From the Leather Shoes to Cork Shoes

The oldest known leather shoe, about 5500 years old, found in Armenia.

* Archaeologists estimate that the leather shoe was made between 1800 and 1100 BCE, making it the oldest article of clothing discovered in Scandinavia. However, it is estimated that shoes may have been used long before this, but it is difficult to find evidence of the earliest footwear due to the highly perishable nature of early shoes. Earliest designs were very simple in design, often mere "foot bags" of leather to protect the feet from rocks, debris, and cold. They were more commonly found in colder climates.

As civilizations began to develop, thong sandals (the precursors of the modern flip-flop) were worn. Ancient Egyptian sandals were made from papyrus and palm leaves.

The Maasai of Africa made them out of rawhide.  - In India they were made from wood. - In China and Japan, rice straw was used. The leaves of the sisal plant were used to make twine for sandals in South America while the natives of Mexico used the Yucca plant.

Esparto sandals from the 6th or5th millennium BC found in Spain.

While thong sandals were commonly worn, many people in ancient times, such as the Egyptians, Hindus and Greeks, saw little need for footwear, and most of the time, preferred being barefoot.

The Romans, who eventually conquered the Greeks and adopted many aspects of their culture, did not adopt the Greek perception of footwear and clothing. Roman clothing was seen as a sign of power, and footwear was seen as a necessity of living in a civilized world, although the slaves and paupers usually went barefoot.

Did you know that during Weddings on this period, a father would give his son-in-law a pair of shoes, to symbolize the transfer of authority? Dutch Pattens, ca. 1465. Excavated from the archaeological site of Walraversijde near Ostend, Belgium.

A common casual shoe in the Pyrenees during the Middle Ages are espadrilles. These are sandals with braided jute soles and a fabric upper portion, and often includes fabric laces that tie around the ankle. The term is French and comes from the esparto grass. The shoes originate in the Catalonian region of Spain as early as the 13th century, and were commonly worn by peasants in the farming communities in the area.

Many medieval shoes were made using the turn shoe method of construction, in which the upper was turned flesh side out, and was lasted onto the sole and joined to the edge by a seam.

By the 15th Century, pattens became popular by both men and women in Europe. By 1580, even men wore them, and a person with authority or wealth was often referred to as, "well-heeled".

It was in 1935 that the Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo created the wedge shoe. He designed the orthopaedic wedge in 1935 and the wedge heel in 1936. Salvatore Ferragamo used cork and wood because of a leather and rubber shortage. Cork was more popular than wood because it was lighter. The cork sole was also sturdy and durable.

Finally, in the 21st century, cork will again enjoy the respect and admiration that the Greeks and Romans afforded it as a noble and adaptable material.

 In this century in which environmental concerns have become a constant, the use of an ecological, recyclable and biodegradable material such as cork has increased, particularly in innovative areas such as Design for Sustainability and Eco-Design. 

Fashion Cork UK bought to you articles, such as Shoes, table, kitchen, leisure, furniture – Made from Cork  material, that is one hundred per cent natural and contribute to environmental sustainability.

Leave your comment and do not forget to visit our on-line store to enjoy wonderful gifts in cork. 

Fashion Cork UK. - Why Cork.

History of Cork:

Throughout history, there are many references to this product and its varied applications. In 3000 BC, the cork was already used in China, Egypt, Babylon and Persia to the manufacture of fishing tackle. In Italy have found vestiges dating from the fourth century BC, several artefacts such as floats, stoppers for casks, women's shoes and roofs of houses. It is also this time that we have one of the first references to the cork and written by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus, in their botanical treatises, referred in wonder, "the faculty that this tree has to renew its bark after it is removed."

Wine and cork are two products that have long been companions. Proof of this is an amphora dating from the first century BC found in Ephesus: not only was sealed with a cork stopper but still contained wine. Later, in the first century, the Roman naturalist Pliny makes a new and extensive reference to cork in his celebrated Natural History. Explains that in Greece it was worshiped as a symbol of freedom and honor, why only priests could cut. In the same work it is stated that the cork used to be consecrated to God Olympian Jupiter, and its leaves and branches were used to crown victorious athletes. In Pompeii, the Roman city destroyed by the brutal eruption of Vesuvius, were found wine amphorae sealed with cork.

In the eighteenth century, while in England the physicist Robert Hooke obtained the first microscopic image of cork using a microscope that he developed in France, the French Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Pérignon, treasurer of the Abbey of Hautvillers, we initiated the use of cork which forbade bottles of its famous champagne Dom Pérignon. A choice that continued over time and that still remains today.

Why Cork:

CORK IS: Recyclable, Waterproof, Washable, and Non-toxic; Lightweight, Flexible, Insulation.

The first cork extraction happens usually when the tree cover age between 25 to 30 years during the summer months from June to August. To make the extraction of cork is necessary to respect some rules, as its largest number of extraction times, higher quality cork has, i.e. the cork harvested first, is named for the virgin, the second generation is extracted named secundeira extractions and the following gives up her name amadia, the latter being of higher quality, and logically the most valued one that can be used to make corks. From this stage, the cork has its extraction in nine years. By the proven qualities of cork, it is used in the present day in various applications that include floor coverings, the insulation (thermal and acoustic), in the manufacture of musical instruments in home furnishings, and footwear in the industry various sectors, from automobiles, beverages, construction, masonry, decoration, clothing, bags and sacks, gifts, rain-hat, caps, among others. Portugal holds more than 50% of the world's cork, having as its production partners Spain, France, Italy and lately Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.