SM started out with shoes when founder and chair Henry Sy Sr. opened his first Shoe Mart store in downtown Manila in 1958. He thought that if he could sell a pair of shoes to every Filipino, he could be a successful man.

He, of course, became more successful than he ever imagined. His shoe store has evolved into a retail giant, a chain of super malls and one of the country’s largest conglomerates.

Even today, SM continues to focus on footwear to serve a new generation of shoppers, updating its iconic Parisian brand and bringing shoe shopping to a whole new level. There is even the Shoe City in SM Makati, home to the country’s biggest shoe department.

SM Shoes and Bags continues this legacy as it celebrates Everyday is Shoe Day this October. And it’s the best time to explore your shoe obsession.

What makes shoes special? Most women will tell you that they love their shoes because of the way they make them feel. These can instantly refresh your look or just make you feel incredibly sexy.

“When you ask, ‘What do women want?’ the answer seems to be shoes,” says fashion historian Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

She adds that a stunning shoe is like a three-dimensional piece of art. “Shoes are the creative, playful part of fashion. They have their own sculptural, artistic shape.”

Shoes are forgiving. Shoes are loyal. Heels also elongate the leg, change your posture and elevate you. “Sex and the City” mixed up an appreciation of shoes with an assertion of one’s identity as a stylish, successful and independent woman.

For men, the power of shoes is in the steps they take. Shoes are about action, as they take people to many places, from their first baby steps in booties, to school in sneakers, to the office in formal shoes, and to their favorite holiday place in weekend warrior style.

And like family values, a passion for shoes is often passed on through generations. That’s why kids today like wearing mini versions of shoes, just like mom’s or dad’s.

Apart from exciting finds and discounts, SM Shoes and Bags further shares the shoe-love as it donates more than a hundred pairs of footwear daily to the less fortunate through the SM Foundation.

Celebrate #EverydayisShoeDayatSM and get connected with SM Shoes and Bags by liking its Facebook page, and following on Twitter and Instagram @SMShoesandBags. Check out these accounts to avail of the Deals of the Day.