Footwear was made from various kinds of leather. The simplest shoes used by farmers and artisans were made of heavy, dense cowhide.
In the Novgorod cultural layer from the 11th to 13th centuries, symmetrical shoes that could be worn by both feet were discovered that had narrow heels or pjatka. Shoes with patterns stamped like curly lines, parallel lines or vegetative designs, also have been discovered in these finds.
Shoe Craftsmanship
In the course of excavations in medieval settlements in north-eastern Russia, archeologists found many kinds of shoes (lapti) with different decorations. Leather stamping and embroidering were the most frequent. They were the everyday shoes of the peasantry. These shoes were designed with a tightening lacing around the ankle and the sole was sewn on.
To make one lapti a person needed seven strips of bast two meters long each. For these strips, it was essential to strip the bark off the entire tree of the linden, without defects. The early Russians employed this metaphor to stripe as if the bark of a tree.
Different regions have their distinct methods to make lapti. Moscow’s lapti are high and pointed, while those from the Northern regions are pointed and low. Winter lapti were constructed using double layers of bast.
In the 12th century shoemakers in Novgorod began to embellish their shoes with woolen thread and leather carving. The patterns used included a range of combinations of triangles crosses, and zigzags.
Leather Shoe Production
The art of shoemaking in medieval Novgorod has received scant attention in literature. This could be due to the extremely limitedness of archeological evidence which constitute our primary resource for studying this subject.
The bulk of the giay da luoi nam footwear that is found in Novgorod archaeological sites date back to the 10th-14th centuries. It includes shoes of various kinds. The simplest, most basic footwear was made of heavy, dense leather and meant for a broad range of people (artisans as well as farmers). Softer and thinner leather was used to make openwork embroidered footwear.
The designs that were printed on the surface of the leather were made by using stitching or carving techniques for leather. They included curly designs, rows of parallel or cross-over lines, as well as designs that were vegetative. The most popular openwork design was a pair stylized flowers.
Besides the flowers, the footwear was decorated with additional ornaments such as a pair eyes, a bow and string, etc. A pair of thick soles were sewn onto the shoe to safeguard the feet.
According to INE data, the production output in Russia was up in May 2022 compared to 2017. Leather and footwear was one of the industries that boosted production. The demand for safety shoes was the main driver of growth. The Russian company Vostok-Service>> produces safety footwear on its own production facilities – Torzhok Shoe Factory ZAO (Torzhok, Tver region) and Working Style>>> OOO (Uzlovaya, Tula region). Vostok-Service is an authorized distributor for the German brand Desma.
Traditional Techniques
In the 12th century, Novgorod was an important shoe-making center. From the time of the time of this the shoes of various types including Bog shoes (lapti) ankle boots and shoes that had higher sides, reaching to the ankle (porshni) were found. They were all made of the linden, birch, oak, or elm bark; bast was then stripped from the bark and cut into strips for weaving.
The saddle stitch or hidden stitch was used to join the leather pieces, depending on whether they were close to each other or in a row. If the upper piece of leather abutted the lower leather piece then it was stitched to it with a butt seam [Rus. tachnyi shov, tachnyj shov].
Another type of winter shoes was the burki (feather and felt boots) made of white felt. These were worn by upper-class people, which included Party leaders, military commanders, government officials and generals.
The 14th century was when basic, openwork footwear was replaced with knee-high boots. They had narrow heels, small holes for laces to thread, as well as holes or cuts in the bootlegs to allow decorative leather straps could be laced. The cultural layer of Novgorod has these types of shoes, which were tied at the ankle by using lacing made of leather.
Modern Innovation
VV: I think the sneaker culture in Russia is still quite young. I believe it’s growing and the market keeps expanding. It’s not as in the 1990s when sneakers were available only to a small number of Moscow and Saint Petersburg residents who could afford foreign brands.
Nowadays, the Russian footwear industry is trying to take on modern styles and technology by incorporating them into its own manufacturing processes. Obuv Rossii, for example created an automated system to make flip-flops and clogs with EVA technology on solid. It is one of the most sophisticated systems in its area.
The use of novel materials is being tested by shoemakers. Additionally, they are implementing the latest IT solutions to improve the omnichannel commerce and improve the loyalty of customers by providing various additional services.
For example, in the near future the company is planning to create and introduce new lines of shoes for children and women. It is possible to purchase shoes that come with bags, shoe care products and hosiery. All these enhancements are expected to help increase sales, stimulate more sophisticated purchases and boost customer loyalty.
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