HISTORY OF FOOTWEAR

From the practical to the bizarre, we showcase the superstars and outcasts of the shoe world.

1. Lapti - Russia- 3000 BCE

Bast shoes, or ‘lapti’ as they are known in Russia, have been worn since prehistoric times. Woven from tree bark, they are among the oldest style of shoe, and were worn by Russian peasants right up until the beginning of the 20th century. Today the word ‘lapti’ is used as a derogatory term for an uneducated person – one who can only afford bast shoes.

2. Paduka - India - 3000 BCE

These were a traditional type of slip-on footwear frequently used by both Hindu priests, Brahmins and Jains alike. They were made from a variety of materials: wood, ivory and even silver. An elaborately carved pair was an essential part of a bride's trousseau The more elaborately carved the greater their significance and implied wealth. Paduka is a word also used to describe the foot or footprint of a Hindu god or saint, and is thus linked to the epic mythology of the Ramayana.

3. Snowshoe - North America - 2000 BCE

The traditional webbed snowshoe was first developed by the indigenous people of North America. In ancient times the snowshoe was, in winter, what the canoe was in summer: a tool of primary necessity. Each tribe had their own design, the most primitive being those furthest north. Contrary to popular belief, the Inuit did not use snowshoes often, as most of their travels on foot were carried out in winter over sea ice or on the tundra. Further south, the shoe became longer and narrower, the longest nearly two metres (6.6 feet).

4. Roman Marching Sandals - Roman Empire- 1st. Century BCE

The Roman marching sandal was used all over the Roman Empire. It was carefully made and had iron hobnails inserted in the thick leather sole for reinforcement and longevity. While you might think this would be cold in winter, very few soldiers wore socks. The amount of circulating air around the foot helped prevent blisters and fungal disorders.

5. Crakows - Europe - 15th Century

Crakows or ‘piked shoes’ were popular among the upper classes (both male and female) in Medieval Europe. While entirely unpractical, they were a statement of wealth and position. Made from rich materials, the toes (poulaines) were so long that they sometimes had to be tied up with silk or whalebone to just below the knee. Henry IV issued decrees as to the lengths different classes of people were allowed. It appears that one reason for banning them was that they physically prevented the wearer from praying, but much like any attempt to limit fashion, this seems to have been largely ignored.

6. Chopine- 15th Century - Italy

Platform shoes were worn in Medieval times to protect the wearers from mud and excrement, but chopines soon developed into something more artistic and fashionable. Worn by both courtesans and wealthy men and women alike, they became taller and taller and constantly more ornate. The taller they were, the richer the wearer. The extant survivors are made largely of a wood or cork base decorated with brocades, leather or jewel-encrusted velvet. The Venetian chopines in particular are amazing examples of a fashion statement. That they remained in vogue for so long is testament to their popularity.

7. Okobo - Japan - 17th Century

The original geishas were men, entertaining customers who had come to see courtesans in ‘pleasure gardens’ of the shogunate. By 1800 geisha became a female occupation. Apprentice Geisha Maiko wear the flat-soled zori outdoors and wear tabi (white split-toed socks) indoors. In inclement weather geisha wear raised wooden clogs called geta. Maiko wear a special wooden clog known as okobo.

8. Trainers - USA - 19th Century

At the end of the 19th century, the US Rubber Company designed a pair of rubber-sole shoes with canvas tops called Keds, which were nicknamed ‘sneakers’ as wearers barely made a sound when they walked. As they became more popular, companies started spending fortunes to get sports heroes to endorse them; most famously when Nike contracted basketball star Michael Jordan for a line of sports shoes.

9. Dr Martens - Germany -1960

While Dr Kalus Märtens was serving in the German Army during World War II, he found his boots so uncomfortable that he designed a new pair. These were made of soft leather and had air-padded soles made from tyres. After the war, he made a business of his comfort-fit boots, with 80 per cent of sales in the first decade going to women over 40. When they went on sale in the UK in 1960, they were mostly worn by postmen, police officers and factory workers, but by the early-1980s they had become a fashion statement, worn by skinheads, punks and members of other youth subcultures.

In "All About", UK, n.23, excerpts pp.38-23. Adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.