If the shoe fits:
Footwear Identity & Transition
The Project
The first of its kind, the ‘If the Shoe Fits’ (ITSF) research project (2010-2013) sought to bring a sociological perspective to emerging studies of footwear that extended beyond a previously historical and feminine focus.
Twelve focus groups were conducted with a range of participants in the North of England, spanning age, ethnicity, health and gender-based distinctions. Participants included parents buying shoes for children, bereaved people in possession of footwear belonging to a dead relative or friend, people who wear specialist footwear for sport, and male and female self-avowed ‘shoe lovers’. From these focus groups, fifteen participants were recruited for a year-long case study of their ‘shoe lives’. A mixed-methods approach included three interviews, a shoe inventory, a three-week daily shoe log, a scrapbook and a filmed activity recording the shoes in motion.
Analysis of these data produced valuable insights to the roles shoes play in relation to identity, identification, transition and transformation in everyday contexts and across the life course.
Introduction to the ‘If the Shoe Fits’ research project, filmed and produced by Sheffield Vision.
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If the shoe fits documentary
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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The research team
Learn more about the ‘If the Shoe Fits’ research team and board of advisors.
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ITSF: Enabling patient centred podiatry
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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Research Outputs
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.
