In the back to school rush at the start of each term, shoe shops all over the country are heaving with parents and children intent on buying school shoes. Yet many school children are wearing shoes that are either too small or unsuitable, despite the associated risks of deformity and injury caused by such footwear.
According to a recent YouGov survey for the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists (SCP), more than three quarters of women and two thirds of men suffer from foot problems, yet nearly half have never sought medical advice about them. Experts agree that around 70% of foot problems in adults can be attributed to ill-fitting shoes worn in childhood.
This August pedipedTM will usher in 27 new styles with the debut of its Fall/Winter 09 collection. Included with among these new styles will be the introduction of the first ever couture collection and a partnership with No Slippy Hair ClippyTM that led to the creation of coordinated hair clips for signature pedipedTM style shoes.
New evidence shows that childhood obesity can damage children's feet and put them at risk of future, foot, leg and back problems. A recent study of 200 children aged nine to 12 years, presented to the Society of Podiatrists and Chiropodists conference, revealed that obese children had feet that were longer and wider than normal. Obese children were also found to have problems balancing and walked at a slower pace.
Start-rite, has taken the hassle out of buying quality shoes for children with the addition to startriteshoes. com of its unique Click'n'Fit photographic foot-measuring tool. Since its launch in July 2008, startriteshoes.com, which was the first UK website to offer children's fitted footwear for sale online, has gone from strength to strength offering parents across the country an easy and convenient way to buy their children's shoes. Click'n'Fit harnesses new technology that provides a convenient solution to measure children's feet at home and buy fitted shoes for them online.
Start-rite's brand new Twinkletoes range for girls is proving popular with stores nationwide, as many retailers take up the collection to sell in-store as part of the AW09 range. The range combines pretty styles with a slimmer-profile lights unit for added child-appeal. The lights unit can be turned on and off, combining the fun element for children with a practical consideration for school. Leather and patent mix designs feature in both black and pink colourways, appealing for both school and weekends (£39 S9-11/2).
One in three children require a different fitting between their left and right feet. With this in mind Hush Puppies have developed a range of shoes for children, which incorporates the unique Fit Left Fit Right System. Only Hush Puppies have a unique set of precisely calibrated foot beds for each shoe, which tailor the fit individually to each foot, if required. www.hushpuppies.co.uk
Garvalin is a long-established family company, based in the famous shoemaking city of Elche, near Alicante, Spain. Making nearly 2m pairs of shoes a year, with a choice of approx. 300 new styles annually and distributed to over 40 countries worldwide, this is a company that continues to build on its success year on year. The mainstream brand offers children's boots, shoes, trainers and school, casual and formal wear - with a wide range of colour-ways, fastenings and trims.
Truly scrumptious little booties, handmade in Northamptonshire. At Daisy Roots we are conscious of our responsibility to both the health of children themselves and the environment, using only the finest chrome-free leather exceeding British standard requirements. We believe we are the only UK baby shoemaker able to make this claim.
