Shoes (Handmade)

~ Live & Learn

10+ years ago, Frank Torres, a colleague from work, had suggested that I buy a single pair of hand crafted Italian shoes. His face lit up when speaking about his visit to Italy, visiting shoemakers and speaking of the quality of the product. I scoffed.  “Do me a favor.  Just do it.” So, I did as he suggested.  And, I’ve never looked back. I slide on my shoes each morning and think of that short 3-4 minute conversation with Frank. The form fit and cushioning offers me a magic carpet ride through the stress packed days.  Frank, if you’re out there and by some miracle you are reading this post, this clip is my thanks to you.  While it’s not of an Italian shoemaker, it offered me similar inspiration. “Yes, Frank. You do get what you pay for.”

Barbora Veselá is London based footwear designer and maker. Her work reflects deep technical knowledge and creative competence. She likes to challenge classic shoe making techniques, yet use them with respect and celebrate its value. Playful and inquisitive thinking brought into old craftsmanship is what makes her work strong and unique.  A special construction method has been developed and used across her collection. Multiple layers of leather scrap pieces are added on the last and subsequently sanded down to achieve the final shape and unique colour pattern of the shoe.  More shoes displayed here.  (Source: barbora vesela)

26 thoughts on “Shoes (Handmade)”

  4. a magnificent craftsman and craft. daniel day lewis left acting for a couple of years to apprentice with an italian shoemaker to learn the art. i admire him very much for this.

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  5. As I sit here applauding myself for being a self-taught knitter (and a bad one at that), I look at such artisanship with humility and more than a bit of awe.

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  8. Comfotable shoes make all the difference in the world. Believe me, I know. I had a job where I was on my feet all day and I’ve had foot surgery. Good shoes are worth every penny, even if you have to pay a whole lot of pennies for them.

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  9. Wow! What gorgeous shoes! I love the cartological inspiration for the footwear (ingenious!) and I so admire the process of building something unique by hand. One of my clients is a group called the NH Furniture Masters (www.furnituremasters.org), essentially a guild of nearly two dozen fine furniture makers who make exquisite custom pieces, many using only hand tools. I marvel at what they create. And my husband does mechanical restorations on older Ferraris–another place where you see the beauty of craftsmanship and the touch of the maker’s hand in evidence everywhere. This is the stuff that feeds my soul…..

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  10. Works of art! I wouldn’t even want to wear them…I’d put them into a glass case or something. They’re like Cinderella shoes…or CinderFELLA shoes. Maybe that’s what I need…to buy a pair of Cinderfella shoes and then find a man worthy of wearing them. 🙂 Yes…it’s been a long day.

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  11. Oh, man. I *hate* buying shoes. They always *seem* to fit in the store, but *never* fit when I get them home. It is truly the bane of my existence. I’m putting this on my “If I Win the Lottery” list—a pair of handmade shoes.

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