The purpose of the thesis was to study the suitability of a wood composite material developed by Onbone Oy for the handmade heels produced by the footwear design students at HAMK University of Applied Sciences. The inspirational designing and making process was chosen as the context for the thesis, because it allows innovative solutions and experimental materials in footwear designing. The Onbone Oy was a partner in cooperation, not a client in this thesis.

The model of realistic evaluation was used as a theoretical framework of this thesis. Research material was gathered with several methods. Background information was collected about education in footwear design, inspirational designing and making process, structure of high heel shoe, heel materials and heel making. Further data about the wood composite qualities, user experiences and Onbone Oy were needed for this study. The information was acquired from written material, websites, lecture material, expert interviews and through observing the empirical process, which means working experiments with wood composite and heel making.

The result of the thesis was a heel made of wood composite and a summary of the results concerning the suitability of the wood composite for heel material. The result was categorized in four themes: production techniques, resources, wood composite qualities and inspirations. Based on the study it can be stated that the wood composite is a suitable new heel material for footwear design students to use in inspirational designing and making. The material allows more creative and innovative solutions to be made in heel designing. Other students in the degree programme in design can also take advantage of this material. One of the most important subjects for further research is the durability qualities of the wood composite heel.