( CNN ) -- Since 1995 the Italian shoe manufacturer Geox has worked hard to ensure consumers are spared the inconvenience and embarrassment of sweaty feet . Its patented `` breathable shoe '' technology -- a combination of a membrane insole that absorbs sweat and lets it out through an outer sole filled with holes -- has turned the company into a multi-million dollar shoe empire . The idea of a sole filled with holes came to the company 's founder , Mario Moretti Polegato , when he was on a business trip to Reno , Nevada , to promote his family 's wine products . After the meeting Polegato decided to go for a wander in the hot Nevada Desert , and necessity turned out to be the mother of invention . As his feat quickly began to overheat Polegato decided to make holes in the bottom of his shoes . `` With my pocket knife I cut holes in the right and left part of the soles and I realized the ventilation in my shoes , '' he said . When Polegato returned to Italy he started to develop a shoe with holes in the sole that let air in and perspiration out . The design was patented and in 1995 Geox was founded with five employees ; today it employs 30,000 people around the world . Scientific and technological innovation has been key to Geox 's success , and the company has patented numerous new materials in rubber , leather and fabric . Each prototype is designed in Italy but to shorten delivery times the company outsources much of its manufacturing to Asia . `` We invest a lot in quality control . In every factory where we produce there is an Italian technician , a shoemaker , that controls shoe by shoe , '' said Polegato . Despite being Italy 's number one shoe brand , the economic crisis has affected sales in Geox 's core market . The company 's distribution network is clogged up with last year 's stock and orders for next season are down . Read more : Unlocking China 's business potential . Polegato says the solution is to look further afield than Italy and its neighboring countries : `` Our strategy now is to invest more in some countries with economic growth , like the Asia Pacific area , Eastern Europe , India and Turkey , '' he said . Nearly seven years after Geox opened a megastore on Madison Avenue in New York City , the company is looking east to expand its empire . `` Our program now is to open 300 Geox stores in China , '' he added .
Italian shoemaker Geox specializes in creating `` breathable '' shoes and fabrics . The company employs nearly 1,200 people around the world and has 30,000 stores . Economic downturn means Geox is planning to invest in Eastern Europe .