The Timberland Company today accepted a Silver 2005 Industrial Design Excellence Award for its Timberland TravelGear collection. The award, sponsored by The Industrial Designers Society of America and BusinessWeek, is given to companies that display superior industrial design and creative solutions. Timberland was one of the 148 companies selected from a competitive 1,380 entries.

Timberland® TravelGear is a revolutionary, modular approach to footwear, featuring interchangeable components that enable consumers to customize their footwear to adapt to their clothes, their activity and the environment. This innovative system also collapses to half the size of traditional footwear, taking up less room when traveling.

Timberland® TravelGear is the first innovation to come out of the new Timberland Invention Factory, whose mission is to accelerate product advancement, process improvement and new business development.

“The Timberland Invention Factory seeks to identify real, unmet needs in the marketplace, and then develop innovative solutions to meet those needs,” says Doug Clark, vice president, Timberland Invention Factory. “In travel, consumers are constantly making a compromise: packing less footwear than they want or need, to save space in their bags. With the modular Timberland® TravelGear system, for the first time ever, consumers no longer need to compromise between functionality, aesthetics and space.”

The Timberland® TravelGear system allows travelers to customize their footwear, multiplying their footwear options while minimizing the amount of shoes to pack. Core elements of the collection include:

  • Shell – The outer shell is made with premium quality leathers that are collapsible to pack flat. These washable shells come in a variety of styles for business, touring and adventure travel.
  • Chassis – The chassis addresses the level of activity – either comfort or active – for the day. The comfort chassis is cushioned for comfort on hard surfaces while the active chassis is firm for support when walking on uneven surfaces and light trails.
  • Hydrosok – A waterproof sock is worn over regular socks to ensure feet are kept dry in wet weather. The hydrosok can also be worn with any other Timberland® or non-Timberland shoes.

Consumers simply mix and match the components that make most sense for their travel needs.

The IDEA awards aim to generate awareness of the importance of superior industrial design and creative solutions. The intense judging was based on a strict criteria including if the design was new and unique, if the design solution benefits consumers, if the project is ecologically responsible and how the design improves business. Overall, the companies' products needed to reflect IDSA's goal of advancing the quality and positive impact of design.

“We are truly honored to be acknowledged with this distinction,” says Jeffrey Swartz, CEO and President of Timberland. “The Timberland® brand was built on a foundation of innovation and we continue our commitment to seeking new and innovative ways to meet consumer needs.”