Footwear Definitions — shoes, boots and footwear terms from Apparel Search
A clog is a type of shoe or sandal with a rigid, often wooden, sole. Clogs were widely worn by workers as protective clothing in factories, mines and farms, and in the strictest sense the term refers to any article of footgear with at the least a wooden sole, including Dutch klompen, French sabots and Japanese geta.
In a broader sense, it also applies to any article of footgear that is designed, either partially or completely, in imitation of some form of traditional or practical clog, but with a cork, rubber, or plastic sole, but usually excludes non-wooden platform shoes intended for fashion rather than practicality, in which neither the sole nor the upper is patterned after European work clogs.
In the late 20th century, the sort of leather-upper clogs that had long been popular in Scandinavian countries became fashionable, particularly for women, usually in an open-back style (such clogs are also, technically, mules), or a slingback style; in the early 21st century, a closed-back version also became popular with both men and women. Women's fashion sandals with traditional clog soles have also become popular in recent years.
Klompen are still worn by a small number of older farmers and fishermen in The Netherlands. In the past, many groups of people in the Netherlands would wear klompen as their everyday shoes. These clogs are made (mostly) of willow-wood and provide a warm, insulated and safe form of footgear. Traditionally, a farmer's klompen have rounded toes, while a fisherman's have pointed toes (like those of the ornamental klompen made for the tourist trade), to assist in stretching nets. Mostly, klompen have been replaced by rubber boots.
Clogs are still used today, both in gardens and road-work, but also for decoration, such as those intended for tourists for use as flowerpots or wall ornaments. Traditional Scandinavian-style clogs, particularly when made of either rubber or plastic instead of wood, are also frequently worn by chefs, doctors, nurses, and others whose work requires long hours of standing, because of the support a well-made pair provides (and, in the case of all-plastic versions, because they are easy to clean, with some heat-resistant plastic hospital clogs even being autoclave-safe); in such cases, however, more cheaply-made versions that are neither padded nor contoured, and thus have little or no support, are not generally regarded as useful. Clogs were tested for compliance to European safety standards and found to meet those standards.
Standard klompen cost about 10 for a size 10. Painted in yellow or black (traditional colors) this may be up to 12. When purchased in tourist areas prices range up to 20 or even 30 a pair. Well-made Scandinavian-style clogs, suitable for use as work shoes, tend to be quite expensive, but also both comfortable and durable.
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"Cloggs" is a registered brandname for a particular brand of clogs.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/clogs). 12/10/04 |
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The national forms of the clog each solved local problems. Dutch klompen, made mostly of willow wood, give a warm, insulated and safe shoe: a farmer's pair has rounded toes, while a fisherman's pair has pointed toes to assist in stretching nets, the same pointed shape sold to tourists as ornaments and flowerpots. French sabots and Japanese geta belong to the same family, a rigid wooden base that lifts the foot clear of mud, water and workshop floors. Price once made the clog the universal work shoe: standard klompen cost about 10 for a size 10, painted yellow or black in the traditional colours up to about 12, with tourist-area prices reaching 20 or 30. Clogs were tested for compliance with European safety standards and met those standards, which is why the form survived in gardens and road work long after rubber boots took over the farms.
The clog's second career began when the leather-upper clogs long popular in Scandinavian countries became fashionable in the late 20th century, particularly for women, usually in an open-back style that is technically also a mule, or in a slingback style; in the early 21st century a closed-back version became popular with both men and women, and women's fashion sandals with traditional clog soles followed. The work market is the more durable story. A well-made Scandinavian-style clog, padded and contoured, supports the foot through long hours of standing, which is why chefs, doctors and nurses wear them; cheap versions that are neither padded nor contoured give little or no support and are not generally regarded as useful. Material decides the setting: wood and leather for the traditional and fashion clog, rubber or plastic where the shoe must be hosed down or sterilised. One name on the shelf is not generic: Cloggs is a registered brand name for a particular brand of clogs.
In the strictest sense, a clog is any article of footgear with at least a wooden sole. In a broader sense the name also covers footwear designed in imitation of traditional clogs with cork, rubber or plastic soles, such as Dr. Scholl's exercise sandals.
Clogs were worn as protective clothing in factories, mines and farms because a rigid wooden sole shields the foot from dropped objects, sharp ground and wet floors. In more developed countries they have largely been replaced by steel toe-capped boots or rubber boots.
Scandinavian-style clogs are frequently worn by chefs, doctors, nurses and others whose work requires long hours of standing, because a well-made pair gives real support, and all-plastic hospital versions are easy to clean and may even be autoclave-safe.