Prada brings the Penny Loafer Back Again.

 Chunky loafers are having a moment. Prada first launched a chunky black leather loafer with the Prada triangle where the penny in a penny loafer would be in Autumn 2020 which immediately sold out. With all things 90s coming round again, it was only amount of time before the preppy shoe came back in again. And with several chunkier soled versions having been released since the original shoe, the loafer shows no signs yet of abating in fashion circles.

Prada's chunky soled version has ushered in a slew of copycat shoes and as is usual, the look has filtered down to the high street and the chunky loafer is everywhere.

I have always loved a loafer. For me it started in the 80s with the penny loafer. I bought my first pair from Shelley's shoes on Oxford Street and wore them with rolled up faded blue stonewash Levis 501s.

Prada's original 2019 loafer

In the 90s, a few pairs in - I bought the Doctor Martens version in matte brown and tasselled. It was a chunkier, tougher version than I normally wore, and i loved them. These were worn with thick black woolly tights and mini skirts. 

More recently I've owned several pairs of G H Bass Weejuns - the classic black and white tasselled pair and a classic pair in ox blood red. My Weejuns are literally the most comfy shoe I have ever worn - it's as if the leather moulds to your foot shape after a few wears. 

The men's version of my 1990 DM loafers

So what is the history of this classic shoe? I always assumed the loafer was a 1950s shoe worn with poodle skirts and short white frilly socks for girls and rolled up chinos for boys?

In fact, the history of the loafer goes back a lot farther  - to very simple beginnings in North America.

The modern day loafer has several origin myths with Northern Europeans and Native Americans both claiming to be the originators of the shoe. The truth, is likely to be a mixture of the two.

Native American mocassins, loafer prototype

Indigenous cultures hunted the vast herds of buffalo roaming the grasslands for whatever they needed hundreds of years ago. They found it easier to follow them if they wrapped buffalo skin around their feet, and those basic foot covers evolved into the moccasins we know today, better versions of which are still hand sewn and have leather all around the foot. They're the most comfy shoes you'll wear. 

Almost around the same time, the Lapps began to wear a shoe that was quite similar, but was fashioned from several pieces of leather sewed together. This sort of shoe was also adopted by Norwegian milkers and fisherman, who made it famous across the world until it was reintroduced to North America. 

According to mythology, several students (or friends of F Scott Fitzgerald, depending on who you listen to) visiting Scandinavia in the early 1900s saw Norwegian fishermen wearing a basic, comfy shoe. They returned to North America with the style, which expanded until it reached industrial manufacturing. 

The 'penny loafer'

According to The Rake, even the British has a loafer origin story: ‘London shoemaker Wildsmith is credited with creating the first modern loafer in 1926 for client King George VI, in response to the stuttering regent’s request for a bespoke casual shoe he could ‘loaf’ around his country houses in. A beefier ready-to-wear rendition suitable for outdoor use was soon put into production, and the style was quickly emulated by many more of Britain’s gentlemen’s shoemakers.’

In 1932 America, the Spalding family began manufacturing a sort of shoe that was inspired by those worn by Lapps and Norwegian milkers. 

Whoever the original idea was based on, by the 20th century, the manner in which the shoe was fashioned got increasingly complex. In the 1930s, American businesses like GH Bass used the moccasin process and tougher leathers to create more formal shoes, and the loafer moniker was adopted. Shortly after the initial manufacture, in 1936, the American business GH Bass introduced the "Weejun Loafers" shoe to the market. The name "Weejun" is short for Norwegian, and "Loafer" means "shirker": the key characteristic of this type was, indeed, its ease of wear. 

JFK rocks his Bass's

A horizontal strap ran horizontally across the vamp of the loafer on the Weejun model; this strap was cut with a small slit in the centre, which was the perfect size for a small round item, such as a penny. The term "penny loafers" is derived from this.The whole idea of this slot for a penny, according to legend, is that it allowed the wearer to always have a penny on them in case they ever needed to call home. 

The Bass Weejun's appeal was universal - although it started as a men's shoe, worn by the likes of Fred Astaire in the 30s to James Dean in the 50s and JFK in the 60s, women also adopted the boys shoe as their own.

In the 1940s, Paul Sperry produced sailing moccasins with leather laces and rubber soles, and loafers were fashionable with Ivy League students  and movie stars in the 1950s. 

Then in the 60s, came Gucci. After Aldo Gucci visited the US and admired the penny loafers he spotted on the feet of the young and fashionable he endeavoured to produce his own moccasin. Inspired by the shiny penny on American penny loafers, and the equestrian bridle, he designed a loafer in 1953. The finishing touch was a shiny horse bit on the tongue of the shoe.

Original 1970s men's Gucci loafers

Also in the early 1950s, Massachusetts based cobblers Aiden created the tasselled loafer. Other embellishments include the 'Kiltie', the fringed leather piece which adorned golf shoes; Sebago added the 'Beef-Roll', essentially reinforced stitching at the seams give the shoe stability and longevity.

The Della Valle family started developing a softer, more casual appearing moccasin loafer for American department shops in the 1970s, launching the Tod's brand and causing a worldwide phenomenon. In the 1980s, they were popularised by movie stars and public figures like as Lady Diana, and they continue to be popular today. 

True moccasins are not all loafers. Some are lasted and glued to the board, then a sole is adhered or sewn on. These shoes are stiffer, more formal, and less comfortable than moccasins, although they are still of the loafer family. 

The broad appeal of the loafer: The Style Council sport the shoe in the 80s

Ultimately, the loafer is a shoe with it's own quiet brand of glamour. It's appeal swings from one side of the style spectrum to the other, appealing to men and women, young and old, the fashionable to the fashion oblivious. It's timelessness makes it liberating.

For me, it's all about the GH Bass Weejun - it's the original and best when it comes to the loafer and I swear by them. They're so comfortable and it's impossible not to look cool wearing them. Especially when 'loafing' around town.