The fashion designers agree: Anyone who wants to invest in new shoes in spring and summer 2023 can look around in the wooden shoe department. For this season, Hermès, Bally and Stella McCartney are presenting clogs made from leather (or imitation leather) and wood – in the most varied of variants. Birkenstock fans are guaranteed to love this shoe trend.
Clogs are shoes that are usually made of a wooden sole and a closed vamp made of leather or fabric. Translated from English into German, clogs means “thick piece of wood”. Clogs were originally worn by factory and farm workers in the 19th century. The shoe model actually comes from Great Britain, but was very popular in Sweden and is often associated with Scandinavia.
In the history of fashion, clogs have been in focus several times. For example, Marilyn Monroe (1926 – 1962) wore black clogs during a photo shoot in the 1950s with the photographer Milton H. Greene (1922 – 1985), making the clog a must-have for her fans.
In the hippie era in the 1960s and 1970s, clogs were also an integral part of the fashion repertoire and were often worn with wide flared trousers or corduroy trousers. Those who wore clogs back then showed their closeness to nature in this way. Even today, in times of the climate crisis, this makes the shoe an absolute statement shoe again: Since clogs are usually made of wood, they are very durable and resistant. And they have the advantage that wood, as a natural material, can be easily recycled.
As well as being a symbol of sustainability, clogs are also a fashion relic from the early 2000s. With the Y2K trend continuing in 2023, it is not surprising that clogs are now being worn again. Finally, in the early 00s, pop star Christina Aguilera (42) ensured that clogs celebrated a revival and briefly became an it-piece. Her favorite model at the time: clogs with absurdly high heels.
Almost 10 years later, the British presenter and model Alexa Chung (39) was photographed in clogs on her very first “Vogue” cover. As an it girl, in 2010 she ensured that clogs were once again en vogue in Great Britain and the rest of the world. So it’s no wonder that clogs are back in fashion – after all, they reappear on the catwalks every few decades.
