Jelly shoes
Encyclopedia
Jelly shoes or jellies are shoe
s made of PVC
plastic. Jelly shoes come in a large variety of brands and colors and the material is frequently infused with glitter
. Its name refers to the semi-transparent materials with a jelly
-like sheen. The shoes became a fad
in the mid 1980s
, when a pair could frequently be purchased for less than one US dollar. Like many fashion
s do, jellies made a comeback in the late 1990s
, and again in 2003, re-gaining popularity with new styles.
The exact origins of the jelly shoes are unclear. A frequently offered explanation is that they were designed by a shoe maker in France
after World War II
, when there was a leather shortage in Europe
. Another possibility is that the shoes were created somewhere in the late 1950s or early 1960s
, when plastic became a commonplace material, and fashion design
ers began to experiment with it. The Brazil
-based shoe company Grendene Shoes claims to have introduced the jelly shoes to the US market in 1982, though a New York Times
article published on June 1, 1980 also mentions them.
In 1981, a bank president named Preston Haag Sr. quit his job to look for a business that would involve his family. He traveled to South America
where he began visiting American ambassadors to find potential products for the United States
. At a reception in Brazil, Haag noted bright shoes worn by many young women. He inquired and learned that the manufacturer was Grendene, a small company that employed 3,000 of the 10,000 people living in Farroupilha
, Brazil. In March 1981, Haag struck a deal to distribute Grendene's plastic shoes in the southeastern US through a new company named Grendha, which introduced the shoes during the 1982 World's Fair
. While successful, according to Haag the jellies really landed on the map in America in February 1983, after Bloomingdale's
, a trendy department store in NYC, ordered 2,400 pairs in nine styles.
Shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...
s made of PVC
Polyvinyl chloride
Polyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated PVC, is a thermoplastic polymer. It is a vinyl polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups having one hydrogen replaced by chloride. Polyvinyl chloride is the third most widely produced plastic, after polyethylene and polypropylene. PVC is widely used in...
plastic. Jelly shoes come in a large variety of brands and colors and the material is frequently infused with glitter
Glitter
Glitter describes an assortment of very small pieces of copolymer plastics, aluminum foil, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, bismuth oxychloride or other materials painted in metallic, neon and iridescent colors to reflect light in a sparkling spectrum...
. Its name refers to the semi-transparent materials with a jelly
Gelatin
Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle , flavorless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar...
-like sheen. The shoes became a fad
FAD
In biochemistry, flavin adenine dinucleotide is a redox cofactor involved in several important reactions in metabolism. FAD can exist in two different redox states, which it converts between by accepting or donating electrons. The molecule consists of a riboflavin moiety bound to the phosphate...
in the mid 1980s
1980s in fashion
In the 1970s, the silhouette of fashion tended to be characterized by close fitting clothes on top with wider, looser clothes on the bottom. This trend completely reversed itself in the early 1980s as both men and women began to wear looser shirts and tight, close-fitting trousers.Men wore power...
, when a pair could frequently be purchased for less than one US dollar. Like many fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
s do, jellies made a comeback in the late 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, and again in 2003, re-gaining popularity with new styles.
The exact origins of the jelly shoes are unclear. A frequently offered explanation is that they were designed by a shoe maker in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when there was a leather shortage in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Another possibility is that the shoes were created somewhere in the late 1950s or early 1960s
1960s in fashion
The 1960s featured a number of diverse trends. It was a decade that broke many fashion traditions, mirroring social movements during the period. In the middle of the decade, culottes, box-shaped PVC dresses and go-go boots were popular...
, when plastic became a commonplace material, and fashion design
Fashion design
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
ers began to experiment with it. The Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
-based shoe company Grendene Shoes claims to have introduced the jelly shoes to the US market in 1982, though a New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
article published on June 1, 1980 also mentions them.
In 1981, a bank president named Preston Haag Sr. quit his job to look for a business that would involve his family. He traveled to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
where he began visiting American ambassadors to find potential products for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. At a reception in Brazil, Haag noted bright shoes worn by many young women. He inquired and learned that the manufacturer was Grendene, a small company that employed 3,000 of the 10,000 people living in Farroupilha
Farroupilha
Farroupilha is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in the Serra Gaúcha between the cities of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul. The city’s total length is 359.3 km²...
, Brazil. In March 1981, Haag struck a deal to distribute Grendene's plastic shoes in the southeastern US through a new company named Grendha, which introduced the shoes during the 1982 World's Fair
1982 World's Fair
The 1982 World's Fair, formally known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition, was held in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the United States. The theme of the exposition was "Energy Turns the World."...
. While successful, according to Haag the jellies really landed on the map in America in February 1983, after Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
, a trendy department store in NYC, ordered 2,400 pairs in nine styles.
External links
- “Smelly” jelly or “juicy” jelly… shoes?, ermoumag. Contains some photographs of 'designer jellies'.