Looking Back At the Rich History of Wooden Clogs

Swedish wooden clogs have been around since a long time. Archaeological records have dated the oldest surviving wooden clogs to as early as the 1200s. While these may be the earliest recorded usage of clogs, archaeologists, citing various historical evidences such as paintings have determined that wooden footwear were extensively used during the Roman Empire (27 BC – 395 AD).

Clogs in Early Europe

Although it were the Dutch and the Swedish who were mostly responsible for popularizing wooden clogs in Europe during the 1200s , they didn’t gain momentum in other areas of the world mainly due to their dull appearance.

Why Wooden Clogs?

Even though other shoe-making materials, such as leather were available, wood was mostly used to make shoes because:

• Wood was readily available from trees.
• It was much easier to carve solid wood into shoes rather than stitching shoes from leather.
• Wood is very strong, hence it offered better protection to the feet.
• Wood is very durable, hence wooden clogs lasted much longer than other footwear.

Clogs after World War II

There was a surge in the popularity of clogs after World War II, which saw the introduction of Swedish wooden clogs to the western world. It were the high-heeled fashion clogs that gained popularity in the United States and other parts of the world, where wooden clogs were virtually unheard of.

Famous celebrities and cultural icons, such as Audrey Hepburn started wearing clogs in their movies and promotional shoots, which further helped clogs gain a solid foothold in the United States and become popular among women all over the country.

Redesign of Clogs

Early clogs were solid blocks of wood that were carved into shoes as functionality was given greater preference over looks and aesthetics.

The redesigned Swedish wooden clogs, which were introduced in the 1970s had the perfect balance of style, design and functionality, and this was the main reason why they became popular worldwide.

 

High-heeled variants of clogs were designed especially for women, although unisexual variants were available for both men and women.

While early clogs were made only of wood, modern clogs started combining other materials such as leather, rubber and synthetics with wood for better looks. This also enabled manufacturers to make countless designs using the common wooden base.

Are Traditional Clogs Still Used Today?

Although fashion clogs have been derived from traditional clogs, the latter are still in use today in parts of Sweden and Holland as the traditional footwear for local festivals and important traditional events.

Most of the world sees clogs as a fashion footwear, but they are still considered as an invaluable part of central Europe’s age-old traditions.