In 1946, protection was, and still is, the most important reason to own a pair of shoes. Unfortunately, by the modern, most of us had migrated away from the concept of 'shoes for protection' to a style-first mentality. Not that style is unimportant or shallow - at Apex we thrive on style! - but when style supersedes concepts like protection, support, fit, and manufacturing expertise, feet begin to hurt. And worse.