History of Scholl

William Mathias Scholl began his career in Chicago in 1899 in a small shoe store specialising in comfort and specialist footwear. He became so concerned for customers with painful foot conditions that he enrolled in medical school to study the anatomy and physiology of the foot.

By 1904 he had qualified as a doctor and launched his first footcare product, an arch support - The Foot-eazer. Dr Scholl made it his life-long mission to improve the health, comfort and wellbeing of people through their feet. This ethos endures across the Scholl product range to the present day.

In 1907 the Scholl Manufacturing Co. Inc was created and in 1912 Dr Scholl founded the Illinois College of Chiropody and Orthopaedics.

In 1913, the company was expanding worldwide and Dr Scholl’s first Foot Comfort Service shop opened in London.

By the 1930’s the company expanded its range to the comfort of the legs and began to make a range of compression hosiery for the relief of swollen ankles and varicose veins. Dr Scholl was a prolific inventor and went on to create a range of remedy and cushioning devices covering the whole spectrum of common foot conditions.

In 1959 the first Scholl Exercise Sandal was created and became an international fashion hit and an icon for the brand.

Known simply as “Scholls”, they were worn by celebrities such as Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton throughout the 60’s and 70’s.

In the late 1990’s in response to the increasing incidence of travel related Deep Vein Thrombosis, the company launched a range of clinically proven compression socks (Scholl Flight Socks).

In 2003 Scholl launched Party Feet – clear gel cushions which provide invisible cushioning to help prevent the burning pain in the balls of feet of party goers in high heel shoes

In 2004, Scholl celebrated its Centenary and 100 Years of Foot Expertise. Dr Scholl’s understanding of consumers and their dynamic lifestyles remain at the heart of the brand. Scholl steps forward to its next centenary with new products and packaging to meet the needs of a new generation.

Now and into the Future

Scholl’s vision is to become the leading foot health and wellbeing brand. By listening to consumers to understand their needs Scholl is able to develop new products to meet these needs. Recent additions to the product range for footcare are Cracked Heel Repair Cream and Freeze Verruca and Wart Remover.

As for Scholl footwear, by focusing on the core styles of excercise sandals (wood), Bioprint (cork) and Gelactiv (gel) which help relieve foot and back problems, the brand continues to prove popular in pharmacies across Europe; and by developing a range of shoes focusing on style and comfort, Scholl is also accessing high street shoe shops.