inbablog: THE HISTORY OF SHOES

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It’s hard to imagine what life was like when shoes weren’t discovered yet. Everything started because of a real and practical need to protect the feet from outside effects. This seemingly simple human need turned into a quickly growing industry in which design was just as important as functionality. Although the main qualities of footwear have remained unchanged, looking back at the long and interesting history of shoes, you can see that the colors, materials and designs did change. Before, shoes used to be made by craftsmen. But today, they are part of a factory industry earning huge amounts of money each year.

The history, changes and tendencies in footwear fashion can be divided into the main world history eras:
Prehistory (2,5 million BC – 1250 BC)

Antiquity (1250 BC – 476)

The Middle Ages (476 – 1453)

Early Modern Times (1453 – 1918)

Modern Times (1918 - these days).

WHEN DID THE FIRST SHOES APPEAR?

1991 is an important date in the history of footwear because this is the year when, at the border of Austria and Italy, archeologists found a naturally mummified human named Oetzi from the Stone Age who died about 3300 years before our era. This Alpine traveler was wearing shoes made from deerskin with a sole made from bearskin and stuffed with hay. This is how it’s thought that the Stone Age footwear production technique was like: the fewer stitches, the dryer and warmer the legs, therefore, they wrinkled the leather. The stitches were small and they were not very reliable given the tools people had at that time.

Oetzi from the Stone Age footweer

THE HISTORY OF FOOTWEAR DURING THE OLD TIMES AND ANTIQUITY (1250 BC – 476 BC)

Ancient Greek and Roman sandals

Sandals were dominating shoes in Europe for a while. They were made according to cleric, military, elite and peasant styles.

In Celtic lands there were comfortable, slip-on weaved shoes, often made from wood. They quickly became footwear for peasants and the poor

THE MIDDLE AGES (476 – 1453)

Middle Ages footwear and Vic Matie model

MODERN TIMES (1918 - THESE DAYS)

There was a huge breakthrough in footwear in the second part of the 20th century with the establishment and prosperity of American pop culture which was associated with the desire to be different, unique and to be part of a certain subculture. Cheaper raw materials, new structures and a different lifestyle changed the image of gentlemen and ladies. Fancy and high-quality footwear was changed by trendy, constantly changing colorful footwear. Hollywood actors and singers greatly influenced the formation and popularity of this new footwear. The band Beatles popularized Chelsea shoes, actress Audrey Hepburn popularized kitten heels, and schoolgirls wore Mary Jane shoes in the 5th decade.

With the increasing number of working women, high-heel trends began changing. Platforms popular in the 7th and 8th decades lost their popularity and were changed by low heeled shoes in the 9th decade.