Timeline of Shoes

By Steven Nacino
  • 1550 BCE

    1550 BC

    1550 BC
    These boat-shaped flat open shoes are made from woven reed and most likely the oldest surviving pair of shoes ever made.
  • 43

    ROMAN SANDALS

    ROMAN SANDALS
    The sandal is thought to be the first footwear specifically crafted to fit the foot. These two Roman examples were found in archaeological digs in London. Roman sandals were usually unisex and made with cork soles and leather straps or laces.
  • 1100

    FOOT BINDING

    FOOT BINDING
    The Chinese practice of foot binding, introduced just before or during the Song dynasty, involved tightly wrapping the feet of young girls to prevent them from growing.

  • CLOGS

    CLOGS
    In the 18th century, most upper class women’s shoes were made out of delicate silks and were only intended for indoor use. This necessitated pattens, also known as clogs, to protect the shoes when going outdoors.

  • BUCKLE SHOES

    BUCKLE SHOES
    Ornamental buckles became unpopular in England after the French Revolution as examples of ostentation, but were fossilized in court wear. The buckles on this pair of shoes are more austere than earlier forms. This style persisted into the 1840s.

  • CONVERSE ALL STARS

    CONVERSE ALL STARS
    Converse first produced the All Star training shoe in 1917 specifically for playing basketball. The iconic basketball player Chuck Taylor wore them and became product ambassador in the 1920s. The design has changed very little over the last hundred years.

  • DOC MARTENS

    DOC MARTENS
    The famous AirWair soles of Dr (‘Doc’) Marten boots were first invented during the Second World War by a German doctor, Klaus Maertens. Comfortable air-cushioned soles combined with durable uppers made them the ideal domestic and working boot. Soon after they were first commercially produced in the 1960s they were widely appropriated by several youth subcultures, eventually becoming a highly desired fashion classic.

  • ADIDAS

    ADIDAS
    On August 18, 1949, Adi Dassler started over again at the age of 49, registered the 'Adi Dassler adidas Sports' and set to work with 47 employees in the small town of Herzogenaurach. In the same year, he registered a shoe that included the registration of the soon-to-become-famous adidas 3-Stripes.

  • LOAFERS

    LOAFERS
    First introduced by fashion house Gucci in 1953, the loafer was a very popular alternative to the Oxford Shoe or Chelsea boot in the 1960s. It was considered an extremely elegant shoe, suitable for wearing at formal occasions, and became a symbol of affluence and style for both men and women in the 1980s.

  • NEW BALANCE

    NEW BALANCE
    By 1960, New Balance arch supports had become very popular among budding athletes, some of whom even approached the brand asking for tailored sneakers.

  • VANS OFF THE WALL

    VANS OFF THE WALL
    Brothers Paul Van Doren and Jim Van Doren along with partners Gordon Lee and Serge Delia open for business at 704 E. Broadway in Anaheim, Calif. on March 16. The Van Doren Rubber Company is unique in that it manufactures shoes on premises and sells them directly to the public.

  • NIKE

    NIKE
    n 1971, Nike got its first shoe nicknamed the Moon Shoe which was made in a waffle iron. The grid-like pattern of the waffle iron was replicated on the sole of the shoe. It was 1971. An ex-college runner, Phil Knight, and his coach, Bill Bowerman, started a small company known as Blue Ribbon Sports

  • UGG BOOTS

    UGG BOOTS
    Sheepskin boots became a popular fashion statement with celebrities and on the high street from the 2000s onwards. They were originally worn in the 1970s by surfers in Australia to keep their feet warm after being in the water. In 1978, Brian Smith imported the boots to California under the label UGG Australia. Due to the brand's popularity and the look of the boots, many different synthetic and cheaper examples have appeared on the market.

  • AIR JORDANS

    AIR JORDANS
    Modern sneaker culture had its roots in the air; that is, the original Air Jordan that released in 1985. Nike, and subsequently the Jordan Brand, has honored this iconic silhouette numerous times since with releases of the Retro 1.

  • OFF WHITE

    OFF WHITE
    The company was first founded as "PYREX VISION" by Virgil Abloh in the Italian city of Milan in 2012. Abloh then rebranded the company as Off-White in 2013, which he described as "the grey area between black and white as the color off-white" to the fashion world.