Abstract
This study is to help produce highly comfortable and wearable and footwear based on the establishment of basic data for manufacturing elderly footwear patterns and products. For this, a survey of 207 women in their 20s and 60-70s was conducted to identify the wearing of shoes, inconvenience areas, purchase practices and footwear preferences by age group. The results are as follows. First, the average age of the young female group was 22.5 years old, the elderly female group was 68.8 years old, and the average shoe size was 236.3 mm for the young female group and 238.3 mm for the elderly female group. Second, young women wore shoes for a longer time than elderly women, resulting in swollen and numb legs, hardened soles, uncomfortable toes and sore heels. However, elderly women felt more uncomfortable wearing footwear than young women. They suffered pain in the joint area, heal and toe areas as well as had more toe deformations due to aging. Third, all age groups preferred athletic shoes and loafers as well as purchases from footwear brand stores and department stores. The elderly spent more money on shoes, longer time to buy and valued the feeling of wearing, whereas the young considered design first. Fourth, both age groups prefer low-heels and natural leather, the young preferred to wear various types of shoes; however, the elderly are found to desire shoes that are comfortable and stable in both form and wearing.