History of Footwears !!!

History of Footwears

Footwear in some form or the other has been around ever since humans started walking. Archeologists in the US have found evidence of the same dating 15000 years back!

In Europe, the Scandinavians and Celts occupying the northern cold lands used animal hides and fat to cover their feet. These then were the first shoes.  This fact was further buffeted on the discovery of a perfectly mummified human body in the Alps which showed a rather sophisticated footwear design. As per Wikipedia, “The shoes were waterproof and wide, seemingly designed for walking across the snow; they were constructed using bearskin for the soles, deer hide for the top panels, and a netting made of tree bark. Soft grass went around the foot and in the shoe and functioned like modern socks. The coat, belt, leggings and loincloth were constructed of vertical strips of leather sewn together with sinew.”

Ever since, footwear has seen changes reflecting the evolution of its wearers from simple hunter-gatherers to settlers, farmers and now industrial workers whether in heavy engineering industries or software or anywhere in between. 

One of the most important segments in the footwear industry which still retains the original raison-d'etre then is the rugged workhorse called the “Safety shoe”. Mirroring the Industrial Revolution, footwear too kept pace with the need of the hour.  Looking back, we realize that it was the Industrial Revolution of 1760-1840 which gave impetus to the conceptualization and spread of the Safety shoe. The advent from Communism at the end of the 19^th century saw workmen getting organized and demanding better working conditions including the provision of proper safety gears of which the most pertinent was obviously the “Safety Shoe”. This act on the part of the workmen helped bring in relevant legislations which mandated certain minimum standards for this kind of footwear. 

The last 30 years has witnessed the rise in the east of China, India and in their neighborhood.  These too put in place legislations to protect the workers from bodily harm while at work especially in intrinsically harmful industries. 

  

In India, the mantle of industrial safety was initially upheld by the Public Sector Enterprises funded and administered by the Government. These did bring in a semblance of legality though a lot needed (and still so) to be done as here it is the grey, unorganized sector which still provides the majority with employment. Ironically, it is the latter which does not figure anywhere and thus escapes the radar of legislations and authorities. That said, as humans it is imperative on any employer how-so-ever small to try and assure their workers the basics in human safety which include safety shoes. It would surely result in better performance due to the lack of fear of personal harm while on the job as also an increase in employee morale.

Not being an exception to the stated situation and give its expansive scale of industrialization, the torch bearers of safety shoes in Pune have been some established  enterprises such as Sara Safety Shoes who produce not only industrial safety shoes but also sports safety shoes and most things to protect one’s foot! 

In times to come, with the trajectory that the economy seems to be going on, it is fertile ground for safety shoe manufacturers in Pune and India. Collectively, their moto should be “TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE”!

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About Author :- Sara Rajput is the Managing Head of Sara Safety Shoes.