Imelda Marcos, who is now 85 years of age, had, in her early life, worked as a singer in a music shop. However, she married Ferdinand Marcos who became President of the Philippines back in 1965 and they amassed a huge fortune including property.
Unfortunately, her husband was forced out of office back in 1986 having been accused of being involved in the assassination of a member of the opposing government and the Marcos family was exiled to Hawaii.
Following the death of her husband, Imelda was permitted to return to the Philippines in late 1991. She subsequently started to build a political career and is presently a chairperson in the Lower House.
So, what is Imelda Marcos best known for apart from being able to lay fame to having previously been a First Lady of the Philippines? Well, believe it or not she is best known for the number of shoes she used to own – yes, SHOES!
These shoes came in a variety of styles and colours. She claimed that many of them were gifts from Filipino shoemakers that she had endorsed. She just loved her shoes and took great care in looking after them.
There are varying reports of just how many shoes this lady has possessed but it is believed to be in the region of 3,000. For instance, when she and her husband were exiled to Hawaii in 1986 it is known that she left at least a minimum of 1,220 pairs of shoes behind in the Presidential Palace where they were originally placed on display for a time before being confined to a basement.
However, so famous were her shoes that, subsequently two years later, 765 pairs were placed in the Marikana City Footwear Museum in Manila but many of them were damaged due to flooding back in 2009. Unfortunately, some of those stored at the palace were also damaged by mould and termites.
Among the damaged shoes are a pair of white Pierre Cardin heels, the sole of one destroyed by termites. Other shoes had been warped out of shape or messed by stains.
There they deteriorated further as the fragile boxes were abandoned in a padlocked museum hall that had no facilities to protect them. Last month the pieces were further damaged by tropical storm rains from a gushing leak in the ceiling, museum officials said.
Nevertheless, many pairs in the museum survived and attract between 50 to 100 tourists a day. They include such brands as Chanel, Christian Dior, Gucci, Prada, Ferragamo and Charles Jourdan and are on show in airtight glass cabinets out of direct sunlight.
At Airsports Insurance Bureau we have our very own Imelda who stores a few of her collection under her desk in the office.
If you have a large collection of shoes or designer clothing and want specialist cover call our team on 02380 268351.
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