Learning from the Social Lives of Shoes: A Cultural Approach to Sustainability
Dr Alexandra Sherlock revisits her doctoral research in this article for the 4th volume of the International Journal of Sustainable Fashion and Textiles, exploring how iconic shoes like the Clarks Desert Boot become "accidentally sustainable" through cultural significance. This industry summary reveals how brands can create lasting value through cultural engagement and storytelling, showing how material properties and cultural meaning work together to build relevant products that truly matter to people.
Reflection on the 10th Shoes and Clothing in History Conference 2024 in Zlín (Czech Republic)
At the 10th Shoes and Clothing in History Conference in Zlín, Charlotte Stachel presented research on "Swissness in a Heritage Fashion Brand—The Case of Bally." The conference, which was held in Bata's hometown and included tours of historic facilities and exhibits, allowed the author to reflect on how different European shoe brands have shaped and preserved their distinct cultural and industrial legacies.
Birkenstock’s New Book – the 250-Year History of a Global Brand
Dr. Emily Brayshaw discusses her contributions to Birkenstock's new book, 'Birkenstock: The Evolution of a Universal Purpose and Zeitgeist Brand', which celebrates 250 years of the iconic brand.
Veganism and footwear - new insights into a growing market.
As veganism continues to grow, Dr. Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne shares research findings exploring consumer challenges and strategic opportunities.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dressed Bodies Symposium
The ‘If the Shoe Fits’ project team hosted a one-day symposium at Sheffield University on 17th July 2013. The stellar line-up of speakers included Lucia Ruggerone, Naomi Braithwaite, Anna Catalini, Karen Harvey, Julia Twigg and Chrissy Buse, Karin Lovgren, Mary Madden, Emily Taylor, Emily Nicholls, Jacki Willson, Alison Carr and Pam Walker.
Dressed Bodies: A Symposium - registration now open
To mark the end of the three-year research project If the Shoe Fits: Footwear, Identity and Transition, funded by the ESRC, we are hosting an interdisciplinary symposium in conjunction with the Centre for Gender Research.
Worn Shoes: Identity, Memory and Footwear
As we enter the last 4 months of the If the Shoe Fits project the team are analysing and writing up the data that has been gathered over the last 3 years. At the end of February the first of our publications made it into the peer-reviewed journal Sociological Research Online.
Search the archive for more articles from the Footwear Research Network:
More From the Footwear Research Network…
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![A pair of tan leather Jacoform shoes owned by Footwear Research Network contributor Professor Andrew Groves photographed against a black background.]()
Contributors
Meet our internationally acclaimed network of contributors.
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![A photograph of a shoe gallery at Shoes of No Shoes (SONS), Kruisem, Belgium.]()
Museums & Archives
A list of publicly available museums and archives in alphabetical order by country.
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Reading List
A list of recommended past and present academic texts on footwear.
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![Photograph of shoes on display in 1980s style mock shop front at the Bata Shoe Museum's 'Dressed to Impress' exhibition in Toronto © 2023 Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada (Photo: Margaret Mulligan)]()
Events
Keep up to date with footwear events and exhibitions worldwide.
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![Collage or different shoes. Artwork by Maximillian Malone for the Footwear Research Network, 2021.]()
Get Involved
Find out how to become a network member, contributor or partner.
If the shoe fits:
FootweaR, Identity & Transition
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 about the project and research outputs here.
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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.