Shoes of World War II

World War II flipped the fashion world upside down. The extreme consumerism and clean cut clothing of the 20s and 30s came to an end. Supplies and money were hard to come by because the war was demanding so much of it. Because of this, a majority of people did not buy new clothing. They wore clothes they worked in or they had repurposed clothing from previous years. In the nature of the war, people also saw many others wearing uniforms around their towns and cities. 

One of the most significant clothing items affected by the war were shoes. So much effort, technology, and supplies were put towards literally putting boots on the ground, that barely anything was left for the average everyday consumer back home. Shoe manufacturers had to come up with leather substitutes because most of it was going overseas. Leather was hard to come by, and when someone did it was a second thought to take out that wallet because of the price tag that came along with it. Men were harder to please when it came to shoes because they didn’t want anything substituted for their favorite material. A lot of the time they ended up paying the premium price for their shoes. However, there was one shoe they were willing to settle for, the cotton canvas oxford. Our guess is they did because it was a shoe that was simple, and the cotton canvas could make them a little more casual, which was more prominent during the 40s. But, there was still one problem that needed to be solved, and that was replacing the beloved leather sole with something that could offer the same characteristics of being comfortable and durable. 

Their first solution was wood, which they believed would cover both of those needs, and anyone can guess how that went. Who would have guessed walking on wooden planks for eight hours a day would be uncomfortable. It also came to their attention that thin pieces of wood didn’t stand up to the elements very well either. This quickly got nixed as a suitable alternative. The next option is one still in use today and one we can all be thankful for: rubber. They discovered that rubber checked these two desirable traits off the list and proceeded to take it upon itself to add more. This new material (for shoes) made it much easier for cobblers to resole the shoes, a process we all know and love today. This allowed the shoes to last even longer than leather shoes, which could be resoled, but the leather didn’t last as long and it was much more time consuming to do. Today we see more rubber soles on more shoes than we care to count.         

The vest fell out of fashion due to lack of labor and materials, and double breasted suits became single breasted suits. This was one of the first times that the wealthy and poor looked similar because of the shortage of supply. All the suppliers were focused on supplying the war. Although this seemed like daunting times for fashion in America, it was focused to innovate on its own. It was cut off from France, the largest influence of western fashion. America was forced to create for themselves and come up with their own identity. It was one of the most pivotal moments in the United States’ fashion world. This is when New York City started to become the fashion capital it is today. The United States no longer needed the east, it had its own influence.

When the soldiers returned, you could find them in the most colorful suits on the street. The double breasted suits soon came back but the vest slowly started to trickle away, eventually disappearing in the 60s. The return of the soldiers also kickstarted the movement for outdoor gear. The soldiers wore their uniforms and all weather gear from the war out hunting and during other outdoor activities. That is where all the money went for the last 10 years. It was to make sure they were the best prepared people in the world for anything the elements could throw their way. It was some of the best clothing on the market and has since been improved upon, and one of the brands that capitalized on this new market was Filson. By the 60s, Filson built up the reputation for being the premier outdoor outfitter it is today.