Sha Sha Shoes

By Julie Rawe Sunday, Oct. 22, 2000
    • PRODUCT Comfy creepers with a secret storage spot inside for clubgoers to stash an extra $20--or less innocent cargo

    HOW IT STARTED The lug sole adopted by punk rockers in the 1970s picked up speed during the swing revival in the mid-'90s

    JUDGMENT CALL Cool, as long as you've got nothing to hide. The narcs are onto this one

    Sha Sha Shoes occupy a peculiar niche in the fashion world. Evoking equal parts Sex Pistols and Maxwell Smart, these funky, thick-soled shoes are attracting punk rockers, swing dancers, bikers and ravers, along with suburban teens. But they've also caught the eye of U.S. Customs agents. The footwear contains a storage compartment called the G-spot, hidden beneath the insole, that is big enough to stash a house key and cab fare--or, the feds say, a few raves' worth of ecstasy. This month the agency's website issued a warning to parents about the shoes.

    Sha Sha boosters are miffed. "What makes us any different from pants with pockets?" asks Billy Ruff, 36, who co-founded the Costa Mesa, Calif., company that makes the shoes. "Levi's has their little hidden fifth pocket, and nobody's making a big deal about that." Decorated with cartoonish flames, stars and devil's tails, Sha Shas are flashier than most Doc Martens and have a cushier sole. "Besides looking dope, the shoes are really comfortable," says Glenn Innes, 23, the editor of SuperPunk.com , in Edmonton, Alta., who adds that he has never stored anything in the G-spot. "It's not the handiest location."

    The shoes are sold in Gadzooks' 350-store chain and in scores of boutiques like rockabilly mart Daddy-O's, in Marion, Ind., which stocks saddle shoes next to Sha Sha's iridescent Mary Janes. This spring the company is adding a line of garish golf shoes--sans the hidden pocket, so stylish duffers will still have to store their tees elsewhere.