Sports Shoes
A brief history of the sports shoe

Most of the teachers but probably not many of our students remember the rubber-soled plimsolls that were traditionally worn in PE lessons throughout most schools in Europe. ‘You could have any colour you liked as long as it was black or white’.
These have been replaced by air cushioned, gel filled capsules with superior technical performance. They come in a variety of colours, shapes and forms and are purchased as much for their appearance as their performance.
The groundbreaking manufacturing technique that allowed the development of the plimsoll was called vulcanisation, which is still used today. This process uses heat to meld rubber and cloth together. Sulphur is used during the process.
Plimsolls were revolutionary at the time as they provided comfort, were lightweight and allowed the user to move around silently. Plimsolls became known as sneakers and were sold on a mass scale by the Keds Shoe Company in America as early as 1917.

Spike shoes

You may think that spiked running shoes are a relatively new invention but they have been around for at least a 100 years. In 1890’s a British company, which is now called Reebok created running shoes with spikes in them. The spiked shoe was developed out of necessity. The founder of the company enjoyed running and wanted to develop a shoe that would increase his speed.
In 1925 a company called Adi Dassler now known as Adidas created a range of shoes with hand-forged spikes. They offered a range of shoes for different distances. The company used the strongest and lightest materials available at the time to make the running shoes.