Life without sliders is possible, but pointless.
August 2024
Shoes have always been my favorite part of fashion. Ever since I was young, I’ve loved following shoe trends. New shoes came to me frequently, old ones had to go, but when I owned them, I loved them and wore them all. I’ve always dreamed of having a walk-in shoe closet, but I've never had enough pairs (or space!) to make it worthwhile. Now that I’m living in Hanoi, that dream has vanished. My shoe collection has shrunk drastically. I’ve gone from wearing my beloved leather shoes slippers and other plastic footwear.
The reason for this is actually simple. They are immune to mould and allow air to reach hot feet.
It's not just in spring during ‘Moldy March’ when you suddenly notice mould creeping over your shoes. Leather unfortunately tends to attract these greenish-grey spores all year round and you have to be constantly vigilant. I still regularly check my one pair of flats and my two pairs of high heels to protect them from mould. With the constant humidity, it's an almost hopeless battle. So, I'll wear them for as long as I can, but then I won't replace them. Apart from these three pairs, there are now only plastic shoes on my shoe rack.
For aesthetic and fashion reasons, plastic shoes were taboo for me. When Crocs appeared in Europe, I effortlessly ignored this trend. Plastic slippers were out of the question, except as flip-flops on hot summer days at the beach, but not in everyday life. That's water under the bridge now: I have adapted to my environment and now almost exclusively wear plastic shoes. As platform sandals, sneakers, gumboots and of course as sliders. It's important to me that the shoes fit and that they somehow match my outfit.
I mention this because I really often see women whose shoes are far too small or far too big. One to two sizes is quite common. With sandals, the toes either stick out or the heel hangs over. But obviously doesn't bother them at all. When the shoes are closed, the heel is often folded inwards. I don't understand this, and I don't think it's because the shoes aren't available in the right size. Cô Lien is on holiday at the moment, so unfortunately, I can't ask her about it.
I assume that shoes simply don't play such a big role here. People wear them on the way to work and usually swap them for slippers. I worked briefly for an organization where orange sliders (see photo) are mandatory. Even guests coming to a meeting were asked to take off their street shoes and put on the sliders instead. I liked that. The shoes were super comfy. In Germany, we have the concept of slippers, not in the office but only at home, but maybe that's why I immediately felt good there.
Sooner or later, everyone takes their shoes off. No matter where. In the office or in public, in the park, on the bus, in a café or restaurant. People are sitting there, chatting, have taken their shoes off and kneading their toes or feet. It's a phenomenon.
It's funny in a way. Vietnam is the world's second largest producer of ‘real’ shoes (Adidas, Nike, Puma etc. have production here) but people here prefer to wear sliders. This may be a personal opinion, but I see them everywhere. They are also available everywhere, from huge piles right off the street as well as in the countless shoe shops.
I wanted to know if there are any sustainably produced shoes from Vietnam and while researching, I found the brand Một.
Một means ‘one’ in Vietnamese and refers to a shoe for everything or everyone. The company was founded in Ho Chi Minh City in 2018 with the idea of using natural materials such as cotton canvas, genuine leather, linen and bamboo fibers. Their shoes, not yet sliders, look really cool and remind me of the simple, classic espadrilles from Spain. There isn't a shop in Hanoi yet, but next time I'm in Saigon I'll pop in. I could really do with a pair of colored canvas slip-ons ‘made in Vietnam’.
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