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Water - The Stubborn Element!

Kastel started it’s journey as a defender of dry socks! Our mission was to make shoes that kept your feet dry and looking good, in any situation. But as it turns out, water is stubborn and takes many forms. I mean, we are literally made of 60% water.

Why not membrane?

We started out making shoes with the traditional membrane construction but quickly learned a few things about that technology. Membranes are very thin, in order to breathe. That makes them extremely fragile and prone to punctures. Not a sustainable solution. Then we realized that in order to keep the membrane waterproof, it is also necessary to treat the upper textile with water repelling chemicals where the more toxic, the more effective. We started looking into better ways to keep our shoes waterproof longer and looked into using natural beeswax instead of chemicals. We found some natural alternatives that you can find in our webshop.

Why raincoat PU material?

In the end we found inspiration from the rugged raincoats old fishermen used to wear. They don’t necessary breath well, but they definitely stop the water and last a long time! We researched this material and decided we would start embracing this material that lasts longer and does not need any toxic chemicals to keep working. To combat breathability we looked to nature for a better alternative. Wool is an amazing moisture absorbing fabric, and we found, as our fisherman ancestors already knew, that we can combat the moisture inside our shoes with a layer of wool (some thick, some thin).

What is waterproof?

Waterproof is a combination of material and construction. Although our PU-material is 100% waterproof, it is constructed in different ways depending on the shoe style and requirements so in some cases we say the shoe is only water resistant and not waterproof. When we say water resistant, we mean the shoes will keep you dry in almost all cases except submerging your foot completely in water. So they will keep you dry in more or less any rainy weather as long as you avoid water puddles.

What about the cold?

For our winter boots, we have added a thicker lining of real wool as it is in our opinion the absolute best material to regulate both moisture and temperature. Also for some of our winter boots, we may opt for a water resistant finish and not waterproof as snow is less wet and this gives us more design freedom.

About the author

Emilie Østby WettestadHead of Content

My name is Emilie, and I am the Head of content at Kastel! I create content for social media and plan content in collaboration with ambassadors, UGC, and influencer profiles.