Have you ever considered how far footwear has come since ancient times? Footwear has evolved from protective sandals (purely serving a survival purpose) to aesthetically appealing (even flashy in some labels), offering even more protection than before - which is especially the case for high quality footwear anyway.

We all understand how important shoes are, most of us even reward ourselves with a great pair after the tough period at work that has finally paid off. Interestingly however, the function and purpose of shoes goes far beyond looking good as a fashion accessory - while this is, of course, also important to us at Altitude Shoes.

People judge you and make assumptions about you based on how you look and dress. There are two ways to take this advice: complain about how unfair it is to judge, or accept the reality of it, take pride in your appearance and look good as a result.

Since you have found this site and want shoes that look and feel good, you are most probably the latter; the type of guy who people look at and respect because they see a man who obviously respects himself.

Shoes can also provide a confidence boost. Think of a teenage basketball player who buys the same shoes Michael Jordan wore, or a soccer player with the same boots David Beckham wears - these are huge confidence boosters. The same concept applies off the sporting field and into social, academic or professional situations. The right shoes will make you feel amazing at a party, in a meeting or in a job interview.

Lastly, humans are active creatures and when you couple this with the hard surfaces we are required to walk on, safety and protection become relevant

issues in the importance of footwear. Imagine walking on hard, uneven surfaces all day in a bad pair of shoes, even softer surfaces such as grass or carpet have specific risks such as broken glass. When considering this, you owe it to yourself to choose high quality footwear over poorer quality footwear (which you would have to replace so many times that it ends up being more expensive than the high quality footwear you would only have to purchase once).

Here at Altitude Shoes, we know this, so when we design our footwear, durability is just as important to us as comfort and appearance.