The Social Lives of Shoes

Overview:In the third and final episode of our trilogy on footwear histories and archives, Dr Emily Brayshaw speaks with Dr Hilary Davidson, dress, textile and fashion historian and curator, about what we can learn from the consumption and manufacture of footwear in the Regency period, from proxy shopping networks and colonial supply chains to repair culture and the enduring value of archive-based research.Credits:Interviewee: Dr Hilary DavidsonInterviewer: Dr Emily BrayshawPresenters: Dr Alexandra Sherlock and Dr Emily BrayshawEdited and produced by: Dr Alexandra SherlockPhotographs and images: Credits in captions Chapters:00:00 - Show Intro00:59 - Episode 6 Overview and Context13:56 - Introducing Hilary Davidson17:08 - The Importance of Jane Austen20:34 - Shoes in the Regency Period: An Overview23:33 - Boots, Leisure, and Military Chic26:37 - When Women's Shoes Lost Their Heels29:30 - Regency retail: Letters and Proxy Shopping32:42 - Convicts, Colonies, and the rise of the Global Shoe Trade40:11 - Theft, Repair, and the Value of a Good Boot43:00 - Historical Insights for Sustainability46:07 - Australian Climate, Identity, and Style51:06 - Current Projects and Future Directions53:36 - Sign-offFull show notes at www.footwearresearchnetwork.org www.footwearresearchnetwork.org

The second episode in our three-part series on footwear histories and archives features Dr Emily Brayshaw in conversation with Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto. From the museum's founding vision to virtual footwear and sustainability, Elizabeth reveals how a world-class collection can simultaneously serve designers, researchers, and communities. And why material objects matter more, not less, in an increasingly digital world.Credits:Interviewee: Elizabeth Semmelhack: Director and Senior Curator at the Bata Shoe MuseumInterviewer: Dr. Emily BrayshawPresenters: Dr. Alexandra Sherlock and Dr. Emily BrayshawEdited and produced by: Dr. Alexandra SherlockPhotographs: Credits in captions Chapters00:00 - Show Intro00:58 - Episode 5 Overview05:37 - How serendipity brought an art historian to footwear08:11 - Shoes as Research Method:  Reading gender, economics and fashion through what people wore11:14 - Debunking the Chopine: Why objects and cultural context must be studied together15:02 - One Woman's Collection: The founding vision of the Bata Shoe Museum and how it has evolved19:27 - Designers in the Archive: How and why designers engage with the Museum’s collections23:22 - Object and Context: The power and significance of the material object27:11 - The Worn-Out Sole: What signs of wear can reveal about bodies, lives and secondhand markets31:07 - Twenty Billion Pairs: The scale of overproduction and why most of what we make can't be kept or recycled34:38 - Shoes Without Bodies: Virtual footwear, the metaverse and what shoes might mean in digital space38:32 - Next Steps: Roman forts, cowboy boots and beadwork:  the Bata Shoe Museum’s  current and upcoming projects40:22 - Episode Reflection: Emily and Alex43:30 - Show outroShow Noteswww.footwearresearchnetwork.org

What is the value of the footwear archive and museum? Why are so many brands now establishing their own archives, and how and why do footwear professionals engage with archival materials? In the first of three episodes on footwear histories, Dr Alexandra Sherlock chats with Tim Crumplin, business archivist at the Shoemakers Museum and Alfred Gillet Trust (Clarks Archive), to discuss the significance of public and private archives and the vital role of their custodianship for culture and industry.Credits:Interviewee: Tim CrumplinInterviewer: Dr. Alexandra SherlockPresenters: Dr. Alexandra Sherlock and Dr. Emily BrayshawEditor: Dr. Alexandra SherlockPhotographs: Credits in photograph captionsChapters:00:00 - Show Intro00:58 - Episode Overview - Emily and Alex07:26 - Tim’s background and route into Clarks and the Alfred Gillet Trust11:09 - How the archive has changed14:15 - Recognising the value of the archive as a creative resource18:28 - Street, Somerset and the Quaker influence on Clarks24:40 - Vertical integration and traceability27:50 - How to build an archive37:23 - The vulnerability of shoe museums and archives39:03 - The case for the charitable trust model45:20 - Collection policy: what gets kept and why49:40 - How designers use the archive in practice55:30 - Archives, corporate culture and healthy approaches to risk-taking01:06:47 - External access and community engagement01:09:03 - Digitisation01:16:52 - How to become a business archivist01:19:04 - Finding and visiting the Shoemakers Museum www.footwearresearchnetwork.org

What makes a shoe iconic, and what can iconic shoes teach us about sustainability, design, and cultural exchange? Dr. Emily Brayshaw and Dr. Alexandra Sherlock bring together their research on Birkenstock and Clarks Originals to explore how shoes become long-lasting cultural objects.This conversation traces the journey of the Arizona sandal and Desert Boot from their origins in post-war German design philosophies and African cultures to their unexpected adoption by communities worldwide, from Jamaican musicians to Sydney's lesbian scene, from Silicon Valley's Steve Jobs to Gen Z's comfort revolution.Emily and Alex discuss the role of business archives in authentic storytelling, how costume designers deploy shoes as narrative devices in film, why different shoes require different sustainability approaches, from repair programs for emotionally durable icons to biodegradable materials for more ephemeral styles, and how brands should listen to culture rather than trying to control it. Drawing on Appadurai and Kopytoff's theories of things in motion, they reveal how following shoes' social lives and biographies illuminates human values and creates pathways to meaningful, relevant and sustainable design.Chapters:00:00 - Show Intro00:49 - Episode Introduction02:28 - Acknowledgment of Country - An Explainer for International Listeners05:56 - The Social Lives of Clarks Originals and Birkenstocks07:17 - Research Foundations: Clarks and Cultural Sustainability08:39 - Archetypes: The Arizona and the Desert Boot10:41 - Post-War Design Philosophy: Form Follows Function14:07 - Steve Jobs and the Power of Simplicity16:22 - Counterculture: From Hippies to Tech Visionaries20:40 - Archives and Anniversary Books23:13 - The Alfred Gillett Trust: Preserving Heritage26:19 - Icons Without Advertising28:02 - Queer Birkenstocks: Sydney's Lesbian Community31:10 - Jamaica Claims the Desert Boot32:15 - Hippies, Grunge, Gen Z: Meanings That Don't Compete34:22 - Sticky Objects: Shoes That Attract Communities35:05 - Ageless and Timeless: From 7 to 7036:31 - Wu-Tang and Granddad: Cross-Generational Appeal41:21 - Jamaica and Authentic Storytelling44:05 - When Shoes Become Cultural Objects44:32 - Costume design and characterisation44:42 - Costume Design: Shoes as Narrative Devices49:08 - The Symbolic Power of Footwear49:38 - Brands as Listeners: The Importance of Cultural Capital50:54 - World Shoes52:29 - Cultural Exchange and Collaboration54:33 - Gen Z, Authenticity, and Finding Your Tribe54:45 - Building Cultural Capital55:29 - Sustainability Through Meaning55:42 - Accidentally Sustainable56:56 - Repair, Patina, and Memory59:15 - Horses for Courses: Different Models for Different Shoes01:00:01 - A Social Lives Methodology: Following the Things Themselves01:02:45 - Episode OutroCredits:Presenters: Dr. Alexandra Sherlock and Dr. Emily BrayshawEditor: Dr. Alexandra SherlockShow notes and photographs:www.footwearresearchnetwork.org

In this episode of the Social Lives of Shoes with Dr. Alexandra Sherlock, contemporary fashion artist Jo Cope joins us to explore shoes as powerful vessels for storytelling and social change. From her collaborative project with Shelter addressing homelessness to her evocative twisted stilettos embodying feminist struggles, Jo reveals how craft and performance art can create empathy and drive meaningful dialogue. We discuss her therapeutic making process, the political power of red shoes, and how footwear can connect communities through shared experience. Jo shares insights from teaching ethical social practice and her current reflections on using art to navigate our challenging political climate—all through the humble yet profound medium of shoes.Credits:Interviewee: Jo CopeInterviewer & Presenter: Dr. Alexandra SherlockEditor: Dr. Alexandra SherlockPodcast Photograph: Links & Images:Available at Footwear Research NetworkChapters:00:00 - Show Intro00:47 - Episode Intro: Jo Cope02:55 - The Power of Shoes as Storytellers04:29 - Jo Cope's Artistic Journey and Philosophy06:52 - An unexpected Trojan horse08:19 - Personal Experiences with Shoes10:28 - Educational Journey and Training15:21 - Family Legacy16:39 - Social Justice and Community Engagement through Shoes and Art20:16 - Shoes Have Names: Jo Cope x Shelter27:22 - Exploring Femininity and Feminism through Shoes32:27 - The Colour Red and Taking up Space34:54 - Movement and Performance in Shoe Design37:11 - Transformative Experiences Through Shoes40:03 - Collectivism and Connection Through Interactive Art41:45 - Social Connection and Authentic Storytelling45:47 - Hand Craft vs. Digital Technology in Shoe Making50:32 - The Importance of Reflection in Creative Practice52:53 - Teaching Ethical Social Practice56:42 - Social Practice as Collaborative Learning58:35 - Future Plans and the Creative Process01:00:51 - Conclusionwww.footwearresearchnetwork.org

What motivates people to commission a bespoke pair of shoes? What insights does the bespoke model offer into the importance of storytelling, customer loyalty, supply chain transparency, and design for repair? These questions, and more, are explored in this interview with bespoke shoemaker Gabriele Gmeiner in her Venice workshop.Chapters: 00:00 - Show intro01:00 - Episode Overview03:19 - Journey to Bespoke Shoemaking08:16 - Craftsmanship and Materiality10:47 - The Story Behind Each Shoe16:44 - Understanding the Customer's Needs19:05 - The Value of Bespoke Shoes27:25 - The Future of Shoemaking32:10 - Cultural Identity and Craftsmanship37:00 - Walking in Venice: A Unique Experience42:52 - Outro and Acknowledgement of Countrywww.footwearresearchnetwork.org

Dr. Alexandra Sherlock and Dr. Emily Brayshaw of the Footwear Research Network introduce the Social Lives of Shoes podcast.Visit https://footwearresearchnetwork.org/podcast for show notes, links, photographs and transcripts.www.footwearresearchnetwork.org