If we consider the history of shoes, as far as we know, wearing shoes was always linked with practicability. The Roman sandals served their purpose to be light in summer. The Middle Ages leather protection of the feet, as far as we can see them today, seem to be reliable and comfortable for work. Then, the clogs for the farmers were protective and warm. But these shoes look, today, quite without any personality or way to express an individuality. There were for men and women, just useful to accomplish everyday tasks with a maximum of comfort.
When shoes were made and sold to distinguish the person, they looked nice but somehow fragile and uncomfortable. So, the options were limited, either the shoes were boring but comfortable, or fragile and expensive, and forget all about comfort. Today’s everyday life is somehow similar of course to the past. We are still running errands, raising children, working and enjoying an evening at the pub. But our surroundings are so much different ! We need to walk fast, always in a hurry ! This is the reason you need to find your Reebok Pump Omni Zone II ‘Cloud White’ as a man or a woman.
The new requirements for sneakers
As people are growing concerned about the future of the planet, more and more people are making efforts to avoid driving their car for any purpose. New solutions to move around in towns are appearing. E-scooters, e-bicycles, are quickly getting more and more used. These changes in everyday life have influences on the way people dress and wear their shoes. The distinction between woman’s shoes and men’s shoes, for example, is becoming less and less useful. People just do not care if someone is wearing a pair of sneakers for women or men. They look at the easiness to move from an e-scooter to stairs, and the comfort to be moving actively all day from home to the office without forgetting the school run. As a direct consequence, the concept of the shoes goes back to its origins, corresponding to active populations who need to commit themselves to different tasks located in different places.
The first item of clothes in our modern times which fulfilled the same function is the pair of jeans. From a functional purpose to be a practical item for miners at the end of the 19th century in the USA, it is today a worldwide piece of the wardrobe that anyone is using. Today, jeans can be upcycled and more and more entrepreneurs are creating their own activities to upcycle sneakers as well. It is like a loop. In the past, history shows us that people were careful to recycle the resources and to buy to keep. There were professions to mend and repair what people use for their everyday life, clothes included. We went through a period of massive consumption, and now, it is no longer sustainable. Efforts must be made by anyone to change the understanding of buying and managing one’s possessions. The tendency is not fully followed by any single person, but there are reasons to be optimistic for a better future than contemplated.