Article: No business like shoe business: the footwear industry is symptomatic of our addiction to 'fast fashion', churning out cheap, throwaway shoes from sweatshops, and its manufacturing practices--such as leather tanning--are harmful to the environment. It's an ethical minefield.(TRADE secrets)

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During the 1980s, shoes lost their workaday reputation and became a sort of super-currency--women (and men) could be judged by their collection of footwear. Shoes by Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin--all designer names that carry 400 [pounds sterling]-plus price tags and the status to match--were flaunted in newspapers and on television as 'must-haves for the well heeled'. At the same time, those without the credit to afford such instant glamour were enticed to buy low-cost but highly styled alternatives at Marks & Spence, Primark and Top Shop. And all were being encouraged to buy in quantity.

Even in the ...

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