Word: corfam
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Dates: during 1964-1964
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Shoes for Orphans. Copeland has even higher hopes for Corfam. The product of 30 years of research and $30 million, it is different from any previous synthetic-the first leather substitute that is truly waterproof, shape-retaining, scuff-resistant, porous and long-lasting. Since leather is a remarkably complex material much like human skin, creating the substitute has taken longer and cost more than Du Pont expected when it set out on its search. Corfam is a complicated combination of several synthetics with seemingly opposite properties: tight on the outside, loose on the inside and porous throughout...
...years amid warlike secrecy. In 1955 the fabrics and finishes department devised a mixture of tough polyurethane and resilient polyester fibers that most suitably duplicated leather's qualities. Du Pont's top-strategy Executive Committee gave the go-ahead for what was to be named Corfam...
...Pont showed as much savvy in testing and introducing Corfam as it did in developing it. First it piqued the curiosity of shoe manufacturers by sending them sample batches to make into test shoes. Du Pont inspectors went along and swept up the scraps to prevent them from falling into the hands of industrial spies. Then, to catch and correct such bugs as cracking and stiffness, the firm gave away thousands of shoes to people who would give them a hard-wearing test, notably orphans in institutions, mailmen and its own salesmen and executives-including Copeland, who still wears Corfam...
...company decided to create an aura of luxury around the new synthetic by initially making it scarce and as costly as top-quality leather; prices for most of the shoes now range from $20 up, but Corfam may also appear in less expensive shoes in the spring. The public's response, despite the high prices and limited styles so far, has surprised even Du Pont. Corfam shoes are being turned out by 45 major shoemakers, and stores are heavily reordering. Already 700,000 customers have bought the shoes; Du Pont hopes that Corfam in 20 years will...
Mass production began this month at a new plant in Old Hickory, Tenn., and Du Pont is also building a factory in Belgium to produce Corfam for the European market. Barbed-wire fences and 24-hour guards at Old Hickory testify to Du Pont's unwillingness to share its hard-won secrets with a dozen competitors that are trying to crack the synthetic-leather market. Not even the shoemakers have been allowed inside the production area, and a sign at Old Hickory announces: "Our competitor is a nice fellow-smart too-so let him figure...