This weeks blogpost will be a bit shorter because of a big workload in other courses. In the upcoming weeks I want to continue to focus on cobblers and learn more about peoples habits when it comes to shoes and repair.
The term „cobbler“ describes a person who repairs shoes. It originates from the Old English word „cobelere,“ which means a mender of shoes. It is one of the worlds oldest professions and cobblers have been essential tradespeople for centuries, repairing and making shoes by hand (The Shoe Healer, n.d.). Many cobblers have specific skills related to working with leather. Fixing belts, handbags and other leather products has also become common work for cobblers.
With the industrialization of shoe manufacturing in the 19th and 20th centuries, the role of the cobbler evolved. While mass production reduced the need for handmade shoes, cobblers continued to provide repair services. They became skilled in repairing and maintaining footwear, extending the life of shoes and boots.
Today, although many shoes are mass-produced and disposable, there are still cobblers who offer repair services. Cobblers can repair soles, heels, and other parts of shoes, as well as perform more intricate tasks like stitching and reconditioning leather.
REPAIRING NOW VS. THEN
Alf Zumpano is a shoe repairer based in Regina, Canada. In a small video reportage Zumpano talks about how normal it was for people to repair their shoes in the late 20th century. In 1955 there were 46 shoe repairs in Regina where there were 80 000 people living at the time, and in 2014 there were three shoe repair businesses and approximately 240 000 inhabitants. In this period of time the population of the city has been tripled while the number of shoe repair businesses has been minimized with 43 (CBC News, 2020). What caused the change of behaviour? That is a question I will look further into the next week.
🩴 🥿 👠👡 👢 👞 👟 🥾 🩴 🥿 👠👡 👢 👞 👟 🥾 🩴 🥿 👠👡 👢 👞 👟 🥾 🩴 🥿 👠👡 👢 👞
REFERENCES
- History of the Cobbler. The Shoe Healer. (n.d.). https://shoehealer.co.uk/pages/history-of-the-cobber
- YouTube. (2020, January 24). Old-school shoe repair in a throw away society | made to last. YouTube, CBC News. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViQH9A9SWOA
