made from these molds!!! The molds will be polished up a bit so the outside of the soles will be even better aesthetically.
Outside View
Black Colorway Bottom View (black parts are rubber treads)
Till the next update,
The Vessi Team
Exciting Updates!
over 6 years ago
– Sat, Jan 13, 2018 at 12:43:40 PM
WOW! We cannot believe it, 3 days left in our first Kickstarter Campaign! The entire Vessi team wants to thank you for your support and for giving us this opportunity to share Vessi with everyone!
We wanted to take this update to share a few cool things happening behind the scenes! With only 3 days left, we are excited to announce that we are on track for an EARLY APRIL DELIVERY!
Stretch Goal # 2 UNLOCKED
$800,000 and over 6,000 backers! All your Vessi's will come with our special insoles. These insoles are lightweight, reduces odor, equipped with comfortable cushioning and subtle arch support designed to fit most arch types. The subtle arch support is adaptable as it is flexible and not obtrusive so it can support all kinds of arches such as flatter ones without making you feel uncomfortable. The thickness of the insole's heel region is approximately 4.8mm and the forefoot area is slightly less than 4mm. Therefore, the insole heel-to-toe drop is comfortably minimal. In the photo below the heel appears to be a bit thicker but this feature functions as a supporting sidewall for better heel support. For those who pledged for the combos with WIIVV, you will still receive Vessi SG insoles.
** The sample insoles below have the proper arch, heel support, and cushion thickness.
Production Update
We are super excited to announce that our production molds for all sizes have been completed. It has been a long process of casting these mass production molds. You can see the midsole mold components in the photos, they will form the Vzero midsoles that are lightweight and flexible!
Fun Fact: Each mold can weigh up to 200lbs.
New Photos!
A couple of weeks back we did a mini photoshoot and we wanted to share some photos with you! We are still working on finalizing the design for our City Green Shoe, we will make sure to show you the final design before taking in surveys!
The Evo Planner is the world’s first smart planner, built specifically for your personal brain type. Take the Quiz to identify your best and worst traits, and find out what planner is right for you. This campaign just launched and already has thousands of backers, and it’s no wonder why! Click Here To Check Out Evo Planner!
This guy has created tactical outerwear for the USA Military and emergency responsers, and now he’s raised 150,000 dollars on Kickstarter. The Responder Jacket & Hoody Sweatshirt offers advanced military/tactical designed apparel for everyday consumers, and it’s guaranteed for life! Click here to check out Amabilis!
Never doze-off while driving with Sleepman! Boost your success & be your best with improved sleep, productivity & overall health! CLICK HERE
Happy New Year!!!
over 6 years ago
– Sat, Jan 06, 2018 at 01:12:22 PM
What a great year 2017 has been and we are more than excited to ring in the new year with all of you! We wanted to take this update to share our last updates of 2017!
Here's the first look at the City Green Shoe!
Please note that we are still doing some fine-tuning to the knits pattern and colours that will be enhanced with subtle details.
Update on Stretch Goal #2
We are so excited to announce that we are now able to unlock stretch goal # 2 at $800,000! Our goal is to give all you backers the best shoe possible! We are now able to do this because we were able to secure a deal with an insole supplier who matched our level of quality at the right minimum order quantity! We're almost there!
The guys at Orbitkey have launched 3 products to organise your everyday essentials: Orbitkey Ring, Clip and Strap. We’re particularly excited about the Orbitkey Ring as it solves the problem of pinched fingers and broken nails that come with difficult to use keyrings. It’s the Keyring, Reimagined. Check them out HERE
The flat multi-purpose origami stand FODI is a paper thin, multi-purpose stand that uses a carefully designed origami structure that can hold your smartphone, laptop, books and more. CLICK HERE
Foxshot is a small water-resistant camera that can be attached to any surface. Polychrome, Wearable, 1080P Magnetic with App Live Video, Click HERE to check out.
FitOn watch is a smartwatch cares your health in 24 hours. It's the world's first and the most affordable SpO2 smartwatch well tracks and collects your blood oxygen saturation and heart rate every second. FitOn is designed for your fitness, work and all your life. It's ready for you HERE.
