Though Tecnica had been producing mountain boots and work boots since 1960, it wasn’t until 1970 that their world-famous Moon Boot was conceived, a year after the Apollo 11 moon landing, business man Giancarlo Zanatta of Montebelluna, Italy became intrigued by the funky boots worn by astronauts during the mission.
They became a notable fashion trend throughout the 1980s. The boot is constructed with a thin rubber outsole and cellular rubber midsole covered by colorful Nylon fabrics and using polyurethane foams.
Tecnica registered worldwide the trademark Moon Boot® name in 1978.
As of 2010 Tecnica still offers the Moon Boot though there are many imitators. With the trademark’s registrations, the authentic Tecnica boot is the only one able to be marketed as a “Moon Boot®”.
Since 2011 they have been produced in Ukraine, at the rate of some 700,000 per year.
Since that time, Tecnica’s Moon Boots have become a global fashion icon. In 2000, they were chosen by the Louvre Museum as one of 20th Century’s major design symbols. And, as with most iconic designs, Moon Boots have been imitated and used as inspiration for hundreds of clone products, including everything from off-label versions to high-end designer products.
Due to this degree of popularity, the term “moon boot” is often used generically to describe an entire genre of apres-ski footwear, but in reality, “Moon Boot” is registered as a worldwide trademark, held by Tecnica Spa.
Since their launch more than 40 years ago, Moon Boots have been offered in a wide variety of colors, patterns and styles, including the original nylon version, and ranging from tartan to rainbow, and vinyl to fur-trimmed. But despite these various options, the actual design of the original Moon Boots has not changed since its inception in 1970.
To date, more than 25 million pairs of Moon Boots have been sold, and they’ve been seen on women and men of all ages, including queens, heads of state, movie stars and professional athletes. Listed below are some of the current variations of Tecnica’s Moon Boot.
from :
http://shoes.about.com/od/womens_fashion_boots/p/Moon-Boots.htm
