Brothel creepers are a style of shoe with thick soles and suede uppers. It was a popular style of footwear following the Second World War, and has come and gone from fashion ever since.

John Ayto, a writer for 'The Observer' gave the shoes the name 'brothel creepers' in reference to World War II soldiers in North Africa, who began wearing suede boots with hard-wearing crepe rubber soles. On returning home, they let off steam at London nightclubs while still wearing their crepe-soled shoes.

The Teddy Boys, a British youth subculture, adopted the shoes as a fashion statement during the late 1940s. Likewise, the 'stilyagi' youth subculture in the Soviet Union wore home-made brothel creepers during the 1950s, although called them 'shoes on semolina' due to the sponginess of the thick crepe sole.

Other subcultures have subsequently adopted brothel creepers, for example, indie, ska, punk, new wavers, greasers and goths.

In 2015, singer Rihanna teamed up with footwear company Puma to produce a shoe based on the brothel creeper. Known as the 'Puma Creeper', the shoe line won an award for Shoe of the Year in 2016.

More Info: en.m.wikipedia.org