The Social Lives of Shoes

Footwear Research Network
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Documentary

What if shoes could speak? The Social Lives of Shoes explores one of the most underestimated aspects of consumer culture through conversations with the people who design, make, study, and wear footwear. Hosts Dr. Alexandra Sherlock and Dr. Emily Brayshaw uncover how shoes reflect our values, impact our world, and offer possibilities for more sustainable futures.

  1. 16h ago

    11. High Heels, Low Expectations: A Life on the Red Carpet with Celebrity Reporter Fran Weinstein

    Overview: For our season finale, Alex sits down with retired entertainment reporter Fran Weinstein, whose memoir Tortured Soles tells the story of a remarkable career through her shoe collection. Fran's stories from the red carpet open into a deep conversation about femininity across the life course, the ethics of the gossip industry, women's rights, the mental health toll of living our lives on show, and how our shoes carry our memories. Credits: Presenters: Dr Alexandra Sherlock & Dr Emily Brayshaw Guest: Fran Weinstein Production and Editing: Dr Alexandra Sherlock Chapters: [00:00] Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country[01:00] The season finale: introducing celebrity reporter Fran Weinstein[03:54] The politics of heels: femininity and choice[07:11] A life on the red carpet[09:02] Writing her memoir Tortured Soles: High Heels, Low Expectations and the Hollywood Gossip Mill.[10:09] Where we didn't belong: 9/11 and Michael J. Fox[14:30] The reporter/celebrity unwritten contract - Clooney and Jamie Lee Curtis[16:32] Short and being seen, in 200 pairs of designer shoes[18:56] A first-generation Bronx childhood and Captain Kangaroo[22:03] Reading people, and the seven-year-old consigliere[29:31] The Anne Heche tape, the Chanels, and the kicked-in door[40:11] Celebrities as gods, reporters as messengers[46:55] The night it ended: a fall in Stuart Weitzman boots[48:41] Crossing the line: Heath Ledger and the modern industry[52:55] Everyone is on show: mental health impacts of social media and 24/7 visibility today[55:44] Coming back down to earth: Birkenstocks, thongs and a reconnection with nature.[1:02:43] The 2003 blackout in Chanel mules[1:04:07] Advice for women: stand in your truth[1:06:49] Analysis with Emily and Alex: power, ageing, feminism and "tortured soles"Visit https://footwearresearchnetwork.org/podcast for full show notes, transcript and images of Fran's shoes. www.footwearresearchnetwork.org

    11. High Heels, Low Expectations: A Life on the Red Carpet with Celebrity Reporter Fran Weinstein

  2. Aug 8

    10. More Stitches, Less Riches: Reconnecting with Our Shoes, Each Other and the Planet with Wendy Ward

    Overview: In this episode, Alex speaks with Wendy Ward, PhD candidate at Sheffield Hallam University, about the relationships and connections we build with our clothes and shoes, and how they might encourage more sustainable behaviour. Wendy shares creative practices from her doctoral research, including wardrobe audits, ink prints of "broken" garments and her daily stitching ritual, all designed to deepen attachment and mindfulness rather than provoke guilt. The conversation explores how paying attention to what we already own can restore connection with our belongings, each other and the planet. Credits: Guest: Wendy Ward Presenters: Dr Alexandra Sherlock & Dr Emily Brayshaw Production and Editing: Dr Alexandra Sherlock Chapters: 00:10 — Introduction 02:04 — Brave New World: "The More Stitches, The Less Riches"07:37 — Meet Wendy Ward: Enduring Fashion 13:13 — From Fast Fashion to Fair Trade 16:53 — Material Engagement and How It Changes Us 22:51 — The Waste Problem: Clothes and Shoes 27:06 — Beyond Guilt: Creative Methods for Change 30:12 — Wardrobe Audits and Data Visualisation 32:44 — Loved and Broken Garments: Prints, Rubbings and Break-Up Letters 47:06 — The Daily Stitch: French Knots and Seasonal Colour 57:13 — Slowing Down: Attention, Drawing and Keeping-While-Giving 1:15:17 — What Could Industry Do Differently? 1:20:42 — Shoes, Mending and Future Collaboration 1:26:15 — Debrief: Repair, Sole Prints and Conspicuous Waste 1:33:58 — Debrief: Wardrobe Studies and What's NextImages and full transcript at www.footwearresearchnetwork.org/podcast www.footwearresearchnetwork.org

    10. More Stitches, Less Riches: Reconnecting with Our Shoes, Each Other and the Planet with Wendy Ward

  3. Jul 21

    9. Death and shoes: dressing the dead, decomposition and material afterlives with Dr Pia Interlandi

    OVERVIEW Why do we dress the dead, and why do we so often insist on shoes for bodies that will never walk again? In this episode of The Social Lives of Shoes, Dr Alexandra Sherlock speaks with Dr Pia Interlandi, Associate Professor at Curtin University and founder of Garments for the Grave, whose practice interlaces fashion, funerals and forensics. Together they explore what dressing the dead, natural burial, and Pia's pioneering research into textile decomposition, from The Pig Project to alkaline hydrolysis experiments on Ugg boots, Adidas Superstars and Clarks school shoes, can teach us about material life cycles, circularity and the ends of shoes' lives. Content note: This episode contains detailed discussion of death, dying and dressing the dead, and mentions cancer treatment and animal use in research. If this episode brings anything up for you, please visit https://findahelpline.com for grief and crisis support local to you. CREDITS: Guest: Dr Pia Interlandi Presenters: Dr Alexandra Sherlock & Dr Emily Brayshaw Produced and edited by: Dr Alexandra Sherlock Published by the Footwear Research Network CHAPTERS: [01:07] Episode 9 Introduction and Content Note[06:51] Meet Associate Professor Pia Interlandi[09:37] Fashion and Death as Sisters[14:27] Garments for the Grave — Dressing the Dead as Ritual[18:12] The Denial of Death — Becker, Capitalism and Legacy[26:40] "Why Are We Putting Him in Shoes?" — Dressing Nonno and Nonna[35:06] Mummified Feet, Personhood and Planning a Good Death[41:19] Pointe Shoes — Linda Nurk, Rachel and What We Take to the Grave[46:51] The Pig Project — Decomposition, Data and Disgust[1:01:26] What Happened to the Fibres — Protein, Plant and Plastic[1:09:44] Alkaline Hydrolysis — An Alternative End for Bodies[1:12:22] Dissolving Shoes — Uggs, Superstars and School Shoes[1:17:52] Debrief — Transformation, Cinderella and a Pair of Crocs[1:21:54] Debrief — Surrogate Bodies, Disgust and Pia's Ongoing Work[1:28:11] Bonus Story — The Lynx EffectFull transcript, images and links at www.footwearresearchnetwork.org/podcast/shoes-and-death-with-pia-interlandi  www.footwearresearchnetwork.org

    9. Death and shoes: dressing the dead, decomposition and material afterlives with Dr Pia Interlandi

  4. Jul 10 ·  Video

    An Announcement from the Footwear Research Network

    The Footwear Research Network is becoming a non-profit social enterprise, and Alex, Emily and Pennie explain why now's the moment to get involved. After sixteen years bringing human insight to footwear sustainability, this step lets FRN operate independently, build real partnerships, and grow the podcast and This Is Not a Shoe workshops. Become a Founding Patron, support work already shaping the footwear industry, and help write the next chapter together. More information at: https://footwearresearchnetwork.org/articles/the-footwear-research-network-is-registering-to-become-a-non-profit-social-enterprise Donate now via GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/93cd1aebf www.footwearresearchnetwork.org

  5. May 29

    8. Understanding Attachment and Divestment For a Circular Economy with Dr. Ellen Sampson

    How and why do we become attached to particular shoes? What does this mean for disposal? How might ideas of attachment inform circular and sustainable business models and consumer practices? In this episode Dr. Alexandra Sherlock speaks with Dr. Ellen Sampson author of 'Worn: Footwear, Attachment and the Affects of Wear' about how and why we become attached to shoes, and the implications of these attachments at the end of a shoe’s ‘life’. Credits: Interviewee: Dr Ellen Sampson Presenters: Dr Alexandra Sherlock & Dr Emily Brayshaw Produced and edited by: Dr Alexandra Sherlock Chapters: [00:58] Episode 8 Introduction[02:27] Emotionally Durable Design and Jonathan Chapman[07:48] Attachment and Shoes — The Palimpsest[16:57] The Pros and Cons of Durability[25.05] The Concept of Cleaving — Attachment and Detachment[27:59] Fetishising Shoes - Meaning and Metaphor[30:16] This Is Not a Shoe — Detachment Through Deconstruction[34:12] Divestment Strategies and Managed Letting Go[37:09] Ongoingness, Narrative, and Resale Platforms[48:42] Circularity, Loss, and Material Life Cycles      [50:28] Resources and What's Coming Next[52:21] Key Takeaways — Emily and Alex ReflectTranscript links and show notes at www.footwearresearchnetwork.org  www.footwearresearchnetwork.org

    8. Understanding Attachment and Divestment For a Circular Economy with Dr. Ellen Sampson

  6. May 12

    7. Lessons from Vietnam: Culture, Craft and Footwear's Place in Sustainable and Regenerative Fashion Research

    Overview:  In this episode, Dr Alexandra Sherlock debriefs Dr Emily Brayshaw on her recent attendance at the 28th Annual IFFTI (International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes) Conference, hosted by RMIT University's Vietnam Campus in Ho Chi Minh City. The conference theme, ‘Cultural Connections for Sustainable Fashion Futures: Rebuild, Renew and Regenerate’, drew Alex to Vietnam with a clear purpose: to put footwear on the radar of fashion sustainability researchers, and to ask what the field's most progressive thinking means for an industry that has long been left out of the conversation. Alex shares insights from key conference papers, translates their themes for a footwear audience, reflects on a visit to a Vietnamese footwear factory, and makes the case for culture as the essential foundation of any genuinely sustainable fashion future.  Credits: Presenters: Dr Alexandra Sherlock and Dr Emily BrayshawEdited and produced by: Dr Alexandra SherlockPhotographs and images: Credits in captions Chapters: [00:00] - Show Intro[00:47] - Acknowledgements and Corrections[05:22] - Vietnam and IFFTI: Cultural Connections for Sustainable Fashion Futures - Rebuild, Renew and Regenerate[08:23] - Footwear: The Blind Spot in Fashion Research [14:41] - School Uniforms and Permaculture[20:31] - School Uniforms, Government Funding and Repair Economies[25:55] - Inside a Vietnamese Shoe Factory[31:12] - Digital Product Passports, Blockchain and Storytelling[36:43] - Taming, Rewilding and the Capitalist Co-Option Problem[40:30] - Boro, Kintsugi and the Repair as Ritual[51:13] - Waste Not Want Not[56:01] - The Evolving Role of Higher Education[59:13] - Culture as the Fourth Pillar of Sustainability All links, images and verified transcripts at the Footwear Research Network www.footwearresearchnetwork.org

    7. Lessons from Vietnam: Culture, Craft and Footwear's Place in Sustainable and Regenerative Fashion Research

  7. Apr 23

    6. Beyond Bridgerton: The Real History and Value of Regency Footwear with Dr Hilary Davidson

    Overview: In the third and final episode of our trilogy on footwear histories and archives, Dr Emily Brayshaw speaks with Dr Hilary Davidson, dress, textile and fashion historian and curator, about what we can learn from the consumption and manufacture of footwear in the Regency period, from proxy shopping networks and colonial supply chains to repair culture and the enduring value of archive-based research. Credits: Interviewee: Dr Hilary DavidsonInterviewer: Dr Emily BrayshawPresenters: Dr Alexandra Sherlock and Dr Emily BrayshawEdited and produced by: Dr Alexandra SherlockPhotographs and images: Credits in captions Chapters: 00:00 - Show Intro 00:59 - Episode 6 Overview and Context 13:56 - Introducing Hilary Davidson 17:08 - The Importance of Jane Austen 20:34 - Shoes in the Regency Period: An Overview 23:33 - Boots, Leisure, and Military Chic 26:37 - When Women's Shoes Lost Their Heels 29:30 - Regency retail: Letters and Proxy Shopping 32:42 - Convicts, Colonies, and the rise of the Global Shoe Trade 40:11 - Theft, Repair, and the Value of a Good Boot 43:00 - Historical Insights for Sustainability 46:07 - Australian Climate, Identity, and Style 51:06 - Current Projects and Future Directions 53:36 - Sign-off Full show notes at www.footwearresearchnetwork.org  www.footwearresearchnetwork.org

    6. Beyond Bridgerton: The Real History and Value of Regency Footwear with Dr Hilary Davidson

  8. Apr 2

    5. Looking Back to Look Forward: Lessons from the Bata Shoe Museum with Elizabeth Semmelhack

    The second episode in our three-part series on footwear histories and archives features Dr Emily Brayshaw in conversation with Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto. From the museum's founding vision to virtual footwear and sustainability, Elizabeth reveals how a world-class collection can simultaneously serve designers, researchers, and communities. And why material objects matter more, not less, in an increasingly digital world. Credits: Interviewee: Elizabeth Semmelhack: Director and Senior Curator at the Bata Shoe MuseumInterviewer: Dr. Emily BrayshawPresenters: Dr. Alexandra Sherlock and Dr. Emily BrayshawEdited and produced by: Dr. Alexandra SherlockPhotographs: Credits in captions Chapters 00:00 - Show Intro 00:58 - Episode 5 Overview 05:37 - How serendipity brought an art historian to footwear 08:11 - Shoes as Research Method:  Reading gender, economics and fashion through what people wore 11:14 - Debunking the Chopine: Why objects and cultural context must be studied together 15:02 - One Woman's Collection: The founding vision of the Bata Shoe Museum and how it has evolved 19:27 - Designers in the Archive: How and why designers engage with the Museum’s collections 23:22 - Object and Context: The power and significance of the material object 27:11 - The Worn-Out Sole: What signs of wear can reveal about bodies, lives and secondhand markets 31:07 - Twenty Billion Pairs: The scale of overproduction and why most of what we make can't be kept or recycled 34:38 - Shoes Without Bodies: Virtual footwear, the metaverse and what shoes might mean in digital space 38:32 - Next Steps: Roman forts, cowboy boots and beadwork:  the Bata Shoe Museum’s  current and upcoming projects 40:22 - Episode Reflection: Emily and Alex 43:30 - Show outro Show Notes www.footwearresearchnetwork.org

    5. Looking Back to Look Forward: Lessons from the Bata Shoe Museum with Elizabeth Semmelhack
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About

What if shoes could speak? The Social Lives of Shoes explores one of the most underestimated aspects of consumer culture through conversations with the people who design, make, study, and wear footwear. Hosts Dr. Alexandra Sherlock and Dr. Emily Brayshaw uncover how shoes reflect our values, impact our world, and offer possibilities for more sustainable futures.

Information

  • Creator
    Footwear Research Network
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Footwear Research Network
  • Show Website
    The Social Lives of Shoes

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