Fashion Synopsis

Joe Famolare Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a superstar in the shoe biz. If you weren’t ‘Footloose and Famolare’ in the 70’s, then you could get there just by slipping into one of Joe’s ultra-comfy, ultra-foxy shoes.

Joe Famolare Sr. founded Famolare Shoe Engineering, a pattern-making business for footwear, and his son Joe Jr. became a designer for Capezio shoes. In 1969, Joe Jr. started his own company with the Famolare name, and soon became one of the shoe world's most recognizable faces. The name became synonymous with comfort and fashion, and you couldn’t open a single fashion magazine during the 70’s and early 80’s without a Famolare ad staring you in the face. Famolares joined the Dr. Scholl exercise sandal, Birkentocks, and the Earthshoe in the race for orthopedic shoes with style.

The Famolare superstar was the ‘Get There’ shoe, with a thick thermoplastic sole molded into waves. The ingenious and funny-looking sole absorbed the shock of walking on hard pavement, ushering in a whole new trend of wedge platform heels. Safer than balancing on a cloppy platform stack heel, this elevator block sole gave you height without the pain involved in stilt walking. The special waves helped your foot roll in a natural motion, while cushioning every step. And they looked fantastic with your Sassoons!

Joe Famolare Jr. was a tireless self-promoter, and popularized his Get There shoe by offering a free record in every box. The song? The “Get There” song, which was to be the background for the Get There dance that Joe had choreographed and taught to his employees. Now when you bought your shoes, you could join in the Get There craze.

The patented 4-wave shock-absorbent sole had many imitators, but Famolare was the originator, and they continue to offer the sole in a range of modern, casual shoe styles. So don't worry, in your Famolares you were more than footloose, you were fancy free—to enjoy a pain-free and orthopedically sound stroll.

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