Sha Sha Shoes

By Julie Rawe

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.

--By Julie Rawe