Iruni Kalupahana JadeTimes Staff
I. Kalupahana is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Fashion
Protection and Adaptation
From mere protection against the environmental elements, footwear has been an essential part of human life for several millennia. Evidence of climate indicates that people started protecting their feet against cold weather about 50,000 years ago. By about 40 000 years ago, changes in the shape of the foot and in toe strength show evidence of people wearing footwear with substantial soles. The oldest known examples of real footwear are a pair of sandals found in California, which date from about 9,000 years ago. The mountain peoples from the Iran border introduced soft leather shoes of a form like moccasins during the Kassite period (c. 1600–1200 BCE) in Mesopotamia, these were laced with rawhide lacings. These early forms of shoes indicate the steps in the evolution of footwear from simple coverings for the feet to more advanced forms that reflect an increased adaptability to various environments and needs.
Greek and Roman Innovations
Footwear in ancient Greece also varied depending on whether the woman would bare her feet or use any type of sandals. Indoor footwear sometimes consisted of soft, closed shoes that became increasingly luxurious in the Hellenistic period, indeed in white and red. Until the 5th century BCE, the Etruscan people commonly used high, laced shoes with the toes pointed upwards.
The Romans further developed footwear technology by inventing shaped shoes fitted for the left and right feet, a considerable innovation at that time. Roman footwear was also differentiated by sex and rank, patricians wore more ornate sandals with four laces, whereas plebeians had less ornate ones with one lace. Soldiers wore nailed half boots, while actors sported slip on shoes made from rope fibers. Setting guilds of shoemakers in Rome and the division by status in society further describe the complication of the Roman society and its influence on the design of footwear.
Style and Regulation
Throughout the Middle Ages, the shoes were basically just simple moccasin type shoes made out of untanned leather. It was only during the early 14th century when English King Edward I decreed the standardization of shoe size, that measurement became standardized according to barleycorns. This system allowed for standardized sizing, such as a child's shoe that measured 13 barleycorns becoming size 13. The 14th and 15th century popularized shoes that were extremely long and pointed, called crakows. King Edward III did regulate the lengths of such crakows to keep lengths from getting out of hand. These shoes could reach as long as 18 inches during the reign of Richard II. Later pointed toes yielded to the round in the late 15th century, while during the 16th century, shoes were with broad toes shaped almost like a duck's bill. Shoes were with leather, velvet, silk, and other varieties of material. They were also often slashed to show a contrasting lining. The women's shoes of the period were similar but less noticeable than that of men's since they are obscured with voluminous gowns.
Innovation and Diversity
The 19th and 20th centuries saw great changes in designing and producing footwear. For one, the Industrial Revolution made the masses produce shoes, which paved the way to affordability and accessibility. In 1883, Jan Matzeliger patented his shoe making machine, which was able to produce 700 pairs a day, approximately ten times as many as a skilled shoemaker. In the early 20th century, diversification into various types of shoes followed, while experiments in heel shapes and materials continued. While beads decorated women's shoes in the 1920s, the stiletto heels and slip on mules were the fashion hit of the 1950s. During World War II, when leather shortage was acute, clogs were made of wood and other available materials. Modern footwear includes athletic shoes, dress shoes, boots, and orthopedic shoes, among others, that combine comfort with style. The global footwear market is a multi billion dollar industry, with huge production clusters in China, India, and Vietnam, while Italy is the primary producer within Europe.
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