.
IMAGES Business of Fashion
SHOE FAR SHOE GOODDesign..tradition..design seems to be the new chant.
Ranjan Kaplish strolls the world wide web to retrace the origins of footwear as also the India footprints since time immemorial.Science believes that our ancestors, the first modern humans, walked out of Africa between 100,000 to 200,000 years ago and as they moved north into colder, more inclement climates of Europe and Asia, a need arose to cover and to protect the feet from the environment. The first pair of shoes was made during the Ice Age, although insulating foot coverings may have been in use as early as 500,000 yers ago in the northern climates by other early hominids, such as Neanderthals and Homo Erectus. The idea of protective footwear or shoes came until approximately 26,000 to 40,000 years ago. The use of shoes does show in the skeletons from the time period. Prior to shoes, humans had large, strong, flexible toes used for gripping and balance. When hard-soled, protective footwear began those regularly shod people lost the muscles and heavy bone structure in their feet, resulting in weaker and smaller toes.Primitive One of the oldest and still existing pair of shoes are about 9,000 years old and were found in California however, the largest discovery of primitive shoes was uncovered in Missouri and show evidence of being distinct right and left foot shoe –an innovation later lost to Western civilization. The prehistoric shoes were highly perishable because they were made of plant and animal skins. Little evidence exists of their design. The shoes that scientists have been able to study consist of an oval piece of leather with the edges turned up and bound with strong leather thongs. Soles were made of cowhide and the shoes were filled with grass to keep the feet warm. Lengths of fur were attached sometimes to the leather soles. Ancient Sandals are believed to be the first rigid shoes. A stiff wooden sole was attached to the foot by cords, straps, or braided things. Sandals are still generally the most worn type of footwear in warm climates.The 17th and 18th Centuries / Baroque EraFashion reversed. High heels became fashionable for men and flat shoes with criss-crossed ribbons in imitation of classical sandals were a mainstay for women. Square toes were popular beginning in the century. The early 18th century women began wearing high heeled slippers again. Later, heel heights were only curbed by the French Revolution in 1789. The new socialist regime brought an equalisation with a lowering of heel heights. Early American shoesDifferent shoe for left and right foot. Until the 1830's, the average person wore straight last shoes – shoes that were not crafted separately for right and left feet. The complexities and cost of carving compound curves and then making a mirror image for the other foot limited ownership of such shoes to the very rich. In 1828 a foreman by the name of Blanchard at the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts developed a duplicating lathe for the manufacture of gun stocks. A Philadelphia shoemaker with a similar idea produced separately carved pair of shoes. By 1841 the US military was using left/right shoes. Victorian eraThe reign of Queen Victoria was the time of ridiculously proper manners. The social and moral values as well as fashion were influence by Queen Victoria. It was then that revealing legs was forbidden. So ankle boots came into fashion as a way to avoid accidentally revealing a glimpse of the forbidden. Shoe styles had names like the Empress. Footwear was often decorated with beads, pearls, or rhinestones despite the fact that they were meant to be concealed.The Sneaker Era/Advent of the modern eraIn 1891, James Naismith created the game of basketball to tame a crowd of unruly students at Springfield College during the harsh New England winters. With the birth of basketball came the birth of the Sneaker Era.The word sneaker traditionally defined a shoe consisting of a solirubber sole attached to an upper made, usually, of canvas. The life of the sneaker did not begin until American inventor Charles Goodyear patented the process for vulcanisation of rubber. The oldest sneakers used for basketball are thought to be the Converse All Stars. After World War I, the market for sneakers grew steadily. Manufacturers added traction to the soles of their sneakers and began marketing them for different sports. A major innovation of this time was the production of distinct models for boys and girls. The revived Olympic Games provided exposure and heightened interest in sneakers and sports in general, leading to increased sales. German manufactured sport shoes would dominate the market until the late 1960s with the founding of current market leader, Nike. Major brand Adidas was also founded at this time by brothers Adi Dassler and Rudolph Dassler. Rudolph after a feud with Adi, split and founded Puma, another sports major in the world. By the 80's, sneakers were everywhere. Nike and Reebok were the market leaders while older brands Adidas and Converse were nearly in ruins. A major footnote in the Sneaker Era is the signing of basketball player Michael Jordan to a contract with Nike to produce and endorse his own signature line of shoes. Today, the Nike Swoosh and the Jordan Jumpman are icons and require no introduction. *.*
Published: November 16, 2006
More in Arts & Humanities