The rise in popularity of the comfy shoe - 6 Minute English

Dan: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Dan.

Neil: Let me just sit down.

Ah!

And I'm Neil.

Dan: Neil,

are you wearing high heels?

Neil: Hang on.

Ah!

Not any more!

Dan: How did they feel?

Neil: Agony!

How do women do this?

Dan: Why on earth are you wearing them?

Neil: Well, I wanted to look fashionable and cool!

Everyone knows that high heels are the

height of fashion

– on the street, at work and at parties.

I'm ready for anything!

Dan: I'm not so sure you're right there, Neil.

Our topic for this 6 Minute English is about

the rise in popularity of the comfy shoe.

However, before we step into that,

let's have our quiz question.

Which famous sports clothing company's

first pair of running shoes

was inspired by the square pattern

on a waffle-making machine?

Was it: a) Adidas

b) Nike, or

c) Puma

Neil: Well, I have no idea, so I'm going to say

Adidas because that's got marks.

Dan: We'll have to wait until later to find out.

So, what do you think of when I say comfy shoes?

Neil: Well, 'comfy' is an adjective which is an informal

way of saying 'comfortable'.

So, I suppose we're talking trainers.

But I was always told that trainers weren't appropriate

for everywhere, like work and many formal or social

places, such as parties, bars and clubs.

Dan: Well, that certainly used to be the case,

but that may not be as true any more.

Victoria Moss is the Senior Fashion Editor

at the Telegraph newspaper in the UK.

Here she is speaking on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour

about why trainers are considered

more fashionable these days.

Is it something that's happened very recently?

Victoria Moss: Well I think it's been, sort of,

coming on for a while. And I think one thing in fashion

in the last 10 years has been a, sort of, mass

casualisation of everything. And there's been a big

streetwear trend, which has filtered through.

Dan: So, is it something that's happened very recently?

Neil: Apparently not, no.

She said that there has been a mass casualisation of

things over the last 10 years.

'Casualisation' here means 'the

process of becoming less formal and more relaxed'

– 'more casual'.

Dan: Yes! Society has relaxed its idea of what

is considered formal or appropriate.

In addition,

we're told there has been a big streetwear trend.

'Streetwear' is a style of casual clothing worn especially

by young people from urban settings – that's the city.

Neil: This trend has filtered through.

If something 'filters through', it appears or happens

gradually over time.

Dan: So, presumably, the trend for streetwear filtered

through from its specialised area into mainstream

fashion until everyone was following it.

Neil: Well, that explains why trainers are more

fashionable these days, but it doesn't explain

why people are wearing them more.

Not everyone follows fashion, you know.

Dan: Yes, Neil, I can see that when I look at you.

But you're forgetting the comfy part.

Emma Supple is a podiatrist

– a foot doctor -

who also spoke on Woman's Hour.

Here she is explaining why being comfy is so important.

What are people doing more these days

that they weren't before?

Emma Supple: So what we're actually talking about is,

actually, people, for wellness walking more and doing

more… and they're not going to do that in

a lot of high heels… so trainers

are changing the materials. There are now a lot of fabric

trainers and if you've inherited foot problems,

then that kind of fabric…

they're wrapping around knobbly bits,

and knobbly bits hurt.

Dan: What are people doing more?

Neil: They're walking more and they're doing it

for wellness.

'Wellness' is the state of being healthy.

Dan: As a result,

trainers have had to change their materials to fabric

to make themselves more comfortable.

Neil: Not only that, but if you have any foot problems,

these fabric, or cloth, trainers are better at fitting

to the shape of your foot.

That means if you have any knobbly bits,

they won't hurt as much,

which makes trainers more comfortable for everyone!

Dan: 'Knobbly' is an adjective that means 'lumpy'

– 'having many raised areas on the surface'.

Neil: So, it's the combination of a change in fashion

and a change in materials

that's made trainers and other comfy shoes

more popular than ever, right?

Dan: Exactly!

And hard on the heels of that revelation,

we can reveal the answer to our quiz question.

Earlier I asked which famous sports clothing

company's first pair of running shoes

was inspired by the square pattern

on a waffle-making machine.

Was it: a) Adidas

b) Nike, or

c) Puma

Neil, you said?

Neil: I said Adidas

Dan: Sorry. The answer is Nike.

In 1971 their co-founder

Bill Bowerman was having breakfast when he

saw the waffle machine and it inspired the

design of Nike's first running shoe.

Let's hope it was comfy one.

Neil: Aha!

It must be time to review our vocabulary!

So, first we had 'comfy'

– an adjective which is an informal ways of saying

'comfortable'.

Dan: Then we had 'casualisation'.

This describes the process of things,

such as fashion or behaviour,

becoming less formal and more casual.

Neil: Next was 'streetwear'.

That describes a style of casual clothing

that is worn especially

by young people who live in cities.

Dan: Then we heard 'filtered through'.

If something 'filters through',

it appears or happens gradually over time.

For example,

has it filtered through to you yet, Neil,

that high heels were a mistake?

Neil: Yes it has!

They didn't do anything for my 'wellness', I can tell you,

which means 'the state of being healthy'.

Dan: And lastly, we had 'knobbly'.

This adjective means 'lumpy'

or 'having many raised areas on the surface'

- like skin when it gets cold.

Do you have anything knobbly on your foot, Neil?

Neil: Probably! My feet are killing me!

Dan: I think we've found your Achilles heel!

However, it's time to go.

But we will be back.

In the meantime, you can find us in all the usual

places online and on social media,

just look for BBC Learning English.

Bye for now.

Neil: Goodbye!