How Shoes Became the Ultimate Cultural Vehicle for Brands

An old saying goes that the first thing people notice about someone is their shoes. For some brands, that same logic has made footwear one of the most powerful vehicles to break into culture.

“Shoes are an omnipresent icon of culture. More so than any other item of clothing, it’s the thing that you outwardly signal your affiliation with,” said Jed Hallam, co-founder and managing director of CultureLab.

That’s also why they appeal to marketers. In recent years, numerous companies that don’t make shoes have branched out into footwear or forged unexpected collaborations with shoe brands.