Men's patent leather shoes once the must have footwear for lotharios and sugar daddies have become a hit thanks to TV programme Strictly Come Dancing after retailer ASDA witnessed sales increases by 200 per cent since the new series began in October.
Footwear designers at George have tracked the unexpected boost in sales of the shiny shoes started to soar to the exact date when Bruce, Arlene, Len, Craig and Bruno with a host of twinkle-toed celebrities graced our screens for the fifth series.
Although now on trend for male fashionistas, patent leather shoes had previously been restricted to the Strictly Come Dancing dance floor or black tie dos.
However George sales data shows that it's the 30 - 50 year olds also putting the patent shoes that sell for £25 into their weekly shopping basket.
'Although the essential item for fashion conscious fellas, we've witnessed an unexpected Brucie Bonus, thanks to Strictly Come Dancing, when it comes to patent leather men's shoes, with sales fox-trotting through the roof, said Fiona Lambert, George's brand director.
'What's more when we look at who is buying them, it's not just the youngsters wearing them with on-trend skinny jeans, it's the dads putting their best foot forward with shiny shoes as well.'
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Notes to editors
Patent leather a history The history of patent leather begins in the early 19th century and owes its invention to Seth Boyden of Newark New Jersey In 1818, Boyden began to investigate the possibility of creating a version of leather that was treated in such a way that the material retained its desirable qualities of protection and durability. At the same time, this new type of leather would also have an appearance that would be decidedly more dressy than work boots and similar leather goods. Using a formula that was based on a series of treatments using layers of linseed oil based coats, the new shiny leather began commercial production on 20 September 1819. Boyden’s efforts resulted in the production of glossy leather that quickly caught on the perfect compliment for formal dress. Almost two centuries later, patent leather still maintains the status of being part of a formal look for men and women alike.(source wisegeek.)
