PUBLICATIONS
The leading research of FFF has been internationally recognized in scientific journals and reports, fashion and design magazine as well as in exhibitions
2024
De Morgen
2023
Willems, C., D’Aout. K., Schoenmaekers, R., Pinheiro, M., Allen, A.
2023
Willems, C., Verclyte, S.
2021
DAMN Magazine
2020
Daniel E. Lieberman, Mickey Mahaffey, Silvino Cubesare Quimare, Nicholas B. Holowka, Ian J. Wallace, and Aaron L. Baggish
2020
Willems, C. Savage, R., Curtis. R. and D’Aout. K.
2018
Roelandt, E., Willems, C
2018
Willems, C.
2016
Willems, C. Stassijns, G., Cornelis, W., and D’Aout, K.
2015
Willems, C.
2013
Willems, C.
Leidt de dunne zool van barefootschoenen echt tot betere voeten?
A piece in the Belgian newspaper De Morgen, based on an interview between, Michiel Martin, Catherine Willems and Kris D’Août, looks at the proven benefits of barefoot footwear, and the Future Footwear Foundation’s San-Dal project.
Walking with individualized 3D-printed minimal footwear increases foot strength and produces subtle changes in unroll pattern. Front. Ecol. Evol. 11:1270253. [The study found that walking in personalized 3D-printed minimal footwear increases foot strength and subtly alters foot roll patterns. The study suggests that custom minimal shoes can improve foot health and biomechanics.] ​This 5-month follow-up study, involving 66 subjects (38 intervention, 28 control; 34 females, 32 males), evaluated the biomechanics of walking while wearing bespoke, 3D-printed footwear. Overall, the results indicate that the bespoke, 3D-printed footwear did not significantly affect peak pressure distribution compared to barefoot walking. However, center-of-pressure patterns during gait were influenced, particularly in the intervention group, with analysis indicative of barefoot subjects' CoP moving faster in early and mid-stance than when shod. Additionally, the intervention led to a significant increase in toe strength. These findings contribute to our understanding of the biomechanical effects of customized 3D-printed footwear and highlight the potential benefits of such interventions in improving foot function and strength.
A design anthropology of collaborative making: Exploring shoemaking and embroidery practices
Design anthropology covers various design practices and research. Starting from a common skill from an ‘in-habitat’ position, we consider both perspectives and invite collaborative engagement between people and materiality. Based on collaborations with the San community in Namibia on shoemaking and with Syrian refugee women through embroidery, we explore the added value of this tactile engagement through making to bridge theory and practice.
​What can ancient knowledge and craftsmanship teach us about footwear that is sustainable for both feet and planet? The article explores the work of Catherine Willems and the Future Footwear Foundation, which integrates research on Indigenous skilled practices of shoe-making with innovative technologies. It highlights the biomechanical studies on the beneficial impact of indigenous footwear that is both minimal and barefoot, and how these can inform more sustainable designs that support both feet and planet and integrate 3D printing technologies.
Running in Tarahumara (Rarámuri) Culture : Persistence Hunting, Footracing, Dancing, Work, and the Fallacy of the Athletic Savage. Current Anthropology, Vol 61, No 3
​In this article, Lieberman et al. evaluate and demystify claims about why the Tarahumara excel at endurance running and aim to document their running traditions before they are lost. The authors avoid stereotyping and demonstrate how critical reflection on cultural roots, biological contexts, and the physical environment (for walking, running, and other endurance practices) can help safeguard cultural heritage. In her comment, Willems reflects on both the San and the Tarahumara running traditions, advocating for more attention to ensuring benefits and robust livelihoods for artisans and local communities, especially in the context of globalization and the threat of exploitation.
Feet and how to shoe them. In: Willems, C. and Roelandt, E. (Eds.), Do you want your feet back? Barefoot cobblers (pp. 26-56).
Biomechanical implications of walking with Indigenous footwear, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 162(4), 782-793.
Nuvttohat, perfect for feet. Shoe design as cultural heritage, Volkskunde, p. 371- 382.
100% bag tanned: action research generating new insights on design processes. Critical Arts: South-North Cultural and Media Studies, 27(5), Special Issue: Revisiting the ethnographic turn in contemporary art, 474-489.