What is the origin of the development of loafers?

There are different opinions on the origin of loafers, but they mainly evolved from Aurland moccasins.

The reason is that in the early 20th century, Nils, a Norwegian fisherman, spent many years in the United States. After returning to Norway, he combined the moccasin shoes of North American Indians with the traditional shoes of Norwegian fishermen and evolved them into Aurland moccasin shoes.

Although there are many different types of loafers, the common characteristics are as follows:

Shoes with low heels, no laces, exposed ankles, and no extended edge strips at the junction of the sole and upper are usually not designed.

In 1926 in England, King George VI, the then king, wanted a pair of comfortable shoes for daily use, so he commissioned Wildsmith, a British leather shoe factory with a century-old shoemaking history. Raymond, the third generation successor of Wildsmith at the time, designed this indoor living shoe.

Later, this kind of shoe became commonly known as Wildsmith Loafer. Although it was originally designed as an indoor living shoe, as it became a popular shoe among men, it was gradually worn outdoors and became the representative of men's casual leather shoes.

The American shoemaker G.H. Bass launched a new type of loafer in 1936. The holes on the saddle were designed into diamond-shaped cuts to distinguish them from other loafers, and they were named "Weejuns". This loafer Shoes quickly conquered the feet of American men.

So why is it called Penny Loafer today?

Back in the 1930s, loafers were also very popular among college students at that time. Students were accustomed to stuffing one-cent coins into the holes in the saddles of their loafers in case they needed to use a public phone but didn't have one on them. Dilemma where coins are available. College students started this trend, and Penny Loafer gradually became synonymous with saddle loafers.

Tassel Loafer appeared around the 1950s. After World War II in Europe, American film actor Paul Lukas brought a pair of Tassel Loafer back from Europe and found several well-known shoemaking shops in New York, hoping to make a similar pair. Shoes, but could not get a satisfactory finished product.

Finally, Paul found Alden Shoe Co., who combined tassels with the popular loafers at the time, and launched them for sale in New York and Los Angeles in 1957, becoming a loafer style that is still a best-seller today.

Time came to the 1960s, when American men were in the trend of loafers and began to wear loafers as formal wear. European men still only regarded them as casual shoes. However, they This view is about to be overturned by the Italian brand Gucci.

In the 1970s, Gucci Loafer became a must-have formal shoe for political and business celebrities, or business people on Wall Street. Italian star Gianni Agnelli, or US President John F. Kennedy are all fans.

In the 1950s, Henri Bendel, a well-known American department store family, bought two shoe factories in Belgium and launched this Belgian Loafer with a very recognizable style.

The upper of the Belgian Loafer has a unique arch shape, and it uses some special shoe leather (suede, crocodile leather) and bright shoe colors. The unique loafer shape immediately triggered a trend and even revitalized the local shoe industry that was originally miserable. shoe industry.

However, today, loafers are no longer just for men, but are also the choice of many women for dressing.