A History of Shoes

The surprisingly complex world of shoes has dramatically evolved throughout time; like most fashion items, shoes have gone from being no more than a practicality to a statement of fashion, confidence, and wealth. Whilst the first shoes, dating back to the early B.C. years, were built purely as a form of protection from rough, uneven ground, today shoes are deemed as one of the most iconic phenomenons in the fashion industry; if Kate Moss was wearing them yesterday, most women will want to be wearing them tomorrow. The fashion-rules by which so many of us religiously abide are in truth sometimes a little strange – Why will some women endure pain as they cram their feet into an ill fitting shoe? The answer of course lies in the fashion industry’s unequivocal influence on society and culture – from every woman’s lust for a designer stiletto, to every girl’s dream of owning Cinderella’s glass slipper, society has dictated that we simply must have an insatiable desire for shoes. Equally remarkable is that most of us today are willing to fall into this, yet popular passion and shell out phenomenal sums of money to satisfy our yearning.




The First Shoes

The source of this age old obsession with shoes is rooted in the extensive history of the shoe and boot making industry. Technology and industry have bloomed over the centuries and the world of shoe and boot design has evolved alongside it – bringing us to the modern day obsession we all indulge in. The first shoe designs on record are allegedly those of the ancient Egyptians, dating back to 1200 B.C. These early shoes were simple in design- formed from neatly plaited grass or straw. In later years, two further designs evolved – one made available to the peasants, and the other to the hierarchy. Both of these shoes would be recognised today as sandals, and were made with papyrus soles and leather straps. Similar styles were fashioned by the Romans and Greeks; the iconic gladiator shoes for example, or the winged sandals worn by Greek gods, such as Hermes. Whilst these shoes were solely for practical purposes, collections today demonstrate that particularly in Egypt, there was already a minor concern for style and flamboyancy – some sandal designs were decorated with bright colours, or complex leather straps.

Outside of Europe, in South America, an alternative shoe was being worn: moccasins were shoes made of a soft deer skin, and were worn for hunting and trekking leafy terrain. Using the hide from a deer, shoemakers would punch holes in the tan material and weave vines through them, binding the shoe together. Moccasins differ slightly in style, but typically resemble an ankle boot and were always a tan colour. Although these shoes were indigenous to the Native American tribes, the style was also worn by Eskimos as form of protection from the cold.  

Tutankhamen’s sandals


Europe & Asia

Medieval Europe introduced many new trends to the shoe making industry; style and extravagance became a much more central to the focal point of shoe making. During the medieval period there was no way of distinguishing between the left and right shoes – the soles were entirely straight, a characteristic which lasted until as late as 1850 when more advanced technology was introduced. Before this time, the majority of shoe makers continued to work with the same tools that had previously been mastered by the ancient Egyptian. Whilst some new tools were introduced such as pincers, lapstones (stones used for beating the leather) and hammers, the most primitive tools were still invaluable to the shoe craftsmen – for example chisel knives and scrapers. Furthermore, during the medieval ages there was no such thing as a shoe size, it wasn’t until the invention of the heel towards the end of 1400’s that there was any way of distinguishing between the left and right shoe. Before this happened, all shoes were assembled according to a standard template, however, if necessary shoe-makers would layer leather pads as a means of adding width to the sole but other than that all shoes were identical. The most extraordinary shoe style during the medieval period was the peaked shoe or ‘Crackow’ which was designed with an extremely long, pointed toe. Unfortunately, practicality meant that this iconic feature had to be culled: too many accidents were taking place as a consequence of untameable shoe points. Towards the late fifteenth century, a new trend took hold of Europe – the toes of women’s shoes were beginning to be rounder, whilst men were given a slight heel.

In some countries, shoes were worn as a privilege by only the noblemen or aristocracy, for instance in sixteenth-century Babouche in East India, where the upper class citizens fashioned an unusual sandal featuring an open heel and ankle strap.

Similarly, in Japan social status was distinguished by the style of shoe you wore; depending on your profession or social class, you would be expected to wear a certain shoe type. Perhaps the most commonly recognised of these shoes were those worn by Geisha girls – the infamous Geta shoe. These shoes were built on simple vertical platforms, elevating the girls to what was deemed a more suitable, attractive height. Being a slave to fashion is by no means a modern vocation: the use of shoes as a means of embellishing a woman’s appearance is a time-old tactic- nineteenth-century China went so far as to binding girls feet from their early childhood as a means of decreasing their shoe size, the arch of the foot would be broken leaving a two-inch canyon effect in the middle of the woman’s foot. Not only was this considered an attractive quality by the opposite sex, but also prompted women to celebrate their tiny feet by accessorising them with beautiful, silk-bowed slippers.


Geta shoes worn by Geishas


New Technology

The door to shoe fashion wasn’t flung fully open until the eighteenth century, when technological advances kicked in at their best. New machines meant that shoes and boots could not only be produced at a higher quality, but at a much greater speed. The first of these machines was designed in 1845 and was called the Rolling Machine. Effectively, this machine was a modern replacement of the lapstone tool – it beat down the leather until it was soft by pressing it between two rollers. As well as saving the shoemaker the arduous task of beating leather with a hammer, the rolling machine delivered much sturdier, high quality soles. The most innovative machine in the shoemaking industry debuted in 1851 and was known as the Howe sewing machine. In 1852 a Lynn shoemaker altered the Howe sewing machine so that it could be used to sew uppers of shoes – this ground-breaking adaptation soon became essential to all shoe makers and marked the way for further shoemaking machinery. The second most important sewing machine established in the shoe- and boot-making world was the McKay machine. Originally designed by Lyman R. Blake, the rights were taken over and manufactured by Gordon McKay who went on to manufacture hundreds of ‘McKay’ shoes- the fast production of these shoes was particularly beneficial during the American Civil War: the country was experiencing a high demand for footwear, particularly from the armed forces. Throughout the 1800s numerous other machines were introduced, such as the Goodyear Welt machine of 1862, the ‘Edge and Hell trimming’ machines which were introduced around 1877 and the lasting machine in 1883. Nonetheless, despite the many benefits this new technology brought to the industry, cobblers soon found themselves at a loose end, and before long were forced to put down their tools and take up work as manufacturers or businessmen – as a result, the trade has sadly begun to die out. Despite the endless possibilities modern machinery promised to designers, shoes were limited to the rigid restrictions of society; Victorian England did not permit women to exhibit their ankles in public, therefore women were required to wear leather ankle boots with lace-up fronts. These tightly laced boots were later replaced by ‘Balmorals’- a boot design worn by Queen Victoria in her castle at Balmoral, which consequently became extremely popular among the public. Despite this tedious approach to shoe design, there was some relief from these dull uniform shoes – for those who enjoyed the opera, shoes decorated with flowers and birds were made available, and became appropriately known as ‘Opera Shoes’. 


A Howe sewing machine made in 1875


Fashion

Following the industrial boom of the nineteenth century, shoe- and boot-making in the 1900s took on a very different incentive. Whilst previously fashion had been an afterthought to a predominantly practical industry, before long practicality was becoming a lost thought altogether. Instead, fashion statements and outrageous designs were taking hold of society, and as the age of the fashion model began to take hold of the world, the desire for new, innovative designs began to consume manufacturers and designer labels. In 1917 a revolutionary shoe was designed for specifically athletic purposes; frequently adorning the basketball court, the iconic Converse All-Star shoe was built with rubber soles, and canvas uppers. Today however, these shoes are more likely to be found in the company of a pair of skinny jeans and a chekered shirt – this type of trainer shoe has increasingly become a fashion accessory, popularly worn by the Indie generation.

For women, the 1900s was a fantastic time to shoe shop. Following the Great War of 1914-1918, the world was ready to let its hair down. Particularly in England and America, the Charleston exploded into society, and as result shoes designs were forced to accommodate such a rigorous dance. Shoes began to be built with T-bar straps, Cuban heels, and securely fastened button holes. Brightly coloured, exotic fabrics such as silk and satin began to be incorporated into fashion designs, and particularly with the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922, the fashion industry began to incorporate Egyptian qualities into designs – not least in the shoe market. The late 1920s gave birth to the Art Deco phenomenon, which encouraged tamer colours and more geometric designs – which complemented the elegant styles of Coco Chanel and Madeleine Vionnet, who later became unparalleled in the world of shoe and boot designs. The Great Depression of 1929 hit industry hard, yet designers were not disheartened; the 1930s saw designers let loose with their imaginations, and platforms (usually made of cork or rubber on account of a leather shortage), strappy heels and luminous colours were thrust into the public eye, and deemed lust-worthy.

Early 1900’s shoes - worn by man in high society.


The Shoes of Today

The 1900s unquestionably demonstrated the most radical changes in the shoemaking industry; the Second World War stripped designers of their artistic licence, and brought consumers back to the bare essentials. Nonetheless, from 1945 post-war morale won over the fashion gurus once more and brought revolutionary designs back to the high street. By the 1960s the more ‘radical’ the design the better; rainbow coloured boots and citrus green platforms were patrolling the streets in their millions, marking a profound change in the world of the shoe industry – as well as promoting world peace.  This outlandish craze continued, and indeed augmented throughout the seventies until finally society took hold of the shoe market, with the rise of the career woman in the 1980’s came a demand for a more suitable working woman’s shoe. Predominantly in the Oxidant, the arrival of equal opportunities meant that designers had to cater for those adorning the ‘power woman’ image – low-heeled shoes and bland colours were in popular demand. Some however, opposed this image; celebrities such as Madonna celebrated the world of neon spandex and luminous blue trainers, and so encouraged the fashion world to continue startling the public with an enthusiastic use of colour: previously tan coloured Moccasins were suddenly marched onto the high street in bright reds and blues.


Shoppers today still embrace what is now a worldwide love affair with the shoe commerce. The concept that we ‘simply have to have them’ is certainly a recent ideology, fuelled by the imaginative designs of the women’s footwear industry. The lust for shoes continues to ensure that shoe and boot production is still as popular as ever.