Merrill Shoe Designer Profile

The Merrill Shoes Company began with the mission of
developing a superior hiking boot in 1981. Since that
time, they have evolved their footwear collection to
handle a wide variety of terrains from the urban jungle
of Chicago to the trails of the Shenandoah National Park.
Their main objective always is to promote an active
lifestyle for men, women and children to enjoy with
footwear that is up to the challenge. As a matter of fact,
starting with their headquarters in the rugged terrain of
Utah, this served as the perfect proving grounds for
their hiking boots. Merrill invested heavily in
innovative technology that could handle this rugged
landscape which still appears in their varied collection
of moccasins, sports shoes, sandals, slides and boots
today. As people became more fitness and environmentally
conscious throughout decades since the 1980s, Merrill has
evolved to meet their needs. So, whether the activity is
rock climbing, hiking, running, or sight seeing, Merrill
specifically designed their sports shoes to meet the
unique demands of that particular sport. The impressive
part is that they never sacrificed comfort or style along
the way.

Distinctive Features of Merrill Shoes

By pioneering research in footwear, the Merrill shoe company
has shown a commitment to research. The resulting
benefits to its clients is superior comfort, stability,
fit and control. These exclusive features can only be
found on their footwear lines. Many of these features
were crafted to accomodate the varied demands of
the wearer whether it be catering to the unique needs
of the female foot, or if you're a trail hiker or even
just looking for a super comfortable and supportive
walking shoe. They have built in specific features
based on the particular way you would use that shoe.
For instance, Merrill
developed a patented Q-Form
cushioning feature which takes into account the anatomy
of the female foot. Such physical properties as a
women’s foot usually being narrower than a typical man's
at the ball, heel and Achilles tendon. Women also have
proportionally longer toes than a man does and also a
higher instep and arch. Q-Form was designed to provide
a properly sequenced cushioning and was named after the
Q-Angle which is the angle located between the hip and
the knee which is more pronounced for a woman. Such
attention to detail produces a shoe which delivers far
superior support, improved performance, more optimal
alignment, and reduces wear and tear.

Well Earned Industry Honors

In an industry where some designers have been in
business for over one hundred years, like Birkenstock,
the Merrill shoe company has managed to earn the
accomplishment of being named "Footwear Brand of the
Year" in a relatively short time span of 26 years. The
industry's leading magazine awarded them this prestigious
label in 2007. However, Merrill is no stranger to being
recognized as a footwear leader before this. As another
example, in 1988 Backpacker Magazine identified their
leather boot the Best Hiking Boot. In 1999, once again,
Footwear News Magazine named Merrell the 1999 Athletic
& Outdoor Brand of the Year. So, with accolades
like these, its easy to understand why Merrill has
flourished into a global force in the designer shoe
market.