MANILA, Philippines - SM started out with shoes when founder and chairman Henry Sy Sr. opened his first Shoe Mart store in downtown Manila in 1958. He thought that if he could sell a pair of shoes to every Filipino, he could be a successful man.
He, of course, became more successful than he ever imagined. His shoe store has evolved into a retail giant, a chain of supermalls, and one of the country’s largest conglomerates.
Even today, SM continues to focus on footwear to serve a new generation of shoppers, updating its iconic Parisian brand, and bringing shoe shopping to a whole new level as the ultimate shoe destination with the widest selection of footwear for all ages and occasions. There is even the Shoe City in SM Makati, which is home to the country’s biggest shoe department.
SM Shoes and Bags continues this legacy as it celebrates “Every Day is Shoe Day” this October.
What makes shoes special? Most women will tell you that they love shoes because of the way shoes make them feel. Flats, heels, boots, sandals, pumps, platforms, wedges, strappy, lace-ups, peep-toes — a new pair of shoes can instantly refresh your look or make you feel incredibly sexy.
“When you ask, ‘What do women want,’ the answer seems to be shoes,” says fashion historian Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
She adds that a stunning shoe is like a three-dimensional work of art. “Shoes are the creative, playful part of fashion. They have their own sculptural, artistic shape.”
Heels also elongate the leg, change your posture and elevate you. Sex and the City mixed an appreciation for shoes with an assertion of one’s identity as a stylish, successful and independent woman.
For men, shoes are about action as they take them places, from their first baby steps in booties, to school in sneakers, to the office in formal shoes, and to their favorite holiday place in weekend-warrior style.
And, like family traditions, a passion for shoes is often passed down through generations. That’s why kids today like wearing mini-version shoes just like Mom’s or Dad’s.
Apart from exciting finds and discounts, SM Shoes and Bags further shares the shoe love as it donates more than a hundred pairs of footwear daily to the less fortunate through the SM Foundation.
Celebrate #EverydayisShoeDayatSM and connect with SM Shoes and Bags by liking their Facebook page: SM Shoes and Bags, and through Instagram and Twitter via @SMShoesandBags. Check out these accounts to avail of the Deals of the Day.