Weekly Feature: Ziera

Every woman is unique; every foot is different. (Ziera Shoes, 2014)

Over the last few decades, shoe fashion has changed as the industry expands. One company believes that although change is inevitable, comfort and style should remain consistent. That company is Ziera.

In 1933, brothers-in law Mervyn Adams and David Robertson went into partnership as podiatrists. They were looking for quality footwear that could be recommended to their clientele. Unfortunately, Robertson and Adams found that there was an extensive lack of styles believed to be orthopedically superior. And so, they set out to study the feet of 10,000 women in hopes of creating unique shoe moulds based on various needs of the anatomy of the foot.

Through the course of their study, a local manufacturer was found and the range of supporting footwear that the brothers had developed became a success. The first Mervyn Adams Arch Supporting Shoes store opened in Hamilton, New Zealand in 1950. As the company developed so, too, did the need to expand available services offered. The Mervyn Adams company set up its own factory and moved into manufacturing its own shoes in 1961. This allowed exports to begin to Australia and, towards the end of the 1970s, they broke into the American market.

By 1995, the factory had relocated twice to allow the company to expand and meet the ever-increasing demands for supporting footwear. With the opening of the first retail store in Australia, all shoes were soon marketed under the Kumfs name. By 2006, the first US Kumfs store was opened in Fresno, California.

As the business continued to expand and develop, manufacturing was moved from the traditional New Zealand location to Kumfs’ factory in Guangdong, China. But with the transition of production and manufacturing to a new facility, Kumfs realized the need for a company makeover. In 2010, a fresh brand name was launched – Ziera – but the original focus on stylish and comfortable shoes remained intact.

[Today,] Ziera brings together premium materials, in-depth knowledge of the foot and constant testing to create shoes so luxuriously comfortable you can wear them all day, every day. (Ziera Shoes, 2014)

As the fashion industry changes, Ziera’s passion to create footwear grows as well. They base their developments on look, fit, and feel, which stems from a combination of years of experience, knowledge of materials, as well as the intricate mechanics of the foot. With an understanding of foot science, Ziera has developed the best possible solutions that they feel truly captures women’s feet of all shapes and sizes to allow maximum comfort and durability.

Footwear that expresses your unique style, while still allowing you maximum comfort, can be difficult to find. At Foot Foundation, we carry a varied selection of Ziera footwear that allows you comfort and stability as well as unique footwear for all the daily situations you encounter. See below for a small selection of the footwear we offer, or visit us in store and we can help find the right match for your foot.