footweaR
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The Footwear Research Network is a global interdisciplinary space for academics, educators, and professionals with an interest in footwear to share research, connect, and collaborate.
Our primary purpose is to support the development of footwear studies and facilitate the sharing of knowledge between academia and industry, aiming to address current social, cultural, and environmental challenges. We achieve this by providing a platform that features articles, events, and resources produced by researchers and educators worldwide.
8th Street Samba: here’s why the authentic collaboration behind the ‘perfect sneaker’ matters
As the fashion industry strives towards a more circular and sustainable future, Dr Alexandra Sherlock and Professor Andrew Groves explore the pros and cons of sneaker collaborations. Full article available at The Conversation UK.
The Art and Science of Repair: Towards a Responsible and Meaningful Relationship with Footwear
Sustainability in Fashion Masters Graduate Kirraly Antcliff discusses the importance of footwear repair and the responsibility of brands to care for their products beyond the point of sale.
Gen Z grew up in a world filled with ugly fashion – no wonder they love their Crocs
Footwear Research Network contributor Dr. Emily Brayshaw writes for The Conversation to explore why the infamous Croc continues to go from strength to strength.
Footwear Research Networking event: 2023#1
Alexandra Sherlock reports back on the first networking event held by the Footwear Research Network.
This is Not a Shoe
How can old shoes be used to effect a shift from a traditional ‘design-led’ to a circular ‘material-driven’ approach to design? Research conducted at RMIT University used shoes to explore the transferable knowledge and capabilities that can be developed through material reuse and upcycling in design education.
Steve Jobs’ $220,000 Birkenstocks
Following the recent auction of Steve Jobs’ Birkenstock Sandals, Alex Sherlock explores the value of celebrity shoes in life and death.
Dormant Shoes: Why do we keep shoes we no longer wear?
Professor Sophie Woodward discusses the shoes we keep but no longer wear as part of her ‘dormant things’ research at the University of Manchester.
A Casual Obsession: Inside the British Sock Fetish Council
Professor Andrew Groves provides an overview of his ethnographic research on football casuals and their use of socks to construct inclusive and hybrid masculinities.
Introducing: Jo Cope
In the first of a regular feature introducing our esteemed Network contributors, we shine the spotlight on our newest addition, fashion artist and conceptual designer Jo Cope.
Concealed Shoes revealed
Senior Shoe Curator Rebecca Shawcross explores the significance and mysteries of the Northampton Museum’s concealed shoe collection.
Review: The Futures Archive ‘The Shoe’ (S1/E10)
For many, shoes are considered a luxury and their study… frivolous. The insights shared in The Futures Archive’s recent podcast ‘The Shoe’ highlight the often critical importance shoes play in processes of being and becoming.
Shoe and Tell
Dr. Naomi Braithwaite talks to Footwear Today about ‘Shoe and Tell’, a three-year study by Nottingham Trent University exploring the relationship between Generation Z and their choices in footwear.
More From the Footwear Research Network
Meet our internationally acclaimed network of contributors, working within the fields of sociology, anthropology, history, art, curation and fashion.
Keep up to date with footwear events and exhibitions worldwide.
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The Footwear Research Network is an outcome of the ESRC-funded research project If the Shoe Fits: Footwear Identity and Transition at the University of Sheffield (2010-2013).
Learn more here
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Watch the ‘If the Shoe Fits’ documentary to learn more about the research project and the relationship between wearers and their shoes. Filmed and produced by Sheffield Vision.
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Learn more about the ‘If the Shoe Fits’ research team and board of advisors.
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Following the success of the original ITSF project, further funding was secured in 2015 for a follow-on project, ‘If the Shoe Fits: Enabling Patient-Centred Podiatry’.
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A number of papers and publications were produced directly from the ‘If the Shoe Fits’ research and in association with the project. Access the full list here.
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In the interest of expanding and advancing the field of footwear studies, the Footwear Research Network’s contributors have put their heads together to produce a list of recommended past and present academic texts upon which to build future contributions.
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We are compiling a database of footwear-related resources. Please contact us with your suggestions, including (but not limited to):
Publications (particularly journal articles and books)
Documentaries
Footwear courses
Footwear museums and archives
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The Footwear Research Network’s museums and archives directory lists publicly available archives and museums in alphabetical order by country. The resource builds upon a study of shoe museums conducted by Charlotte Stachel and Professor Lorenzo Cantoni at the Università della Svizzera Italiana (Lugano, Switzerland).
Click here to access the Directory.
Read the full article here.
Find out how to become a network member, contributor or partner.