Brief History of the Mules

The term "mules" designates a type of shoe that is open at the back and usually closed at the front.
The existence of this type of shoe dates back to Ancient Rome, where it was reserved for the three highest magistrates of the Empire, used in red or purple. The current word comes from the old word «muleus calceus». After this period and until the 17th century, mules were confined to the intimate environment of the bedroom

In the 1686 portrait of Charles Le Brun by the French painter Nicolas de Largillière, shows Le Brun using mules, which proves that they have been used since at least the late 17th century by the upper social classes, just as they were used by men as well. In fact, an intimate piece of footwear began to be exhibited in public outside. It is not known, however, when men definitely stopped wearing mules

However, it is common to attribute the generalization of its use to Marie Antoinette and Madame de Pompadour. This one appears with mules with heels, closed with decorative elements in a painting made by the baroque painter François Boucher in 1756. The same type of mules appears in the painting The Swing (1767), by Jean Honoré Fragonard.

But in the 1800s, the perception of this piece of footwear changes, thanks to the work Olympia (1863) by Édouard Manet, which depicts a naked woman (Olympia), lying on a bed while another brings her flowers. The work that had shocked the contemporary public, not so much because of the nudity of the woman represented, but because of some objects that she presents, namely an orchid in her hair, a bracelet, pearl earrings, a black ribbon around her neck and, above all, some mules. In the intimate context in which the character is inserted, these objects give her a tempting and immoral voluptuousness. As Olympia, the representation of an upper-class prostitute, mules came to be considered as shoes for prostitutes.

It will be from the second half of the 20th century that these shoes came back into fashion through the actress Marilyn Monroe who made them popular. They are no longer associated with reprehensible and immoral social conduct, but rather with refinement, elegance and feminine sensuality, for two reasons. First, the heel on the back of the sole, in this or another type of shoe, makes a woman taller and alters her posture as the body is thrust forward. Thus, this transformation in the way of walking gives a more dominant and prominent posture to the woman. On the other hand, being a piece of footwear, in which it is not necessary to wear socks, as it is open at the back, it allows you to see the nakedness of the foot from the heel to the ankle, as well as the toes, if they are open at the front.

It should not be forgotten that these two important aspects in the evolution of footwear, high heels and the visibility of the nakedness of female feet, which nowadays are trivial and are already established, have revolutionized habits and behavior.

Currently you can find mules with medium or high or flat heels in various colors and materials, with or without decorative elements.

It was and continues to be a very common type of footwear among the female public, but in 2019, GRIFFINS SHOES was the first footwear brand to transform mules into a luxury unisex piece of footwear, perfectly wearable by the male gender. With a sophisticated style, it is the piece that promises to be the forefront of the future in footwear!