Boat Shoe

Boat shoes were invented in 1935 by Paul Sperry and they were designed to be wore on boats. Sperry noticed his dogs ability to maintain grip on a icy lake so he decided to create shoes with a rippled bottom that would provide grip on a boat while wet floor. In 1939 the US navy manufactured Sperry’s shoes for its sailors which still wear them today. The boat shoes are also known as deck shoes. The material they are usually made are canvas or leather outsole but always have a rubber sole.

Sperry shoes featured in the films Jaws became very popular in the 1980s in America and eventually the trend followed around the world and still are very popular today.


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Written by Paige Carter

Paige Carter, studying footwear and accessories at Northampton University. She has passion and eye for footwear and loves handbags and enjoys fashion writing and blogging. Ambitions to be a shoes and accessories designer. Paige is part of Catwalk yourself writing the shoes dictionary section.


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