Clogs Football boots Sabaton Safety footwear Sailing boots Ski boots Snowshoes Ice skates Surgical shoe Pointe shoes Swimfins (flippers) Barefoot sandals Traditional footwear Abarka, of leather, from Pyrenees Areni-1 shoe, 5,500-year-old leather shoe found in Armenia Bast shoe, of bast, from Northern Europe Crakow, shoes from Poland with long toes popular in the 15th century Galesh, of textile, from Iran Geta, of wood, from Japan Klompen, of wood, from the Netherlands Opanci, of leather, from Balkans Pampooties, of hide, from Ireland Socks Socks Anklets Bobby socks Diabetic socks Dress socks Footwraps Knee highs Toe socks Tabi Footwear industry In Europe, the footwear industry has declined in the last years. Whereas in 2005, there were about 27,000 firms, in 2008 there were only 24,000. As well as the number of firms, the direct employment has decreased. The only factors that remained almost steady was the value added at factor cost and production value. In the U.S., the annual footwear industry revenue was $48 billion in 2012. In 2015, there were about 29,000 shoe stores in the U.S. and the shoe industry employed about 189,000 people. Due to rising imports, these numbers are also declining. The only way of staying afloat in the shoe market is to establish a presence in niche markets. Safety of footwear products To ensure high quality and safety of footwear, manufacturers have to make sure all products comply to existing and relevant standards. By producing footwear in accordance with national and international regulations, potential risks can be minimized and the interest of both textile manufacturers and consumers can be protected. The following standards/regulations apply to footwear products: CPSIA GB Standards such as GB20400－2006 Leather and fur-limit of harmful matter QB/T1002-2005 Leather shoes GB/T 15107 Athletic footwear EN Standards for Footwear ASTM Standards ISO standards AAFA Restricted Substance List BIS (ISI) : IS 15298-I: 2011 test methods, IS 15298 –II for safety footwear, IS 15298-III Protective footwear, IS 15298-IV Occupational Footwear Impressions Footwear can create two types of impressions: two-dimensional and three-dimensional impressions. When footwear places material onto a solid surface, it creates a two-dimensional impression. These types of impressions can be made with a variety of substances, like dirt and sand. When footwear removes material from a soft surface, it creates a three-dimensional impression. These types of impressions can be made in a variety of soft substances, like snow and dirt. Two-dimensional impressions also differ from three-dimensional