Italy, Europe, Edmonton: Fashion Forward Custom Mens Shoes
Italy, Europe, Edmonton: Fashion Forward Custom Mens Shoes
May 30, 2020
An Edmonton shoemakerโs story of success in an industry where competition is global and style is priority.
Julio Sanchez was born to a family of shoemakers in Chile. He brought his craft to Canada in 1977 but it didnโt become clear to Sanchez that his ancestral trade could fund his new life in Canada until he fell on hard times. In a conversation with Modern Luxuria Magazine, Sanchez recalled how whenever he was between jobs he would earn a living creating leather goods and even sandals for babies. โWe were very successful. So when my son was born, I opened up my own store.โ
Zapato Sanchez started out as a shoe repair store but when Sanchezโs son grew older the younger Sanchez went on to study shoe design at the Ars Sutoria School in Italy. โAnd weโve been designing and making shoes ever since,โ Sanchez said with a chuckle.
Zapato Sanchez is a small store in West Edmonton Mall but out of its doors walks many pairs of mens shoes that are specially designed for their owners and often end up on runways and in fashion shows. โThere are many stores in the mall that you can see a beautiful shoe in the window but when you put them on, a custom made shoe is unlike any other shoe,โ Sanchez said.
โฆout of its doors walks many pairs of mens shoes that are specially designed for their owners and often end up on runways and in fashion shows.
Sanchez goes into his store everyday to work on creating shoes for hisย clientele. Theย shoemaker says COVID-19 has slowed down his ability to take orders and bring in new clients but the social distancing has allowed him to catch up on orders. He tells us that itโs a six-month long process from design toย completionย and that the handcrafted custom made shoes that come out of his store are like none that you can find in Edmonton. โWe compete with shoemakers in Italy and in Europe,โ admits Sanchez.
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