Shoes are probably one of the oldest human items of clothing. Originally they were used primarily to protect the feet from cold, heat or dangerous surfaces. Based on comparative anatomical studies of Paleolithic foot and leg skeletons, the theory arose that people in parts of Europe began to use shoes around 30,000 years ago. A reconstruction of the shoes of the glacier mummy Ötzi (Copper Age) reveals a differentiated shoe construction: Ötzi wore a lined shoe as early as 5,000 years ago, which was fastened with laces and provided with a separate profiled sole.
In Egypt, thong sandals with shaft straps made of woven papyrus running diagonally across the back of the foot (an original version of flip-flops) were worn since 3000 BC. The ceremonial sandals of the pharaohs were already made of gold or silver alloys. The Egyptians had thus invented one of the simplest basic forms of shoe ever.
Ancient Greece
The Greek poet Aeschylus is said to have introduced shoes with extremely thick soles for actors. These boots, called "cothurns", were intended to make the actors appear taller, and since the Greek women of that time were small and delicate, they were happy to adopt this fashion.
Ancient Rome
The Romans also wore sandals, but developed them further for military reasons. They had right and left shoes, which meant more effort to produce but of course meant they were more comfortable to wear. This is worth mentioning because this "technical achievement" disappeared with the fall of the Roman Empire and was only taken up again by shoemakers at the end of the 19th century. They also sometimes laced their so-called boot sandals up to below the knee joint..
In the 13th century, dress codes were established, which were regularly revised and which maintained the privileges of the nobility.
14th century
In the 14th century, outward appearance became more and more important in society. Shoes were magnificently decorated. In Britain, the fashion of wearing shoes with points - so-called beak shoes - became popular. This, however, led to the odd accident, especially since the shoes were up to forty centimeters long.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the variety of shoes became ever greater. The shoes of the wealthy were made of soft leather, velvet and silk, many shoes now had a heel and more and more decorations adorned the shoes. In order to protect the expensive shoes from the dirt of the street, wooden shoe covers - so-called trippen - were designed. The coarse shoes of the poorer people were not bothered by the dirt.
In the 17th century, men and women began to separate their shoe fashions. The boot was used less and less as a functional shoe and instead developed into a glamorous footwear. In England, the boot was a bit like a leather beer mug. This type of boot was worn over normal shoes. Women at this time wore elaborately decorated shoes that restricted movement. In the 17th century, the heel, as it still is today, became fashionable for both women and men.
In the 18th century shoes complemented clothing and were made of a similar or the same material as the clothing and decorated with the same decoration. Towards the end of the 18th century, around the time of the French Revolution, fashion, and thus shoes, became more and more simple and natural, which was also due to the fact that the nobility lost its power.
At the end of the 19th century, the Romans' idea of making left and right shoes was finally rediscovered.
At the beginning of the 20th century, gluing was invented for shoe production, and in the middle of the century, vulcanizing and molding the soles onto the shaft was added. Further cost-cutting manufacturing processes led to further reductions in shoe prices, so that shoe fashion was renewed in ever shorter cycles, as consumers could easily afford new shoes. Women's shoe fashion in particular is strongly influenced by this, while for men's shoes, the classic shoe models have existed for around 100 years and only occasionally undergo slight changes in one direction or the other.
