A shoe hanger, also called a shoe display hanger, is commonly used to hang and display footwear in

retail stores The retail format (also known as the retail formula) influences the consumer's store choice and addresses the consumer's expectations. At its most basic level, a retail format is a simple marketplace, that is; a location where goods and services are ...

for the purpose of space efficient storage and to present footwear to customers. Shoe hangers have secondary functions of providing support for footwear and for displaying key information, such as style and

shoe size A shoe size is an indication of the fitting size of a shoe for a person. There are a number of different shoe-size systems used worldwide. While all shoe sizes use a number to indicate the length of the shoe, they differ in exactly what they me ...

. Shoe hangers come in a variety of styles for different display purposes and footwear types. The most common styles are wing, hook, and clip designs, which are made from plastic.

Designs

Wing shoe hangers have an elongated base that terminates at the upper end with a hook. Usually a flat disc appears just below the hook where information about the footwear is displayed. The bottom end of the base terminates into a U-shape. Each arm of the U acts as an element where a shoe can be fitted. These arms often extend and loop back down on each other to create a wing, which offers more support for the shoe. In U-shaped and wing designs, each shoe of the pair is hung adjacent to each other. This design is most commonly used for flat soled footwear such as

trainers Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...

sandal Sandals are an open type of footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can ...

slipper Slippers are light footwear that are easy to put on and off and are intended to be worn indoors, particularly at home. They provide comfort and protection for the feet when walking indoors. History The recorded history of slippers can be traced ...

s, and pumps. Hook shoe hangers are more basic in their design and resemble small clothes hangers. The arms are far shorter and have a hook at their end. This design is commonly used to hang

flip-flops Flip-flops are a type of light sandal, typically worn as a form of casual footwear. They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped strap known as a toe thong that passes between the first and second toes and around both side ...

s. Clip shoe hangers are used to hand and display boots. The base is short and terminates at the upper end with a hook. Directly below the hook is a flat disc that acts as a display for information and also as a grip to open the spring clip. The clip displays boots side on as opposed to other shoe hanger designs that display footwear front on.

History

One of the earliest patented shoe hangers was used for the purpose of hanging shoes in public service areas such as

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...

, where it was important to be able to store shoes in an organised manner. It was also important to prominently display shoes so that the wearer would have easy access to them. Like modern shoe hangers in retail stores, its secondary function was to support shoes. The main difference between this design and modern shoe hangers was that the soles of the shoes would lie flat against the wall. This early shoe hanger, which was made from wire, was patented in 1926 by Jesse S. Harding. As retail space became increasingly expensive it became necessary to display shoes and other clothing items in a more space efficient way. The first modern shoe hanger was filed by the Japanese Tsuneji Matsubara in 1970 and consisted of a base with an element for placing a pair of shoes adjacent to each other.Matsubara, Tsuneji (1970). Footwear Holder. JA Patent 3,635, 353 filed March 19, 1970, and issued January 18, 1972. Various improvements were made over the next few decades to accommodate the storage and display of different types of shoes, as seen in the wing, hook, and clip designs.

References

* {{refend Shoes Domestic implements

Designs

History

See also

References