A brief history of sandals

> The shoe that transcends time

Katie Czenczek
Staff Writer

Wee summer coming in hot, it’s
really starting to seem reasonable
to return to the beach, whip out your
favourite pair of flip-flops, and take in
the sun. Sandals are just ready to be
worn. Whether you're rocking $3 flip-
flops from Old Navy or Fenty’s $100
fur slides, it might do you some good
to learn a little about these functional
yet fashionable footwear; especially
since people have been wearing them
for approximately 10,000 years now.
Even the first civilization,
Mesopotamia, believed in this solid
footwear. Ancient Sumerians crafted
sandals out of animal hides and
curled their footwear up into a point,
like an elf. The curve at the front
of the shoe determined a person’s
status, where the more upturned a
sandal, the higher class you were..
Ancient Egyptians and Greeks
followed suit and also used sandals
to determine a person’s status. The
Greeks even dyed their sandals different
colours to show if someone was a part
of the aristocracy, a child, or a bride.
For Egyptians, it was the material
that determined a person’s place in the
world. Pharaohs wore sandals made out

 

KupoCon

of animal hides and were
stitched together with a
softer inner sole, harder
outer sole. Everyone else
wore sandals made out
of braided papyrus.

Now, for early Japan,
sandals called “getas”
were where it was at!
Getas were made out of
wood with black thongs
to keep the shoes in place.
Japan is the only place
where socks and sandals
are socially acceptable.
These sandals were
paired with Tabi—a fabric made out
of cotton and dyed white that was
worn up to the ankles. Getas could be
the inspiration for modern platform
sandals, which is one of my personal
favourite sandal trends right now.

Whether you love gladiator sandals
or hate them, the Romans were largely
responsible for inspiring the trend
that emerged a couple of years ago.
They began styling the shoes with
elaborate caged-like straps running up
their calves, and it is believed by some
historians that their sandals helped the
Roman Empire expand even further.
This was because while everyone was
still shoeless, Roman soldiers wore
sandals. The foot protection not only

improved their style, but also let them
travel that much further. Who knew
that the secret to world domination
was to have the right footwear?
Allegedly, when Christianity
became more normalized in Rome,
that is when sandals were ditched for
a more conservative shoe. Your boy
Jesus may have even been wearing
Jerusalem 100s before people decided
that toes were indecent things to show
in public life. The notion that bare feet
were inappropriate possibly lasted until
the early 20th century in the West.
When hemlines rose, and legs
were exposed, that’s when sandals were
reintroduced in the Western world.
They did not catch on completely in

> The pros and cons of Vancouver’s first ‘Final Fantasy’ convention

Brittney MacDonald
Life & Style Editor

 

T° say that I’ve attended my fair
amount of conventions would be
an understatement. I’ve been a regular
con attendee for over 15 years, attending
everything from anime to comic
books, video games, and journalism
conventions—it’s just something I do and
enjoy. So, I was supremely excited to find
out that Vancouver would be hosting
the travelling KupoCon, a convention
dedicated to the Final Fantasy franchise.
If youre unaware of what Final
Fantasy is, it is a massive video game
series that began in 1987 as a company’s
last-ditch effort to avoid bankruptcy.
The original game was a critical success
and the franchise now spans over 20
games, three movies, and even several
television series. To be honest, I am not
the best source of information when
it comes to Final Fantasy’s history; my
journey with the title began in October
2001, when I received Final Fantasy
X as a birthday gift from my mom.
It kicked off my love of video games
and holds a very special place in my
heart as the “one that started it all.”
KupoCon itself began in Newark,
New Jersey in 2016 out of a desire to
consolidate smaller fan gatherings into
something more official. It has since
travelled the globe, uniting lovers of
the franchise across North America and
Europe. April 21 marked the first time

that the event was held in Vancouver.

My first impression of the event was
excitement, but as the date drew closer
I began to question the event line-up
and grew concerned that KupoCon:
Pomtropolis—the Vancouver variant
of the convention—may be little more
than a money grab. Only two guests
had been announced, and with yoga as
one of only listed activities, | became a
little annoyed. However, I persevered,
worked tirelessly on my costume and
attended with entourage in toe.

Admittedly, the event was small.

It took up only three rooms and one
hallway at the Pinnacle Hotel. Quickly
I began to realize that the event wasn’t
a money grab, but rather a toe in the
water. KupoCon seemed ill-equipped
for the turn out and surprised by

the voracity of Vancouver fans.

That being said, there were many
things that I hadn’t seen a convention
do that I was extremely pleased to see
at the con. KupoCon turned attendance
into a game, creating events like
scavenger hunts and puzzles that
encouraged attendees to interact and
share knowledge with one another in
order to succeed. These events ranged
from putting up wanted posters of
certain characters—to get people
to find and meet cosplayers of that
character—to making word games using
the fictional Al Bhed language (a Final
Fantasy X staple). Participating in these
games earned you “gil” you could then
exchange for KupoCon merch. They

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Photo by Caitlin Ryan

also encourage cosplayers by offering a
ticket discount to anyone in costume.

I enjoyed these games a lot, and |
am proud to say I was pretty successful.
Unfortunately, the prizes, as well as
the attendee grab bags, were far too
limited, and the staff ran out of them
long before the predicted end of the con.

My biggest criticism of KupoCon:
Pomtropolis is that it operated on too
small of a scale. The choice of venue
limited the availability of activities
and it made everyone feel crammed,
and the fact that they were unable to
predict the Vancouver fan response

 

the United States until World War II,
with most credit for the comeback
attributed to the Philippines. Filipinos
took the Japanese Getas to the next
level and carved ornate designs into
the sides of the platforms. When
American soldiers came to aid the
Philippines against Japan, they came
home with these decorated platforms
and caused a sandals craze.

Although the styles have (sort of)
changed over the centuries, the barely-
there footwear has managed to pass
the test of time, always returning to
the fashion scene. As you dust off your
favourite pair of summer shoes, marking
their emergence from hibernation, now
you at least know where they came from.

   

°.
Kupoton

Photo by Brittney MacDonald; Art by Maxx Merch

when Vancouver is somewhat known
for its “nerd” community is problematic.
To put it simply, KupoCon was too
scared to be entirely successful,
though this fear is not without merit.
Vancouver has its share of dead
or dying cons due to curators that
overestimate their reach— Cos&Effect
comes to mind—but, KupoCon played
it a little too safe in this regard.

lif KupoCon does return to
Vancouver, I hope that they will
learn from this and plan their future
endeavors accordingly. Go big, or go
home—except don’t, please come back.

Photo of vintage sandals from the Phillip-

ines via 1860-1960.com