High heels, sandals, brogues – every so often a different shoe style is pronounced the next major trend you cannot do without, the absolute must for your fashion outfit. But where do these shoes actually come from? What is their history? We regularly compile the most exciting shoe stories for you to read – for instance, here about the history of sandals.

Hunters back in the Stone Age already realised how good it feels to have something on your feet. When out hunting they bound their feet with animal skins for protection. However, sandals only emerged in Egypt from around 1500 BC and immediately became luxury items there: sandals were so precious that a (barefooted) sandal bearer would carry them behind their owner, says Reclam’s Fashion & Costume Dictionary. Soon things really got trendy in Egypt: around 1300 BC soles were shaped like beaks and curved upwards as this looked good and protected the toes.

The Assyrians, on the other hand, preferred leather sandals with a high-sitting heel counter which gave the sandals more support turning them almost into shoes. The Greeks then brought forth a great variety of sandals. The wealthier a woman was the more elaborate the styles she wore. Already in 700 BC sandals were embroidered, dyed and decorated with buckles and the soles were even raised with a kind of cork insole. Then with the Romans sandals became indispensable – serving even to document social standing. Monks there kept things simpler making their own sandals following simple, functional designs.

Centuries ago sandals already had all the features we still love about them today: they are still woven, made of wood or leather, tied with simple straps over the instep or between the toes. What is new today is the wider range of materials used to make them. And they are now sometimes called flats, flip-flops, Roman sandals, thongs or heeled sandals.

In the 20th century women mainly wore covered shoes and court shoes (more on this in Part II and III of this series). However, when Dr. Scholl launched a sandal on the US market with an ergonomically shaped wooden sole in 1968 it was an immediate bestseller, especially amongst hippies. By 1972 the company had already sold a million pairs. In the 90s Dr. Scholls reappear – on international catwalks as well as on the feet of celebrities in magazines and street style images. And now these ergonomically shaped sandals are back in shop windows again.

Sandals literally reach new heights again in the first decade of the 21st century. Styles are racy, teeteringly high and with elaborate decoration and design. When talking about sandals you cannot fail to mention the series “Sex and the City” with its four shoe-crazed leading characters. This show drew attention to shoes – taking them from the role of an extra to that of a protagonist. Even if the episodes have long since been aired and the feature films criticised – love for elaborate shoes and accessories and their importance in an outfit remain. And still today what we see glittering and shining on the shelves are primarily sandals. This is because they are so very popular with women: in Germany alone 2010 saw a 19% increase in sandal production over the previous year, estimates the Central Federation of the German Footwear Industry (Bundesverband der deutschen Schuhindustrie – HDS). Sandal imports to Germany also saw an 8.5% rise; for non-leather sandals the figure was as high as 11%. This demonstrates that whether with rivets, wooden beads and rhinestones, whether in artistic strap designs, as Jesus boots or high heels – sandals have proven their worth over the centuries. And quite rightly so.

Text: Julia Mönnich

To the History of Pumps

To the History of Men's Shoes

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