Giant shoes of Marikina
DesignerColossal Footwear
Year2002
TypeMen's shoes (size 753; French shoe size standard)
MaterialLeather
On display atMarikina Sports Park (formerly)
Marikina Shoe Gallery (formerly)

A giant pair of shoes made in Marikina, Philippines is a city attraction and was known for being the world's largest shoes according to Guinness World Records. The city nicknamed "Shoe Capital of the Philippines" is known for its shoe-making industry.

Conception

The Marikina city government, known for its shoe-making industry, under Mayor Marides Fernando is responsible for the creation of two giant shoes. The crafting of the shoes were part of a bid to break the Guinness World Records on the "largest shoes in the world" as well as an attempt to boost the city's reputation in shoe-making globally.[1]

Crafting and dimensions

The giant shoes on display at the Marikina Shoe Gallery at the Riverbank Mall.

Marikina's giant shoes were made by Colossal Footwear, a 9-shoemaker team consisting of Norman Arada, Florinio de Asis, Daniel Cotter, Noel Cox, Arman Javier, Cesar Paz, Arthur Rivera, Emmanuel Samson, and Romel Villareal.[1][2] They decided to make a pair of men's shoes for stability and were hesitant of making high-heeled women's shoes. Bulacan-based The Valenzuela Tannery was responsible for supplying the natural leather used for the making of the giant shoes. The shoes, which has a size of 753 according to French shoe size standards, took 77 days of crafting to be finished. The shoes costed ₱1.2 million (US$23,076) and each has a dimension of 5.5 m × 2.35 m × 1.83 m (18.0 ft × 7.7 ft × 6.0 ft)[1] The footwear are Oxford shoes.[2]

Unveiling and subsequent display

The giant shoes of Marikina were formally unveiled in October 2002.[1] The shoes was officially recognized to be the largest in the world in December 2020 by the Guinness World Records surpassing the 3.12 m (10.2 ft) long right shoe designed by Zahit Okurlar of Turkey.[2]

The footwear was subsequently displayed at the Marikina Sports Park[2] and later at the Marikina Shoe Gallery at the Riverbank Mall until the latter's closure in late 2020.[3][4] The shoes are distinct from the giant shoes which were displayed on a barge in the middle of the Marikina River.[5]

By 2013, the Marikina giant shoes has already lost its Guinness World Records distinction. In April 2013, Hong Kong shoe distributor Electric Sekki manufactured a 6.5 m × 2.39 m × 1.65 m (21.3 ft × 7.8 ft × 5.4 ft) replica of a Superga 2750 shoe.[6][7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Dacanay, Barbara Mae (October 22, 2002). "World's 'biggest shoe' unveiled". Gulf News. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Marikina's giant shoes earn Guinness plum". The Philippine Star. December 27, 2002. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Philippines' footwear fights back against cheap imports - Taipei Times". Taipei Times. October 4, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Survival steps get steeper for Marikina shoemakers". Philippine Daily Inquirer. December 19, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  5. ↑ Whaley, Floyd (August 9, 2012). "In a City Known for Its Shoes, Water Up to Its Knees". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Largest shoe". Guinness World Records. Guinness World Records Ltd. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  7. ↑ Vookoti, Siddhartha (June 8, 2020). "Largest Pair of Shoes in the World, Photograph: Fact Check". Hoax Or Fact. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
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