The Footwear Research Network is registering to become a non-profit Social Enterprise
There's no shortage of innovation in footwear sustainability right now, new materials, new technologies, new policies and commitments. But progress means little if it doesn't connect with how people actually think, feel, and behave. Discover how the Footwear Research Network, the Social Lives of Shoes podcast, and This Is Not a Shoe are working to close that gap, and what's next for this growing community after sixteen years.
This is Not a Shoe: What Happened When We Brought Unwearable Shoes to Melbourne Fashion Festival
What happens when you invite people to take apart a beloved pair of shoes? At the Melbourne Fashion Festival 2026, academic Dr Alexandra Sherlock and contemporary jeweller Pennie Jagiello found out. The latest outcome of a four-year research-led creative collaboration, 'This is Not a Shoe' brought strangers together in Pennie's studio at the Abbotsford Convent. What unfolded was something far more profound than anyone expected. Read about the project's origins, what participants discovered, and where it's headed next.
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.