Start to collect pieces of wood for footwear (5)
I believe the answer is:
clogs
'footwear' is the definition.
(type of shoes)
'start to collect pieces of wood' is the wordplay.
'start to' says to take the initial letters.
'pieces of wood' becomes 'logs'.
The first letter of 'collect' is 'c'.
'c'+'logs'='CLOGS'
'for' is the link.
(Other definitions for clogs that I've seen before include "11 across shoes" , "Wooden shoes" , "Wooden-soled shoes" , "Sabots" .)