Put On Your Own Shoes Day
Step right up, young ones! It's time to learn the fine art of tying your own shoelaces.
Celebrate independence and self-sufficiency by promoting children's footwear and teaching moments around shoe-tying skills and kids' fashion.
- How-to guides: Master the perfect shoelace knot with step-by-step videos
- Independence milestone: Celebrate when kids tie their own shoes for the first time
- Shoe style for kids: Showcase fun, easy-to-wear footwear designs that encourage self-dressing
- Parent tips: Make shoe-tying practice fun and rewarding
There is very little information available about this day that we could get our hands on, and the jury’s out on exactly what it means. It could be a metaphor for walking your own way in life, being independent and being an individual. It could be a day to encourage children to tie up their own laces, or it could just be a day meant to observe the benefits, and the style iconography, of the humble shoe.
Strange as it sounds, the history of footwear itself is exceptionally varied and colorful. The first shoes were probably worn around 40,000 years ago, in the Middle Paleolithic period. They weren’t as stylish as the ones you can get hold of today, made from leather and wrapped around the foot. In a pinch, bark and big leaves were probably used, making a rudimentary sandal.
Sandals became popular during the time of the Ancient Romans, whom history recalls using the now recognizable style. Roman sandals were a bit of a game changer at the time due to their lightweight, sturdy and breathable nature which made marching and pillaging a bit easier for their footsoldiers.
Footwear wouldn’t start truly being something fashionable until around the Baroque period, when the design of your shoe was a key indicator of your social class. The higher your heels, the higher your class. Walk around without any shoes on at all and you probably weren’t doing so well.
Throughout the following centuries and across the world, shoes have seen some weird and wonderful designs – both for fashion and practicality. And nowadays, both!