Wedge heels continue to make statements in present runway shows, but not to long ago wedges were the new it shoe in the fashion world and we have designer Salvatore Ferragamo to thank for this wonderful creation. In 1935 Ferragamo designed the orthopedic wedge which helped
toward his later on creation the wedge heel in 1936.
Before I get into detail let me give you a little inside into Ferragamo's luxurious life. Salvatore Ferragamo (1898-1960) was born in Bonito, Italy to a large family of 14 kids. At only nine years old Ferragamo created his first pair of shoes for his sisters to wear at their confirmations and that's how young Ferragamo discovered his passion for shoes and studied shoe making for a year. At just 13 years old with the help of his brother he opened a shoe store which he ran out of his parents home, but just a year after he moved to Boston, Massachusetts were one of his brothers worked at a cowboy boot factory.
Working at a shoe factory Ferragamo was impressed at the advanced machinery used to make shoes, but he knew that the quality of a machine would never compare to a handmade product and soon after convincing his brothers to move to Santa Barbara, California he slowly made his way to Hollywood, where he found success among the stars.
It is said that the wedge heel goes back to ancient Greece times but it was popularized by Ferrangamo in the 1930's. Due to the controlled distribution of leather because of WWII Ferragamo reacted by creating the wedge heel out of wood but since it was too heavy he switched to cork which is so much lighter and durable. The style at the time required for height so the wedge heel grew in popularity giving women around five inches more to their height. Some of Ferragamo's clients were wealthy people such as Marilyn Monroe, Indira Devi, and Eva Perón.
Before I get into detail let me give you a little inside into Ferragamo's luxurious life. Salvatore Ferragamo (1898-1960) was born in Bonito, Italy to a large family of 14 kids. At only nine years old Ferragamo created his first pair of shoes for his sisters to wear at their confirmations and that's how young Ferragamo discovered his passion for shoes and studied shoe making for a year. At just 13 years old with the help of his brother he opened a shoe store which he ran out of his parents home, but just a year after he moved to Boston, Massachusetts were one of his brothers worked at a cowboy boot factory.
It is said that the wedge heel goes back to ancient Greece times but it was popularized by Ferrangamo in the 1930's. Due to the controlled distribution of leather because of WWII Ferragamo reacted by creating the wedge heel out of wood but since it was too heavy he switched to cork which is so much lighter and durable. The style at the time required for height so the wedge heel grew in popularity giving women around five inches more to their height. Some of Ferragamo's clients were wealthy people such as Marilyn Monroe, Indira Devi, and Eva Perón.
During WWII wedges were strictly for women but in the 1970's men also started wearing platform wedges. Famous men such as David Bowie, Elton John and Prince made these shoes a trend for men. In the 70's designs also got more creative, one of the designs allowed for goldfish to live in the heel which we still have today but they haven't been as cool.
Short after wedges went down in fashion but in the 90's they made a comeback at raves and slowly moved toward the rest of the world. The Spice Girls helped get giant wedge sneakers on trend in the 90's and since then wedges have been on and off the runways but they mostly made a comeback again in 2006 and in 2012, the wedge sneakers created by designer Isabel Marant were such a great hit that other brands and stores started making knockoffs, up until now you can find them at stores.
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