footweaR
research
network
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.
Book review: Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks
As the Bata Shoe Museum’s exhibition Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting Edge Kicks comes to an end, Alex Sherlock reviews Senior Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack’s important exhibition publication. Whether you’ve seen the exhibition or not, this book is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in transforming the footwear industry for the better.
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.
Book review:
Alex Sherlock reviews Ellen Sampson’s book ‘Worn: Footwear, Attachment and the Affects of Wear’ for the academic journal Fashion Theory.
Putting shoes on show
A review of the exhibition process. Exhibiting research for the ESRC-funded If the Shoe Fits research project at ICOSS, University of Sheffield, 5th December 2011 – 3rd January 2012
'Boots are made for talking, about who we are'
Review of Virginia Postrel’s article for Bloomberg View.
Northampton Shoe Museum Sneaker Speaker Symposium
Little Black Dress Exhibition Review
'Walking in My Shoes'
Jenny Hockey reviews the Cuming Museum’s exhibition of historic and contemporary shoes to consider identity and the way what is worn on the feet speaks to the mobilities evoked, both literally and metaphorically.
Review: 'Shoes' the Musical
Alex Sherlock reviews ‘Shoes: The Musical’, a Sadler’s Wells production written by Richard Thomas and directed by Stephen Mear.
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.