Giant shoes of Marikina

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.

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)

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. Dacanay, Barbara Mae (October 22, 2002). "World's 'biggest shoe' unveiled". Gulf News. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  2. "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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