The artisanal shoe company’s main mission is to benefit the Colombian artisans, mostly single mothers and seniors, who handcraft the colorful espadrilles it sells online.
Laura Viveros co-founded the company in March 2016 after traveling to her native Colombia for a family Christmas trip.
During their visit to the small, picturesque town of Curiti, in the department of Santander, the financial advisor tried on some of the local artisans’ espadrille flats in the hopes of giving her sore feet some relief.The 33-year-old says her feet immediately felt better in the handmade shoes and she began to wear them everywhere. Viveros raved about the shoes to her cousins and friends.
She and her husband, Juan Carlos Rodriguez, then began brainstorming ideas with her brother Juan Camilo Viveros and his wife, Carolina Gutierrez, about how to help the artisans’ business in a sustainable way.
“I want[ed] to support these artisans because what they do is such an art,” Viveros told HuffPost. “They needed someone who believed in them. They needed someone who could show the world what they proudly do with their own hands while incorporating ancient weaving techniques.”
“Their work is truly amazing,” she added, in reference to the artisans. “Given the social inequality in my country, they had no one who was capable of helping them out and show[ing] their products in the international markets. I met them and they have truly changed my life.”
The artisans craft each shoe from the natural fibers that come from the fique plant in Colombia. They produce the raw material,…
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