Footwear’s history safe for the future
The Netherlands’ important shoemaking and leatherworking heritage will be preserved in a spectacularly revamped museum after a turnaround by Waalwijk’s officials.
Following a turbulent few years and period of uncertainty, the Dutch Leather and Shoe Museum is set to reopen in June, with a new name and new concept. The Schoenenkwartier in the leather and footwear-producing city of Waalwijk will be housed in the nationally listed Kropholler complex, over three floors and in a space of more than 3,000 square-metres, signalling a renewed desire to keep the area’s shoe and leather history alive for future generations.
Schoenenkwartier director Anouk van Heesch tells World Footwear she is “thrilled” with the outcome. “We hope for a large international audience, that will be taught about both historical and social demographics, relations and developments that local shoe design and production has provided for ages, alongside the large impact The Netherlands has made and still makes within the scope of shoe design and material innovation.”
The Dutch Leather and Shoe Museum was founded in 1954 but closed its doors to the public in 2017, ostensibly for a refurbishment programme to take place. While the renovation project was progressing, though, a disagreement with the authorities over financing led to question marks over the museum’s future. The city wanted to concentrate future funding on local initiatives to help boost the local economy and local cultural life, while a partnership between the museum and footwear research and education institution SLEM had an international scope. The resulting uncertainty cast a shadow over the project and the museum as a whole and, eventually, the funding for reopening the museum after refurbishment was pulled.
“Luckily, the city council decided the collection was way too important for national heritage to be closed off for the public forever,” says Ms van Heesch. “By the end of 2020, the city of Waalwijk finally voted for an intensive renovation of the beautiful national monument that was designed by renowned architect Kropholler.”
Architects, construction workers, museum staff and stakeholders, including shoe manufacturers and brands, have worked together on the overhaul. “We have been working hard to take the former Leather and Shoe Museum to the next level. We have combined local, national and international heritage with innovation and education in different ways,” says Ms van Heesch. “The museum and the city council have been working side by side to make this dream come true.”
Preserving the skills
Waalwijk and De Langstraat played an important international role in the footwear industry prior to mass production abroad. Before the industrialisation, Waalwijk was of national importance and is still home to many footwear companies – at least 250 are based there, according to reports.
The strength of the Schoenenkwartier will rest on three pillars: Schoenenlab (Shoe&Lab), Schoenenkennis (Shoe&Knowledge) and Schoenenmuseum (Shoe&Museum). On the ground floor is the museum, the cafe and the labs. Professional designers, shoemakers, leather workers, artists and craft students will work there and host workshops for the public. A packed schedule of workshops and classes has been arranged, and young people, schoolchildren and older students will be invited to learn the basics of shoe design and the history of the area.
The museum space is set out like a factory, with working machines and artefacts representing the production process, from the leather processing to boxing the shoes. The first floor houses the heritage of the Langstraat, which was the centre of the Dutch leather and shoe industry from 1750. Period rooms will show social history, tell the associated folktales and highlight developments in leather and shoe designs. “There are lots of family histories to be told of generations working in shoe and leather production,” says Ms van Heesch. “This is a heritage that needs to be kept alive, as it has formed the backbone of the community and The Netherlands so far.”
A full wing has been reserved for the Knowledge Centre. In addition to an auditorium, this includes a library, an archive, database, material cabinets and spaces for educational purposes.
On the second floor, the emphasis is on 'identity', with all types of shoe represented: stiletto heels to platform soles, Nike Air Max to Balenciaga sneaker. Twice a year there will be a temporary exhibition with themes including fashion, design, sustainability, craft and innovation. Events, workshops and other activities in the manufacturing labs, the atrium and the auditorium will be linked to these exhibitions.
“We show our collection within a range of social issues such as localisation, gender, male-female ratio and subcultures,” says Ms van Heesch. “Our scope is to be an institute for making and collection, providing different layers of interest for the whole family and different kinds of target audiences.”
Next exhibit
When the doors open on June 28, the programme starts with a look at the influence of music on footwear. The exhibition Put On Your Red Shoes, will include iconic footwear via music movements such as hip-hop and rave.
The exhibition begins with footwear of artists such as David Bowie, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Freddy Mercury and Lady Gaga, whose extravagant clothing and striking lifestyle are widely imitated. The second part focuses on everyday footwear from brands including Dr Martens, Timberland and Clarks, which have grown into iconic brands in part due to their association with music scenes. Finally, visitors will learn about how singers such as Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry and Kanye West profile themselves as influencers. By launching their own footwear labels, they have responded to the needs of their fans to dress the same way.
Put On Your Red Shoes will be at the museum until 5 February 2023, when it will be followed by The Magic of Cuir Bouilli (spring 2023); Future Proof: The Future of the Sneaker (autumn 2023); René van den Berg (spring 2024); Leather Jackets (autumn 2024); and Fly Me To The Moon: Moon boots and Leatherette (spring 2025).
“We hope our visitors will be overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and wonderful ambiance of the monumental architecture by CIVIC Public Architecture,” says Ms van Heesch. “We are a small country with a large impact, always have had and will continue to have.”
A glimpse inside the vast new museum, which has had funding from various bodies including Rabobank, Gravin van Bylandt Foundation and the Municipality of Waalwijk.
Credit: Schoenenkwartier
