Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, you will have no doubt noticed how popular gladiator sandals have become. You see them everywhere. Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Lindsay Lohan, Kate Moss, Mary Kate Olsen and others have helped to popularize them. They appear on fashion runways, in fashion magazine and on women’s feet all across the U.S. and world.
So where did these gladiator sandals come from? They are originally inspired by the ancient Roman footwear worn by gladiators. However, today’s modern footwear is a far cry from the gladiator garb.
After the movie Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe came out in 2000, there has been a renewed interest in ancient Roman and Greek culture. Roman fashion started to appear on the fashion runways and celebrities like Kate Moss began to wear gladiator sandals. In 2008 in the Sex in the City Movie Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, was seen walking the streets of New York in a pair.
So in other words, although gladiator sandals have seen many new and recent developments they actually have a very long history from our past.