DalPonte & Co. Ltd., of Veranópolis, Brazil has recently launched a range of footwear designed especially for older people. The product, a new target market for the company, is produced and sold under the Vedas brand which includes ladies' and men's styles.

The range took 18 months to develop in partnership with the Biomechanics Laboratory of the Technology Centre for the Leather, Footwear and Allied Trades (CTCCA), in Novo Hamburgo, Brazil; and doctors from the Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology (IGG) of the Pontificia Universidade Católica of Rio Grande do Sul. Using the same technology as is employed for producing high performance sports shoes, the range includes features such as insoles with a plantar pressure distribution optimisation system, a lining that allows perspiration to escape and soles that incorporate an impact absorption system.

Leonildo Dal Ponte, director of DalPonte, explained that the decision to invest in this market was taken because it has so far been neglected by the footwear industry as a whole. 

According to statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO), 6.5% of the Brazilian population is over 65 years old. This equates to 13.3 million people and this figure is expected to grow to 58.3 million by 2050.