New line
The Leather Atelier
Sneakers were where we started. Leather is where we are going.
The first shoe of the line is QALIB No. 1: thirty numbered pairs, hand-welted by one karigar and made to the measurements of both your feet, with eight designs from the plain pair to the Marble Edit. The full catalogue is at /qalib.
QALIB No. 1: the founding edition
The first shoe of this line is QALIB No. 1: thirty numbered pairs, hand-welted by one karigar, made to the measurements of both your feet. Eight designs, from the plain pair to the Marble Edit, where each painting is done once and never repeated.
The catalogue is open: every design, the specification and the price. A private appointment is one message away, and you hold the shoe before you decide.
What this line is
A sneaker is a canvas we buy. A leather shoe is a canvas we build.
That is the whole difference. On this line the shoe itself is made for your foot first, in leather chosen for your pair, and only then does an artist pick up a brush. Nothing is pulled off a shelf. Nothing is painted twice.
It means a longer wait than the ten to fourteen working days a sneaker takes, and it means a higher price. It also means there is no other pair like it anywhere, in a way that even our sneakers cannot claim, because even the shoe underneath is yours.
What you can commission
Formal shoes
Oxfords, derbies, brogues. For the wedding, the office, the day that matters. Painted quietly or not at all, as you prefer.
Loafers
Penny, velvet, leather. The shoe with the most room for colour, because nobody expects it there.
Boots
Chelsea, lace-up, ankle. Built to be worn hard and to look better for it.
Why leather takes longer
A sneaker arrives already made. We paint it and seal it, and that is ten to fourteen working days from your pair being secured.
A leather shoe starts with your measurements, a pattern cut for you, leather selected, the upper stitched, the sole attached, and only then the paint. Every one of those steps is a person, not a machine. We will quote you a real date when we quote you a real price, and we will not promise a week we cannot keep.
Commission something else in leather
QALIB is the first shoe of the line, not the only one. Formal shoes, loafers and boots can be made for you from the last up and painted or left plain. Tell us what you want made and we will come back with a price and a real date.
Questions, Answered
Do you make leather shoes from scratch, or only paint existing ones?
Both. On this line the shoe is built for you from the last up, then painted. If you already own a leather pair you love, we can paint that instead, which is the faster and cheaper route.
How much do custom leather shoes cost?
More than a painted sneaker, and we will not publish a single number for a shoe that is different every time. Tell us what you want made and we will quote you honestly before you pay anything.
How long does a pair of custom leather shoes take?
Longer than a sneaker, which is ten to fourteen working days. A leather shoe is measured, cut, stitched, soled and then painted. We give you a real date with your quote rather than a guess on a web page.
Can you paint leather shoes I already own?
Yes. Send us the pair and our artists paint it. That route is priced separately and is the same idea as our paint-your-own-sneakers service.
Do you ship leather shoes worldwide?
Yes, the same as everything else we make. Shipping is arranged with you directly so you know the cost and the timing before you commit.