For instantaneous comfort, rubber soles are better than their leather counterparts, according to shoes firm Geox.

Mario Moretti Polegato, chief executive of Geox, told the Financial Times that a synthetic sole is “lighter and more comfortable” than leather – adding that rubber-soled comfortshoes are easier to break in.

Leather is a more breathable material than rubber, but Geox tackles that by adding microscopic air holes to its soles.

Mr Polegato said that demand still exists for leather soles but that they are increasingly becoming something reserved for special occasions.

He continued: “The question is, with generations coming through that make no such associations with leather soles, whether even that way of thinking will last.”

The idea for Geoxs breathable rubber-soled comfortshoes was conceived by Mr Polegato when on a business trip to Reno, Nevada to promote his familys wine business.

He pierced the soles of his own shoes to help cool his feet down – thus creating the prototype for the Geox brand.

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