That last question doesn't fit with the product. The shoes I used these laces on don't really provide much arch support, but I don't know what that has to do with these laces.<br />At any rate, these laces are stretchy, and allow a lot of 'give' so it can comfortably stretch where you need it to. I chose the Black/White color because most of my shoes are Black, like my clothes (80% of my closet has Black and 10% White clothes and 10% random colors), and I thought they would be a fun addition, for times I want to add a 'little something extra'. These laces are well made and I think they would work quite well with hiking boots and the like.<br />The photo on the left shows my Converse with the Black laces they came with and the other photo of course shows how they look with my new Lace Kings. I really like how they don't come loose and make me stop to re-tie them.<br />*I received a discount for these laces in exchange for my honest review.