Trainers that smell better as you use them

The choking stench of sweaty trainers could be a thing of the past after scientists in Germany discovered a way to infuse leather with a limitless number of long-lasting fragrances.

The development by chemists at Bayer AG could even see fetid footwear smelling instead of zesty lemons or wild flowers.

The ground-breaking process has limitless applications and may herald the most unlikely experiences for all lovers of leather - Hells Angels, for instance, could enjoy the scent of roses each time they pull on their beloved jackets.

Dr Martin Kleban from Bayer AG explained in the trade journal World Leather that the process involves applying tiny perfume-filled polyurethane microcapsules to the leather. He said: "The advantage over direct perfuming is that the fragrance is only released when the leather is subjected to mechanical strain.

"If a treated leather article is subjected to pressure or moved - for example, if somebody sits down on a treated armchair or walks in treated shoes - some of the microcapsules in the leather rupture and release their fragrance."

The process was originated in response to customers requesting a "typical leather smell" in their products. With modern processes, goods have little inherent odour.