Sudden Unexpected Shoe Failure

My Clarke's shoes just get slung into a basket, and put back on again, and they are doing fine.

Buy the very best quality footwear. I have walking boots for over 25 years they are worn frequently in all weathers. Some of my court shoes are well over 15 years, still in very good condition. Shoes need looking after, cleaned and/or polished or brushed after each wearing.

My Hotter walking boots started to disintegrate, when the 1st one went after just a year I took it to a shoe repairer, but when the second one went soon after, I complained to Hotter. Their customer service team were great and offered me a credit note to the value of what I’d paid for the boots.

In the deep dim recesses of a wardrobe I came across a pair of cream leather shoes with a cross over strap and high heels that I had not worn for a few years. They were just what I wanted to wear with a particular outfit so popped them on and off I went.

I could not understand why people in the train were looking at me. At first I assumed that I must be looking good and did a little preening but I soon saw the 'quickly turning the head away and whisper', which did not bode well.

Only when I left the train did I realise that the sole had become completely detached from the upper and has just hanging off. I really could not see anything from my sitting viewpoint or feel anything draughty either.

I had to hobble around all day (just in and out of a theatre, so not much walking) and once home my beautiful shoes were relegated to the bin.

I always wondered if a cobbler could have put complete new soles on an upper.... but on the other hand it was interesting seeing how they were made!

Sunglow12 I believe you are correct. Most any shoemaker will tell you that leaving already worn shoes undisturbed for even a couple of years may contribute to that.

What a lot of people don’t realize or don’t want to say is if your feet sweat a lot that leaves a lot of moisture in the shoe that will contribute towards deterioration.

Let them air dry naturally before packing away or stuff newspaper inside to absorb moisture/smell. Use foot deodorant for excessively moist feet or a foot powder. That might help.

My Hotter and Clark’s shoes hold up the best. I love their quality.

Or, buy a brand that lasts better.

I overheard in our hotter shop when we still had one , that they have to be worn regularly not left for years . Something to do with not letting air in on walking and the unworn shoe cracks across the sole and that has happened to me so - wear those shoes from time to time !

Hearing all these stories I presume I have just been lucky but this has never happened to me, despite having Hotter and Clark’s shoes in my wardrobe!

30 minutes before we left for our daughter's wedding my brand new shoes suddenly gave way on one foot. The heel had completely come away from the sole. My husband stuck it with super glue which lasted until just after the ceremony. At least I took a spare pair of shoes but they didn't really match a very expensive outfit. A friend of mine happened to have a good shoe match, so I wore her shoes for the photos. I will never buy from Phase Eight again.

I have only this week discovered a pair of Hotter and Ecco shoes with splits right across tge soles. The Hotter pair has only been worn last autumn as quite a heavy looking black walking shoe. The Ecco has been worn more. Neither dhoe shows sign of coming away from the upper which are in good condition. Tookthem m to shoe repairer. £40 for tge Ecco and £48 fir tge Hotter to be repaired and both only need half soles. Came away stunned and shoes still in the bag. I will be visiting all those cheap stores from now on. Totally lost faith in what was regarded as quality wear.

I had MBT fall apart on first use. They were old stock bought on Ebay but unworn. I had them delivered to UK to save postage and worn them home. The airport security picked them out as offending.... wanted to know had I been exposed to explosives! Eventually they relented and gave me back the trainers. But they must have poked the soft soles with aprobe as they disintergrated gradually ...ending with a mile to walk home when off the airport bus flopping along! I had no other footwear with me and it was late at night... and raining.

Yes rubber degrades with age not just with use.

I have small feet(2/2.5) and snap up shoes when ever I see them, especially in a sale. Bought some expensive ones once and wore them on holiday a few months later. The sole came apart from one shoe and my husband and I had to try and find a shoe shop with my size. Impossible task in that market town but fortunately I had other shoes in the mobile caravan we had at that time. Never had that happen before and hopefully, not since.( Fly Flat sandals are fantastically comfortable and have given excellent wear.)

I had a pair of very expensive MBT boots which I absolutely loved. At a party I wore them too, I walked around lamenting the state of the floor which had black bits all over it. It was only as I was leaving, I realised that my gait was compensating for my uneven shoes and that it had been me dropping bits of rubber everywhere. It has since happened to other shoes of thicker rubber soles.

I’ve had several pairs of M&S shoes do this over the last 3/4 years. The soles and heels were just disintegrating as I walked! There were no visible sins of any problems before I put them on.

Yes - my husband was going on holiday and his shoes literally crumbled as he walked and by the time we got to the bus station he had to bin them and change into his sandals. Embarrassing but funny. I now check our shoes regularly - I've had quite a few "hotter" failures.

Yes me too with Hotter and Clarks and my husband with Clarks.
All with the same type of thick polyurethane sole.

I will look for a hard sole in future which can be resoled by a cobbler....if good ones still exist.

We were at a family when my adult daughters strappy sandals fell to bits on her feet. It was like a cartoon with the straps going ping ping!! One of the other guests had brought flip flops for the evening and kindly allowed her to wear them otherwise she would have been barefoot

Purplepixie

I have never had that happens since the 1960’s when my high heels were always snapping off. Maybe drink was involved.

Me to, in the 70s

I made a comment about this subject being discussed before. I wasn’t being ‘snippy’, just meant that it’s a repeating problem.

The same subjects crop up time and again, marmalade making being one that appears every January!

Obviously GN’ers who have been ‘on’ a while recognise old favourites.

But might not look at Granset every day.
Or even every year!!

Ziplok

There may well have been a post about this last year, but the OP perhaps doesn’t know that, being new to GN judging by the username. There’s really no need for snippy remarks.

the op is far from new and posted as far back as

Cindersdad Fri 22-Dec-17 10:24:52

Yes, I was caught out unexpectedly by this parting of the ways one day. Of course, it happened when I was on my way to lunch and I went from very smart to somewhat ridiculous in two seconds flat. However, my very helpful bus driver offered me some black masking tape he just happened (joked he had no idea why it was there but now he knew!) to have in his bag. I simply wrapped it round and round the offending shoe and dignity preserved. Incidentally, not one of my dining companions noticed this even though the shoes were pale green. I now carry my own tape at all times ...just in case.

Ziplok

There may well have been a post about this last year, but the OP perhaps doesn’t know that, being new to GN judging by the username. There’s really no need for snippy remarks

Yikes I hope you didn’t think I was being snippy posting the link to the previous thread. I was trying to be helpful.

I wear hotter shoes and boots as I have wide feet and need support so lovely lace up boots and trainers . Last year I had to go to a funeral , staying the night before with a relative. I brought with me a pair of flat smarter hotters to wear for the funeral. My relatives and I were hysterical with laughter when I realised I was walking into the crematorium with no soles on either shoe and the insoles flapping like flippers ! The hotter trainers don’t seem to have this problem.

Cindersdad

This is when a pair of shoes appears to be good but the sole either disintegrates or separates from the upper with little or no warning. This has happened to me twice both times with good quality shoes seeming to have plenty of life left. My experiences were with a pair of Hotter shoes(old but hardly owrn) and a pair of Clarks shoes(also old but the sole not badly worn). My sister bought some M&S shoes in aniticipation of retirement worn for the first time sometime later when they too just fell apart. Yesterday my wife's trusty trainers fell apart with no warning.

All events awkward and embarrassing. Has this ever happened to anyone else and is there anyway of predicting it?

www.safetyjogger.com/en/eu/technical/hydrolysis#:~:text=Hydrolysis%20is%20the%20chemical%20breakdown,by%20warmth%20and%20high%20humidity.