Children's shoes by Danish Brand Angulus

Danish shoe brand Angulus was founded in 1904 and has more than 100 years of experience in making shoes for little feet (and adults). Quality, design and comfort are very important to the brand : plantation crepe rubber soles, uppers made from the softest calf leather, shapes that allow children’s feet to move freely, with plenty of room in the toes for growing feet. A clean product with good money-value = A label to keep in mind!

A bit of history

The story of Angulus begins with Willy Madsen. Or rather, it begins with Willy’s father, who in 1904 opens a shoemaker’s workshop in Nørrebrogade in Copenhagen, Denmark. Willy is a schoolteacher at first and quite content with his job. It is only years later that he enters the story of his father’s company; – it is Willy who, in 1928, turns the shoe business upside down with the ergonomic Angulus shoe. In collaboration with doctors and physiotherapists, Willy develops a last with a rounded toe. The innovation gives children’s feet room to thrive and allows a natural muscular development. Fashion-conscious mums are shocked. They have rarely seen a shoe this ugly and cannot grasp the idea of this ergonomic non- sense. Children should wear nice little copies of their parents’ pointed shoes. Unsurprisingly, the ergonomic shoe does not sell well. Willy is disheartened, but one day his luck suddenly changes – as the story often goes. Willy’s big break is that he gets engaged to one of the great ballet stars of the time – the lovely Else Højgaard. The celebrity couple are seen in the glamour pages of the newspapers, which opens the doors to the distributors and turns Angulus children’s shoes into the talk of the town.  The shoes are designed in Denmark and produced in Portugal, where 130 shoemakers oversee the production in the factory.

The designer behind Angulus

Marianne Britt Jorgensen is focused on creating something new and innovative but still with a fondness and a humble approach of the heritage of the Danish family company and is inspired by the more than a 100 year old gold mine of a shoe archive at Angulus. Marianne Britt studied at the Royal College of Art and Design in London and she’s worked for several larger brands as a design consultant. She’s also known for being photographed for the fashion magazine Harpers & Queen with the master Manolo Blahnik, after being singled out as a talent he believed in.

Where to buy Angulus?

In London Angulus shoes are available at Kidsen (111 Chamberlayne Road), Igloo (227 King’s Road) and online at www.kidsen.co.uk, www.iglookids.co.uk, www.childrensalon.com and www.angulus.dk.