Like most women, shoes fascinate me. However, it is not just women who have this fetish, a term I use here loosely. Man, in the generic sense, didn’t start out wearing shoes. In fact, he barely wore anything except for a loosely fitted animal skin. Eventually, though, he decided to put something on his feet as a protective barrier from the elements while hunting through the forests for food.
The Areni-1 shoe, the oldest leather shoe discovered.
Early Footwear: A Protective Barrier
The first evidence of shoes was discovered in 1938 in the Fort Rock Caves in Oregon of all places. Based on radiocarbon dated research, these were 9,000-year-old sandals made of twisted twine from sagebrush bark. The oldest example of a leather shoe-over 5,500-years-old-was unearthed by archaeologists in a cave in Armenia. Dubbed Areni-1, this well-preserved moccasin-like shoe was made of a single piece of cow-hide leather shaped to fit the wearer's foot. Later thong sandals-the predecessor of today’s popular flip flaps-made their appearance in Ancient Egypt. Around the same period, advanced civilizations in Mexico, China, Japan, and Africa had their own versions of sandals as well using locally sourced materials to produce them.
Evolution Through the Ages
Sandals were the shoe of choice during Greek or Roman Antiquity. For the Greeks, slaves were forbidden from wearing sandals altogether as only free citizens had that privilege. Sandals worn in Roman times were a way to exhibit social status, much in the same way as owning a pair of Air Jordan 1 sneakers sparks reaction today. In fact, when worn by soldiers, the more laces and the thinner the sole of the sandal, the greater the importance of the individual.
Medieval pointed toe shoes.
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Middle Ages and Renaissance: Toe Shoes and Heels
During the Middle Ages, the shape of shoes started to morph. Crusaders who traveled to the East brought home new interpretations of footwear including pointed toe shoes. Eventually, heels made their appearance on the bottom of shoes. Strangely enough, men were the first to wear them, not women. During the Renaissance in Europe there were even policies in place determining how high your heel could be depending on your ranking in society. Commoners’ heels could not exceed one-half-inch whereas only princes could wear two-and-a-half-inch heels. The penultimate three-inch heel was reserved exclusively for kings.
The Democratization of Shoes
Thanks to the invention of the sewing machine during the Industrial Revolution shoes could finally be mass produced. The result was that footwear became available for everyone, not just the rich and noble. The earliest versions of sneakers shoes were called “Plimsoll.” These rather crude shoes were developed in the 1800s for the British Navy. They were made of canvas with rubber soles which allowed the sailors to maneuver slippery ship decks. These shoes caught on with the wealthy as well who wore them to play tennis, a popular new sport at the time.
Vintage Keds sneakers.
Sneakers as a Commodity Investment
Sneakers are big business. Delisia Matthews, associate professor in the Wilson College of Textiles, says underneath this booming industry lies an entire culture: sneakerheads. Through academic research, she’s become a leading expert on the topic. What we see trending now are shoes which are bolder, even chunkier, and brighter in color. Like many aspirational forms of fashion, an outrageous price tag carries some perceived assurance of stylishness for the purchaser.
The African Connection
The available evidence about past African culture suggests that most Africans did not wear shoes, and it has proved difficult to find archaeological evidence or a timeline of the beginning of the existence of shoes or footwear. Most figurines, paintings and statues show Africans barefoot and it is thought that interactions with Greeks, Arabs and Europeans may have prompted this shift from barefoot to sandaled feet. Later, through Europeans establishing trade routes during the 1400s, Africans began creating their own footwear modelled on Western examples. Today as then, shoes are a symbol of status and only the wealthy are able to afford them.
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From evidence gathered by anthropologists, traditionally materials used to make shoes were leather, rawhide, wood and metal. Leading ethnicities that are known for their traditional footwear include Buganda from Uganda and the equestrian Hausa of Niger and Nigeria whose thigh-length boots provided protection while riding camels or horses. In Ghana, Ashanti ceremonies abound with references to footwear as the king’s feet are never to touch the ground.
Veldskoen: A South African Success Story
About 1,500 years ago, the Khoi and San people first made shoes from a single piece of leather hide. This design was honed by Dutch settlers with the first reference to “veldschoen” dating back to 1676 and Reverend Johann Gottlieb Leipoldt opening the first commercial factory in Wuppertal in 1834. Veldskoen’s Heritage range is based on Leipoldt’s original design: The shoes employ a sturdy stitch-down construction with the leather upper being stitched directly onto an insole board, which is then glued to the rubber outsole. The upper is designed for durability, and the outsole can be replaced for about $20 a pair.
Veldskoen shoes, a modern take on traditional South African footwear.
In just eight years, Veldskoen has grown to become a household name in South Africa and a niche hit abroad. In 2021, the shoes shot to national attention when the South African Olympic and Paralympic teams wore Veldskoen to the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games. The shoes have poignant and deeply South African names. The yellow-soled Heritage Vilakazi is named after Vilakazi Street in Soweto, the only road in the world to spawn two Nobel Prize winners (Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu). Other names include blue-soled J-Bay (after the world-famous wave on the country’s east coast) and the hot pink Hadeda: “We thought it would be fun to name our loudest shoe after the country’s loudest bird,” Zondagh laughs.
Jan Ernst Matzeliger: The Lasting Machine Inventor
Jan Ernst Matzeliger, a famous African American inventor, was born on September 15, 1852, in Paramaribo, Suriname. His parents were a Dutch engineer and a Surinamese woman of African descent. He is best known for inventing the lasting machine, a device that revolutionized the shoemaking process. Before Matzeliger's invention, making shoes was a time-consuming and labor-intensive task. Matzeliger is best known for inventing the lasting machine, a device that automated the process of attaching the upper part of a shoe to the sole.
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Jan Ernst Matzeliger, inventor of the lasting machine.
The Rise of "Dad Shoes"
And where did this all come from, you might ask? Well, “Dad shoes,” of course! With a little on-line research, I discovered it refers to the basic, comfortable, as well as affordable shoes fathers traditionally wore back in the 90s. Matthew filled in with more detail about this nostalgic trend currently all the rage in fashion. “They were kind of boxy shoes that lacked style to make up for comfort.” Make fun of them if you will but the fact of the matter is those funny looking, chunky sneakers are everywhere today.
Unlike the original Dad shoes of the 90s which were affordable-value has always appealed to dads-today’s nostalgic throwback comes at a high price. Top sports shoe manufacturers and haute couture brands such as Louis Vuitton, Celine, and Balenciaga are happily releasing their version of top-of-the-range Dad shoes. Add to those celebrities such as Kanye West who is juicing the phenomenon with his Yeezy brand and you can see how the possibilities of choice are infinite.
Exploring the evolution of sneaker culture
Table: Key Figures and Innovations in Shoe History
| Figure/Innovation | Description | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Areni-1 Shoe | 5,500-year-old leather shoe from Armenia | Oldest known leather shoe |
| Jan Ernst Matzeliger | Inventor of the lasting machine | Revolutionized mass production of shoes |
| Veldskoen | Traditional South African leather shoe | Represents South African heritage and craftsmanship |
