Braced footwear systems

A footwear system configured to conceal deformity, injury or paralysis in a foot of a wearer, the footwear system comprising:

• footwear comprising:
• a footwear body;
• a footwear sole on the footwear body;
• and
• at least one footwear brace in the footwear sole, the footwear brace concealed in the footwear sole and configured to impart support to the foot of the wearer
• and further comprising at least one brace space provided in the footwear sole, and wherein the at least one footwear brace is provided in the brace space, and
• wherein the footwear body includes a front body portion, side body portions, a rear body portion a top body portion and a bottom body surface, and wherein the footwear sole is provided on the bottom body surface of the footwear body, and
• wherein the footwear sole has a front sole portion, side sole portions and a rear sole portion, which correspond in position to the front body portion, the side body portions and the rear body portion, respectively, of the footwear body, and wherein the brace space is coextensive in area with at least part of the front sole portion, the side sole portions and the rear sole portion, and
• wherein the footwear sole further includes an outer sole panel which forms the front sole portion, the side sole portions and the rear sole portions of the footwear sole and wherein the brace space is formed by and between the outer sole panel of the footwear sole and the bottom body surface of the footwear body, and
• wherein a brace panel lines an interior surface of the outer panel and wherein a plurality of vertical brace members of the footwear brace extend between the brace panel and the bottom body surface of the footwear body, and
• wherein each of the plurality of vertical brace members of the footwear brace includes a pair of adjacent brace member elements, and
• further comprising a plurality of horizontal brace members that connect the adjacent vertical brace members to each other.