Born in 2014 under the umbrella of the company Cool Gray, Uniform Shoes has now seen its efforts recognised by one of the emblematic monuments in France. “These are very long and thorough processes, and that’s why we’re particularly proud of this partnership: the years of commercial work we’ve put in the French market have made us a leading player”, explains Pedro Alves. 

For the head of the brand, “being a manufacturer and not just a marketing concept allows us to offer a variety of products and the industrial flexibility to develop ‘tailor-made’ solutions that customers highly value. At the same time, by working directly with the industry, the customer has access to high-added-value product solutions at very competitive costs”.

Founded in 1999, Cool Gray soon specialised in supplying technical footwear to some of the world’s most prestigious operators in the airline, railway, and cruise ship industries. Agility, flexibility and in-depth knowledge of product development, production, and logistics have always been the hallmarks of a company that produces 1 000 pairs a day.

Recognising the enormous potential of a range of products created from scratch for use in professional contexts, namely flight attendants, hotels, cruise ships, and security companies, the Portuguese company used its accumulated know-how to launch the brand Uniform Shoes in 2014. “We wanted to bring together the best of both worlds: the safety and performance required in a professional product and excellent performance in terms of comfort and quality of use”, explains Pedro Alves. The aim was “to combine performance and comfort requirements clearly superior to those of everyday footwear, with some of the requirements of, for example, safety footwear, and all this with remarkable levels of product elegance”.

What at first glance looks like a “normal” shoe, like so many others on the market, is certainly “one of the most advanced product lines and one that has presented us with the greatest challenges from a technical point of view”, emphasises Pedro Alves. “From the absence of metal – a very important feature for the airport market –, to the guarantee of high levels of durability and safety for intensive use, without compromising on aesthetics and user comfort, everything is a challenge to balance materials, components and innovative technical solutions in an industrial context with great sustainability concerns (ISO 14001 certification), which also guides the technical solutions available to us”, says the head of the brand.

New markets in sight

The Middle East and Europe are the brand’s main markets. However, the countries in which its shoes arrive are increasingly diverse, including Madagascar, Cameroon, and Morocco. “Over the next few years, as well as consolidating our main markets, we will focus on growing the American market, where we are already present, but which still has enormous potential”.

“In addition to a significant number of transport and hotel companies, we’ve developed partnerships with uniform companies around the world to provide customers the "total look”, meaning that our partners develop the textiles (uniforms) and we take responsibility for the professional footwear. We’re big believers in these partnerships”.

For more information about the brand, please refer to its website.