A Glimpse at Marikina Shoe Museum

               Every town in the country has their own landmarks like in Marikina City, one of their landmarks is the Marikina Shoe Museum that you will find in Brgy. San Roque, near in Kapitan Moy. The city is very popular with their shoe industry from now and then. As a recognition and fervent support of their local government, they established this museum in 1998.

                Marikina Shoe Museum has a small or limited space, but it has a second floor and it is full of memorabilias of famous personalities in the Philippines from the former president, vice President, government officials, celebrities, businessman and a lot more. Most of the shoes here are made of leathers but it has also a rubber shoes owned by the comedian Ariel Villasanta who is also a resident of Marikina. Of course, every shoe here has different sizes; it depends of the heights and body conformations of the personalities.  And for what I saw, the businessman tycoon John Gokongwei has a big foot.Hmm, why actress Mahal doesn’t donate her shoes? So, the museum will display it also. It could be the smallest shoes of an adult person. Joke only!

                Here in the museum, you will also see the different styles of shoes. It is not your typical shoes that you can wear from day to day basis. Maybe you can use it in any special occasion like fashion shows. The masterpieces have their own names like Sarimanok, etc. The design of a shoe designer Brian Tenorio is very unique because of its size and looks as well. If you wear this you should be careful if you don’t want to stumble while walking.

                Just a reminder, the caretakers of the museum are allowing visitors to take pictures except the shoe collection of Madame Imelda Marcos. The former first lady has more than 3,000 pair of shoes and 800 of them are becoming a display in the museum. You will be amazed with her shoes because it looks elegant. Madame Imelda was really a tall lady because the size of her shoe is 8 ½. Inside of the showcases of the shoes, Madame Imelda also have pictures with famous leaders in the world like Fidel Castro, Mao Tse Tong, Ronald Raegan, Robert Kennedy, Indira Gandhi, etc. It only shows how she was very powerful and influential lady during the regime of his husband.

                The items at the museum not only limited to shoes. They have also paintings, sofa curved like a shoe and even the statue of shoe makers. It only tells how rich the shoe industry of Marikina City.