My Interest in Shoe Art Danny Lin

As a little child living in China, I stumbled across an abandoned shoe factory near the outskirts of Guangzhou. I remember uncovering dusty boxes filled with defective sneakers and high heels. I can still smell the unworn rubber sole of the Li-Ning sneakers and feel the stitched leather of the off brand high heels. Immediately, I took off my Teletubbies sandals and stuck my petite feet into the enormous sneakers. “Ooouuu,” I admired the rubber sneakers. Unfortunately, I could not bring back the shoes to my house because my grandparents would question me about it and the shoes did not fit me either. From that day on, I became fascinated by footwear and the history behind it.

Prior to returning to America, my grandmother gave me a present that turned out to be a history book of footwear. I read that book several times and learned something new each time. I would have to say the consistency and popularity a certain type of shoe can maintain is surprising. The sandal that Jesus wore in biblical times is widely known as “Jesus sandal” and its popularity is at an all time high with beach lovers and white girls in particular. The different basketball sneakers that Michael Jordan wore in the 1990s is now a multi-billionaire brand that...