Selling their soles! Roman Gladiators in Chester, UK, attract fashion fans
The gladiators, who don full Roman uniform to give daily guided tours around the historic city of Chester, Northwest England, make their own footwear to ensure it is historically accurate.
Now they have started selling them after being hounded by fashion-hungry women who want their gladiator sandals so they can get one up on their friends by wearing ‘the real thing.’
Paul Harston, who heads the Roman Tours company, said: “We have always made our own gladiator sandals, as we pride ourselves on making our uniforms as authentic as possible. But we never expected to be at the forefront of fashion!
“It started with just a few calls from young women asking if we sold the sandals we make and enquiries have just grown and grown. Every day our legionnaires are stopped and asked where they got their sandals from.
“At first we were a bit puzzled and thought it was just a joke, then someone explained that they were all the rage this summer.
“The Romans made their sandals to be versatile, practical, reliable and wore them on a variety of different occasions, so I can see the fashion appeal.”
Manchester university student Sacha Ford, 21, is one of the women who has bought the shoes. She said: “Gladiator sandals are all the rage – and getting the real thing is a great way of getting one over your friends.
“I was in Chester on a shopping trip and the ones the Roman soldiers were wearing looked so great I just had to have a pair.”
Dr Giorgio Riello, an expert in the history of shoes and fashion at The University of Warwick, said incidents were the retro-fashion equivalent of people seeking out the best trainers to go one better than their friends.
He added: “There is a great move towards retro fashion at the moment but there is also a certain need for authenticity so even better than a retro fashion item is one which is exactly like the original.”
The trend for ‘Glads’ first began in the First Century BC – but has been resurrected this year by A-list celebrities, such as Kate Moss, Heidi Klum and Sienna Miller.
Gladiator sandals currently make up 44 out of the 45 styles of sandals available at Topshop and it’s a similar story at other major retailers across the UK.
ASOS.com and high street giant Arcadia have seen sales of the style double compared to last year. Selfridges has variations from 50 different designers and, at Harvey Nichols, there are waiting lists for gladiator sandals by Balenciaga and Azzedine Alaïa.
Nicola Said, of Visit Chester & Cheshire, said: “Chester has a wonderful mix of heritage as well being modern and vibrant and in touch with the latest fashion trends. Now all these aspects are encapsulated by our Roman Tours’ gladiators – and their footwear in particular!
“We have always prided ourselves on the authenticity of the gladiators, who conduct our Roman tours, as this helps take tourists back in time to experience the city’s rich history.
“Who better to ask for an authentic pair of gladiator sandals than a Roman soldier!”
For further information please visit www.visitchester.com/
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
