From Belgrade to Zagreb, and from Kopaonik to Opatija to Dubrovnik, if there is one thing uniting Serbia and Croatia since the disintegration of the Yugoslav federation, it would be the Borosana shoes – an orthopedic, open toe and heel model.
In the decades of Tito’s socialism, that specifically Yugoslav creation was one of the symbols of the state’s care for its toiling people. White shirt with a crease, black suit vest, black skirt and a pair of white or navy blue orthopedic Borosana shoes: that was the standard uniform of all women working in the service sector during that period.

As well as during the current one. Over the Yugoslav years, Serbs and Croats managed to get truly attached to those white shoes. When the federation dissolved, a row between the two republics erupted over the right to manufacture Borosana. It was further fueled by the fact that the original manufacturer – a factory in the village of Borovo, ended up on the border after the split, though on the Croatian side, in Serbian Krajina. It is unclear whether the old rivalry or pure marketing genius gave rise to the slogan used by the Borovo factory to brand its product: “If it is not Borovo, it is not Borosana!”

Either way, these shoes became so inextricably linked to the tourism industry developed during Tito’s time that, nowadays, they can be seen both in the classic Belgrade Hotel Prague and across the restaurants and hotels of Croatia’s oldest resort, Opatija.

Recently, their existential value was humourously depicted in the one-woman play The Influence of Borosana on You. In it, Croatian actress Nina Violic considers the foot and shoe fetish as an expression of modernity’s absurdities and even sings a song about Borosana.


Nina Violic, wearing white borosana, in a a scene from The Influence of Borosana on You.

The Borosana shoes also seems to have an international appeal. A look at a current fashion magazine shows that the model also penetrated the pret-a-porter aesthetic and – with very few modifications – it can be seen as part of Balenciaga’s fall 2007 line.

Readers' Comments: "how can I order the Borosana shoe? I live in the U.S." Susan