Shoes are much more than a functional and fashionable covering of the foot. As an integral part of material culture, they also highlight historical, social and cultural changes and schisms. With the use of themes such as foot health, material innovations and design, the contributions in this volume address the shoe as an object of fashion theory. Based on a research project on the shoes of the Swiss company Firma Bally, the volume deals with men and women's shoes, high fashion accessories and functional footwear, the lack of shoes, as well as the variety of models and the economic history of the shoe industry.
