Traditional Footwear Constructions Revisted for Modern Designs

Traditional footwear from around the world, never ceases to surprise and fascinate me.

Discovering old and sometimes forgotten constructions that reveal many creative footwear design solutions and celebrate the ingenuity of man.

Compare a few designs evolutions below, from their traditional crafted origins to their technical modernity:

The Opanak from the Balkans and the Nike Long Ball Lace, where both uppers are woven into the sole.

The Huarache from Mexico and the Nike Air Woven, where the upper is completely woven and that of the Huarache directly into holes in the sole.

The Lapti from Belarus and the Nike Water Cat.

For more images of traditional footwear visit the SONS Museum Ethnographic Collection.
For information about woven Mexican Huarache Footwear visit Huarache Blog.