A shoe stiffener insert, defined as being an article formed in stiff sheet material and shaped to the interior contour of the whole, or the upper part only of the interior of the toe or heel of a shoe, comprises a fibrous substrate impregnated or coated with a resin composition comprising a thermoplastic styrene polymer and sufficient of a wetting agent to facilitate the wetting of the fibrous substrate with the polymer, the wetting agent being an aromatic compound containing as substituents in the aromatic nucleus a long chain alkyl radical and a hydroxy poly (alkoxy) radical. The styrene polymer may be a styrene homopolymer, which may have an average molecular weight of 35000 to 95000, or an interpolymer of styrene with one or more other polymerizable monomers, examples of which are given, containing at least 50% by weight of styrene units. The wetting agent, which may be present in a proportion of 1 to 10% by weight of the polymer, may be an aromatic compound containing as substituents in the aromatic nucleus an alkyl radical containing 8 to 12 carbon atoms and an hydroxy poly (ethenoxy) radical containing 6 to 20 ethenoxy groups, or a compound of formula R-Ar-O (CH2-CH2-O)n H where R is an alkyl group of 8 to 12 carbon atoms, n is 6 to 20, e.g. R is an octyl group and n is 9, and Ar is a benzene radical. The fibrous substrate may be a woven or unwoven fibrous fabric, a knitted or felted material e.g. a double nap flannel. The insert may be produced by applying a composition of the wetting agent with an aqueous latex of the polymer to a fibrous substrate to afford a pick-up of the composition such that the dried solids pick-up is 50 to 500% by weight of the untreated fibrous substrate. The latex may have a pH of 7 to 11. A rigid shoe upper, or shoe having an area thereof stiffened, may be produced methylethyl ketone, naphtha, heptane, by applying a solvent e.g. xylene, toluene, hexane, or mixture thereof, to the shoe stiffener insert to render it adhesively tacky and laminating the tacky material between a doubler and a liner known per se in shoe construction.ALSO:A shoe stiffener insert, defined as being an article formed in stiff sheet material and shaped to the interior contour of the whole, or the upper part only of the interior of the toe or heel of a shoe, comprises a fibrous substrate impregnated with a resin composition comprising a thermoplastic styrene polymer and sufficient of a wetting agent to facilitate the wetting of the fibrous substrate with the polymer, the wetting agent being an aromatic compound containing as substituents in the aromatic nucleus a long chain alkyl radical and a hydroxy poly (alkoxy) radical. The styrene polymer may be a styrene homopolymer, which may have an average molecular weight of 35000 to 95000, or an interpolymer of styrene with one or more other polymerizable monomers, examples of which are given, containing at least 50% by weight of styrene units. The wetting agent, which may be present in a proportion of 1 to 10% by weight of the polymer, may be an aromatic compound containing as substituents in the aromatic nucleus an alkyl radical containing 8 to 12 carbon atoms and an hydroxy poly (ethenoxy) radical containing 6 to 20 ethenoxy groups, or a compound of formula R - Ar - O (CH2 - CH2 - O)n H where R is an alkyl group of 8 to 12 carbon atoms, n is 6 to 20, e.g. R is an octyl group and n is 9, and Ar is a benzene radical. The fibrous substrate may be a woven or unwoven fibrous fabric, a knitted or felted material e.g. a double nap flannel. The insert may be produced by applying a composition of the wetting agent with an aqueous latex of the polymer to a fibrous substrate to afford a pick-up of the composition such that the dried solids pick-up is 50 to 500% by weight of the untreated fibrous substrate. The latex may have a pH of 7 to 11. A rigid shoe upper, or a shoe having an area thereof stiffened, may be produced by applying a solvent e.g. xylene, toluene, methylethyl ketone, naphtha, heptane, hexane, or mixture thereof, to the shoe stiffener insert to render it adhesively tacky and laminating the tacky material between a double and a liner known pre se in shoe construction.ALSO:A shoe stiffener insert, defined as being an article formed in stiff sheet material and shaped to the interior contour of the whole, or the upper part only of the interior of the toe or heel of a shoe, comprises a fibrous substrate coated with a resin composition comprising a thermoplastic styrene polymer and sufficient of a wetting agent to facilitate the wetting of the fibrous substrate with the polymer, the wetting agent being an aromatic compound containing as substituents in the aromatic nucleus a long chain alkyl radical and a hydroxy poly (alkoxy) radical. The styrene polymer may be a styrene homopolymer, which may have an average molecular weight of 35,000 to 95,000, or an interpolymer of styrene with one or more other polymerizable monomers, examples of which are given, containing at least 50% by weight of styrene units. The wetting agent, which may be present in a proportion of 1 to 10% by weight of the polymer, may be an aromatic compound containing as substituents in the aromatic nucleus an alkyl radical containing 8 to 12 carbon atoms and an hydroxy poly (ethenoxy) radical containing 6 to 20 ethenoxy groups, or a compound of formula R-Ar-O(CH2-CH2-O)nH where R is an alkyl group of 8 to 12 carbon atoms, n is 6 to 20, e.g. R is an octyl group and n is 9, and Ar is a benzene radical. The fibrous substrate may be a woven or unwoven fibrous fabric, a knitted or felted material e.g. a double nap flannel. The insert may be produced by applying a composition of the wetting agent with an aqueous latex of the polymer to a fibrous substrate to afford a pick-up of the composition such that the dried solids pick-up is 50 to 500% by weight of the untreated fibrous substrate. The latex may have a pH of 7 to 11. A rigid shoe upper, or a shoe having an area thereof stiffened, may be produced by applying a solvent e.g. xylene, toluene, methylethyl ketone, naphtha, heptane, hexane, or mixture thereof, to the shoe stiffener insert to render it adhesively tacky and laminating the tacky material between a doubler and a liner known per se in shoe construction.