Did you know that the world's oldest shoe, the Areni-1 which was found in a cave in Argentina in 2008 had laces? The 5,500-year-old shoe was found with the leather shoelaces completely intact. The shoe showed that there was a rudimentary system of laces and eyelets cut into the top meaning even our earliest ancestors tied their shoes much in the same way we do today. Even though shoelaces have clearly been around for centuries, it wasn't until 1970 that an Englishman named Harvey Kennedy finally patented his shoelace idea.
His patent was different from other laces because he introduced a metal piece called the aglet. This piece that was placed at the ends of a shoelace would protect it from fraying while also making it easier to thread. This visualization from the team at Journeys shows that there are more ways than one to tie shoelaces. Whether it be for fashion or function, trendy shoelace tying can jazz up any old pair of kicks.