Tag shoe

Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Matabeleland South Bureau Chief

LAWRENCE Tshuma, a cobbler and shoemaker first attempted to repair a damaged shoe when he was a 10-year-old.

Coming from a poor background, Tshuma’s parents could not afford to buy him a new pair. He had no choice but to repair his worn out school shoes, though he did a shoddy job, to ensure that he always had shoes on his feet.

The 40-year-old, who is from the Mzimuni area in Gwanda, said his first attempt at mending his shoes was to patch a hole. He used a wire as a makeshift needle, used a piece of cloth as a patch and used a strand from a sack as a twine.

Tshuma gradually became better at repairing his shoes and his family noticed. Before he knew it members of his family started giving him their shoes to repair at home.

The Gwanda-based cobbler said he started his business of repairing shoes in 2004 while he was operating underneath a tree.

“I started shoe repairing as a business in 2004 but before that I started repairing my own shoes at a young age. My first attempt was in Grade Seven. I was raised by a single mother in the rural community of Mzimuni area in Gwanda. My mother couldn’t afford to buy me a new pair of shoes each time they got torn or worn out,” he said.

“This pushed me to learn how to repair my own shoes. I made a needle out of a wire and I used a strand from a sack. My first attempt was terrible but as I continued to repair my shoes the more I improved. When I moved to Gwanda Town I started off as a vendor and then I moved to shoe repairing. I started

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The samba” data-ylk=”slk:Adidas Samba sneaker” class=”link “Adidas Samba sneaker is by no means novel. First designed in the 1940s as a adidas.com/us/women-soccer-cleats” data-ylk=”slk:soccer shoe” class=”link “soccer shoe (or, rather, football, since it was created in Germany), the sneaker — a minimal style featuring a rubber sole and the brand’s signature three stripes and often constructed of a mix of leather and suede — spent over 70 years sitting amongst the athletic brand’s lineup of beloved sneakers which also include Superstars and Stan Smiths. But over the last year, and most noticeably the last few months, the Samba has emerged as the Sneaker of the Moment, preferred by trendsetters like Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Frank Ocean.

“We’ve seen a noticeable uptick in both supply and demand for the Samba,” confirms Aniza Lall, SVP of commercial at Stadium Goods, where sales of the sports shoe have increased over 600% since June.

While it’s a stark rise for a sneaker that’s been around for decades, it’s not entirely surprising: Thanks to a number of high-profile collabs including Jonah Hill, skateboarder Jason Dill, and, most notably, menswear designer Grace Wales Bonner, the Samba is now available in more eye-catching iterations that are drawing in both men and women seeking the next It shoe. According to shopping app Lyst’s newest quarterly report, Adidas has risen four spots in the “hottest brand rankings,” to 13th place. With, according to the report, “the Adidas x Wales Bonner Samba sneakers topping the men’s hottest products list.”

“The Grace Wales Bonner collab is one of the most special [collaborations],” says Lall. “Mixing the world of high fashion with the [European] football roots of the shoe.” On resale sites, Sambas from the debut collaboration are listed for close to $1,000

Yet, the Melbourne-based designer thought there had to be a better solution with no lightweight shoes that were super comfortable as well as sophisticated available on the market at the time.

He wanted to create a shoe that combined sneaker-like comfort with dress shoe smarts, moulding to the wearer on the very first wear, which was also durable.

“I looked at brands doing well in Australia and globally and … they were products like Converse and Havaianas, so I wanted to create a shoe version of that and I thought doing new colours each season would work,” he told news.com.au.

So 10 years ago he launched his shoe business at a South Melbourne market stall, which sold 500 pairs.

Fast forward to now and in the past twelve months, Rollie Nation has sold approximately 100,000 pairs across online and wholesale.

Covid also helped change the game for the shoe designer.

Rollie Nation’s biggest months and days have been post-pandemic, where comfort is key and high heels have become all but a Covid casualty, according to Mr Lebon.

In May, the company made $2 million that month and on one day sold a whopping $535,000 worth of shoes.

The 38-year-old said he set out to design shoes that were so lightweight that they would feel like people had “nothing on”.

“No one else was playing in that space and two years on Nike started pushing it and I could ride that trend,” he added.

Since that first foray into footwear, he has collaborated with some of the biggest

brands

Calling all sk8er bois! The next Y2K throwback trend is for you. We’ve seen the revival of everything from low-rise jeans to toe ring sandals, but now, the skate shoes of the early 2000s — in all their puffy, chunky, padded glory — may just be the next big sneaker trend to watch.

If you need a refresher, allow me to set the scene: you’re home after school watching Avril Lavigne on TRL, admiring her grungy, emo aesthetic. You throw out your butterfly clips because you, too, are now filled with angst.

Next thing you know, you’re roaming the mall with your friends, who are all wearing chunky DC and Etnies sneakers in varying colors (none of which have ever touched an actual skateboard). The sneakers are huge, the tongues are fat, and the laces loose. It’s a vibe, you’re a rebel, you blast Blink 182 on your iPod Mini to complete the scene.

Skater shoes like the Osiris D3 2001 and DC Court Graffik ruled the early 2000s, ushering in a new wave of skateboard sneakers that were a far contrast from the Vans Old Skools or Tony Hawk’s Airwalks of decades past. Celebrities like Avril Lavigne and Ashlee Simpson got in on the trend too, making the chunky skate shoe a unisex style.

With the rise of lug-sole dad sneakers, it’s no surprise that big skate shoes may be the next throwback style to be revitalized. The “skater aesthetic” has been trending on TikTok and #SkateTok — and if past TikTok aesthetics like coastal grandmother, cottagecore, and soft girl are any indicators, a larger takeover is coming.

Bella Hadid has already adapted the style, topping off a grunge, ‘90s-inspired outfit with black skate shoes that featured a