A shoe with a thick sole beneath the forefoot, sometimes combined with a raised heel.
A platform raises the forefoot on a thick sole, so its height describes a different part of the shoe from heel height. It can be combined with a separate heel or incorporated into a wedge. Museum examples show that the raised sole can use very different materials. The V&A records a Ferragamo sandal with cork layers covered in coloured suede and Louboutin platform shoes made with Lucite resin, flower petals and leather. The Museum at FIT holds Roger Vivier shoes with a platform wedge built in alternating layers of kid and suede.
In job listings
In job copy, platform usually means a software system, so check the sense. The footwear meaning belongs to design, buying and the sales floor, where a platform’s forefoot height is discussed apart from the height of the heel. Search local jobs for “footwear”.
