Daily object - footwear ( Ayushmaan Singh Jodha 22BDC002)

DAILY OBJECT-FOOTWEAR

 

INTRODUCTION

Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serves the purpose of protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from ground textures and temperature. Footwear in the manner of shoes therefore primarily serves the purpose to ease locomotion and prevent injuries. Footwear can also be used for fashion and adornment as well as to indicate the status or rank of the person within a social structure. Socks and other hosiery are typically worn additionally between the feet and other footwear for further comfort and relief.

HISTORY

Stone Age shoes indicate that prehistoric people were much more advanced than many people think. The first shoes were created during this period and were probably sandals. The sandals were made of straw, and were used to protect the soles of the feet. Leather shoes, similar to moccasins, were more impressive.

The first-ever illustrated evidence of shoes can be found in wall paintings. These paintings, which are approx. 13,000 to 15,000 years old, show hunters with animal skins and furs wrapped around their feet.

A big finding when it comes to the history of shoes was the discovery of the glacier mummy “Ötzi”. It was a clear evidence that people were wearing footwear as early as 5,000 years ago. The shoes of the mummy were lined, laced-up and featured a separate, treaded sole. Different kinds of leather was used for the upper shoe and outer sole.

The simplest shoe form – the sandal – was invented by Egyptians as a protection against the heat of the sand. Examples of these were found in excavations dating back to approx. 3.000 B.C.

SHOES TYPES IN DIFFERENT REGIONS IN DIFFERENT TIMES

In Mesopotamia, circa 1600 to 1200 BC, mountain people living on the border of Iran wore a type of soft shoes made of wraparound leather that was similar to a moccasin.

Roman sandals are believed to be the first footwear specifically designed to fit the foot. Constructed with cork soles and leather straps or lacing, sandals were the same for men and women.

Pointy-tipped Poulianes (“shoes in the Polish fashion”) became popular in the middle ages and continued to come and go until the early 15th century.

16th century

Heels first came into fashion in the 16th century. Originating from Spain, the trend of ladies’ shoes featuring a platform attached to the soles spread to England, France and Italy. At the very beginning, they were used as a necessity in an attempt to keep women’s feet raised away from the dirty streets. The positive associations regarding fashion (i.e. elongated legs, a slimming effect and appearing taller) are ideals that have arisen more recently.

17th century

Although shoes did not feature a heel until this time, they became popular in shoes for both genders in 17th century. This was not just down to fashion reasons - they also had practical uses. The heel made the shoes more durable as it could be simply swapped or replaced when it became worn down.

18th century

The serial production of shoes became possible for the first time in 1830 as a result of industrialisation. The invention of the sewing machine enabled to large-scale development of the footwear industry. What was once merely a handcrafted tradition characterised by the individual manufacturing of products became an industry with a focus on serial production.

Accessibility- This, along with other technical advancements of the industrial revolution, made shoemaking cheaper and more cost-effective than ever before. Whilst shoes were once an extremely expensive luxury, meaning that many people were not able to afford shoes at all (instead wrapping their feet in linen, wearing wooden clogs or walking barefoot), by the 19th century, shoes had become accessible for large sections of the population.

19th century

Up until the middle of the 19th century, no distinction was made between the left or the right shoe. Only standard lasts existed. The shoe was not bought to fit the foot, but rather the shoe adapted to the feet through wear.  Production methods were refined during the course of the industrialisation during the 19th century. This was when measures used for length and width first emerged - the same ones that are in use today. Differentiating between various lasts and producing shoes in pairs became a standard process in manufacturing. This progress was achieved through the two-ball design of the sole and the cut of the vamp.

20th century

In the 1920s women's shoes were often decorated with beads. During the Second World War because leather was in short supply some people wore clogs rather than shoes. Then in the late 1950s stiletto heels became fashionable for women. In the 1950s some women wore slip on shoes called mules.

21st century

From there we have come so far to modern designs. And with their variations in features of uses and so on

Citations

https://www.vam.ac.uk/shoestimeline/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footwear

https://www.sioux-shop.co.uk/cms/shoe-know-how/the-history-of-footwear/

name- ayushmaan singh jodha

roll no-22BDC002

date-17th september 2022