Caboclo . Susteinable Hand Made Shoes

Love and respect

We started this project to create products we were proud of, to build a brand in which the objective were not about chasing for trends, but rather to create a label that could be a vehicle for change, focused on people and sustainability, working with respect for traditions and the environment.

Caboclo began back in 2005 in Barcelona –Spain, with the goal to produce beautiful and high-quality leather shoes, working hand in hand with craftsmen from a region called Cariri in northeast of Brazil, a place with a precious artisanal background, a heritage passed through generations.

We consider the people and the process.Performing in a more responsible and sustainable level, Caboclo is about empowering, pride, dignity and hope, values that we believe feeds the cycle of construction and promotion of regional cultures.

SLOW IS BEAUTIFUL

With the objective of rescuing regional culture, our mode of ethical production is through working closely with small, independent artisans to help grow their businesses and production capabilities, trying to maintain the production as manual as possible, valuing the hands, the time and care. Our productive capacity is not high, but we consider this as a value. We are also worried about making products with low environmental impact, using recycled tires, natural tanned leather and much love.

Our shoes are built using cowhides, a byproduct of the meat industry. All leathers are naturally treated, only using vegetable dyes. 

To develop the leather, we responsibly source for eco-friendly tanneries that focus on vegetable and metal free tanning as well as for the post use water treatment. They use the skins of trees to ten the leather, and don’t use any chemicals on the tanning process to transform the skin. Sea salt is then used to preserve the leather before the dyeing process begins. 

As a result we have a full grain leather –meaning the top side has not been sanded, buffed, or corrected to remove natural patterns, raw-edges and detailing, which could be hard at the beginning but after being used for a couple of times will be completely flexible and pretty much softer.

 

Colors inspired by nature

Our color palette is inspired by the contemplation of the nature and the natural elements of our surrounding. The presence of the soil, the stones, the coal and natural oils can be perceived in the purity of the natural pigments used for the leather dyeing and its colors, which are not absolute neither permanent. 

When leather is tinted naturally, finding different colors between products is likewise natural and it does not represent a defect. Also the material is greatly influenced by its environment and could initially change color.

We find beauty in imperfection, for us each scar and each wrinkle tells a story itself.

OUR CRAFT

We believe that a shoe made by hand from natural materials creates a superior product and wearing experience. Fewer machines also reduce the energy consumption and environmental impact.

Our shoes are thoughtfully designed in our home in Barcelona and beautifully crafted using quality materials made from knowing, experienced hands. Our designs are timeless yet current, classic yet contemporary, as our aim is to create shoes you’ll love to wear for years to come. 

New life for tires

The shoes’ outer soles are made of recycled tires, which we combine with other individual parts to compose a confortable upper sole.

Sr. Francisco was born with the gift of craftsmanship and a great curiosity to learn. Despite the huge skill he has with his hands, he is always seeking to improve his technique.

Mr. Durão chose as profession to be an artisan. He believes there is nothing better in life than being able to do what he likes most.

Leo is a young craftsman for whom the best reward of his work is to imagine that someone, anywhere in the world, will soon be wearing the shoes he just made and appreciating his crafts.

We also count on with the help of Tatiana, our “right hand” and important person of our team in Brazil. Tati is a designer who greatly values the exchange she has with the craftsmen, believing that everyone learns a lot together. Alongside with Juliano, she is responsible for the coordination of our production in Brazil, the quality control and management of all orders and shipments. To do all this she counts on the help of Micael, the newest member of our team whom we hope to continue growing with us, likewise Tati.

We are artists. We are creators. We are partners

 

EVERY STEP COUNTS 

The shoes soles are made up of six individual pieces. An internal leather midsole with a rubber tread and a vegetable leather strip which encloses the sole to the upper, combined with a recycled tire outsole mixed with one layer of leather and another of tire that are used to compose the heel.

Our craft is assembled organically, using simple cuts of leather, minimal stitching and metal studs to reinforce its inner side. Our shoes mold to their owners’ feet the way that only natural materials can, revealing its own characteristic over time, whilst designs feature raw-edges.

Crafts people are artists, and we work with masters. Our shoes are a piece of art, each one is unique in a small production.

Our aim is to create shoes you’ll love to wear for years to come. 

 

People behind

Our team in Brasil

With the objective of rescuing regional crafts culture, we are proud to collaborate with a carefully selected and passionate team of local independent artisans from Cariri – northeast of Brazil, helping to grow their businesses and production capabilities, valuing the hands, the time and care. We align ourselves with those who share our standards of excellence, our demand for authenticity, and our ethical values.

We believe that the mixes between elements of specific cultures are relevant to generate originality and beauty. With a minimal and natural aesthetic, the brand creates transcendental objects that pay incredible attention to detail, resulting in unique and limited handcrafted high-quality leather shoes that never lose their value and which you’ll love to wear for years to come.

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