ABSTRACT
The footwear industry defines the bottom unit of a shoe as its outsole. Athletic and other synthetic footwear outsoles almost always include some design or pattern for purposes such as aesthetics, function, and/or traction. Outsole design can be defined as "a specific pattern or arrangement of design elements on an outsole typically associated with a manufacturer and having a name and/or style number." The design–size relationship is the relationship between the outsole design and physical dimensions of that design as a shoe outsole progresses from smaller sizes to larger sizes. Additional design features discussed in prior chapters included variations in the stitching on the bottom of the outsole, irregularly applied foxing strips, fabric imbedded in the molded outsole, and the hand positioning of heel labels and toe guards. In the footwear industry, the term counterfeit is a legal term used when a shoe company's trademark and/or patent rights have been violated.
