Sunday, October 17, 2010

A Wonderful Coincidence

This month we celebrated one year since we moved to Vila do Conde, in the north of Portugal. When I first came here I had no idea if I will like it or if it was really the place where I wanted to live. I didn’t know anybody and being such a small quiet city, I had no expectations of meeting people or making new friends around here.
 
And then this wonderful unexpected thing happens, and one day I discover a blog of another artist who works with leather and lives right here, just a few streets away from me! Two weeks later I receive an email from him, as he had already discovered me before I got to contact him first. His name is José Machado and he also moved here with his family exactly a year ago. He is a creative shoemaker who - honestly, I’m not saying that because we’re friends now :)- makes the most beautiful and original shoes I ever seen!!!

His work is the perfect blend between antiquity and medieval styles and contemporary materials, colors and textures. These are one of a kind shoes made after extensive documentation, beautifully designed and carefully created. To me they seem some magic objects that came out of a beautiful story and once you put them on, they’ll take you to some dreams world.


José has a background in theater stage lighting and sometimes designs pieces for actors 
and theater play.


You can see the beautiful shoes for yourself on his blog http://ecosdooficio.blogspot.com/ and sneak a peek into his studio.
As for me, I must dedicate a separate post to my first visit to his workshop and how amazing was that experience! For now I can only say, gosh… I have soooo much to learn from him!
 

5 comments:

p said...

LOVE IT ALL. love the shoes, love that you both met. thanks 4 posting

p said...

where does he sell these?

Louise said...

What a beautiful story and beautiful shoes! Two extremely talented leather crafters destined to meet I say....

Baghy said...

Wow, honestly I have never seen such gorgeous artwear! He found the perfect recipe of mixing the stunning leather textures with the medieval-modern style... I always admire people that stay true to tradition and they build upon it, making unique designs. What a wonderful thing, that you've met and that you live in the same town, I'm starting to believe in faith! Vila do Conde is indeed a lucky city to have two artists like you two there! I gotta save some money to get one of these pair of epic shoes :)

Teo said...

I'm so glad you like the shoes!
Paula, he is selling online from his blog http://machadohandmade.blogspot.com/ and hopefully he will open an Etsy shop soon :)