My Cobbler Friends:

I am a custom shoemaker with a pretty good reputation, even if I say so myself, but the truth is I wouldn't have lasted in business if I did not make quality, durable and well fitted designs. Shoe making is relatively straight forward, but crafting a pair to fit is a completely different matter. It takes a high degree of intelligence, (yeah I know- the arrogance, but stiff! Ask Jimmy Choo :-)) and an ability to visualise at the outset how all the various components and variables will come together for the desired end result-  a comfortable smart looking product. I am often asked to make for extremely difficult challenges. It is a very demanding craft to be successful in these days, and to earn a living, given that cheap Asian-made footwear has flooded the market. But I not only survive- I prosper. Not so much monetarily, but in the sense of fulfilment I gain from working with my own hands and mind, and for myself. To tell someone I am a custom shoemaker often elicits an appreciatively interested response. We are respected. Shoes are dear to everyone's hearts after all. Ask Imelda!

So wherever we travel, I will always look for and show an interest in how other craftsmen shoemakers or repairers are faring, the work they undertake, the tools they use, the shoes or sandals they make or are repairing. I'll stop and chat, ask for a photo, and leave a few dollars because I know that in the undeveloped countries we travel, their life is a hard one, their earnings meagre; the craft perhaps only just keeping their family fed and clothed. Often their social position is at the bottom of the heap, as in India, where leatherworkers or shoemakers will be the work of Dalits or Untouchables. It was their lot in life to deal with dead animals: skinning, disposal and tanning. But I have the greatest respect for them, because they are making a living from their hands and their skill. Using their ingenuity to create an income, however little.

They are me- in another lifetime, another society, another age.

My shoe repairer friend in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Crippled, he works on the street outside the entrance to Holy Trinity Church. Wife and child begging. But their family dog looks in good condition. Note the shoe repairer has a very dignified air about him.

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Addis Ababa, Merkato Market. These tyre sidewalls have been strip cut and will be turned into basic rubber tyre soled sandals as below.

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These rubber tyre sandals are custom fitted to your size. The straps adjusted then nailed together. Selling for around $2.50US a pair you'll get plenty of mileage out of them!

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In Khayelitsha township, Cape Town, South Africa, my cobbler friend is painstakingly hand sewing a child's sandal together. His tools- a needle and nylon fishing line. The tin shack is his family's home. What will his son's future be?

When I retire, I'll throw my tools in my bag and give them to someone like this. I couldn't think of a better way of passing on my craft handtools.

 

A village stop on the drive down from Kruger to St Lucia, South Africa. This shoemaker made a good range of basic sandals. Business was good; he actually had a shop to work from. He was rightly proud to show me his work.

A shoe repairer's lock up shop in Shimla, India, in a side street leading from the central square. Most days he'll be working on the pavement, but rain was in the air. His tools were few, and business was slow. India now has a thriving footwear industry, but the cheap flood of mass produced product will have impacted on his trade. Often cheaper to throw away than to have repaired.

These craftsmen remind me that I am indeed privileged to be a custom shoemaker in an affluent society. It is an honorable craft. I take pride in my work and I admire my fellow craftsman, where ever I meet them. There's a great sense of pride to be able to create something with your hands. Artists and craftspeople know the feeling well.

So spare a thought for them, and open your wallet.

A few pics of my work.

My Cobbler Friends:

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