Why handmade?

Unmarked was born under the philosophy of keeping the handcrafting traditions of boots and shoes alive. That means that from the 200 different processes (yes, 200!) that takes to make a pair of Unmarked, 195 are handmade by one of our artisans. This goes from the cuts, stitching, assembly, finish, and detailing.

Our artisans have more than 30 years of experience working with shoes and they all know the ins and outs of their crafts.

The machines in our fabric are antiques, and that has a reason. These machines have been recuperated by us because they do finer work that leads to greater quality, one of our main goals.

Even though we use machines for certain processes, we don’t have an industrialized process, we keep everything as handmade as possible. This leads to certain differences from one pair of shoes to another. There might not be two shoes exactly the same, and we don’t aim for that.

One thing we can assure you, we will never compromise quality.

What exactly can I expect from a handmade pair of shoes/boots?

A high-quality product, made with extreme dedication and precision.

Every pair involves more than 100 hours and 200 processes of work.

If a pair is different from another one it doesn’t mean it has mistakes, it means it’s handmade, therefore, it cannot be two shoes exactly the same (and that’s a good thing!)

Human beings involved in the process make this a true teamwork and a high level of coordination to reach our highest quality standards.

Why there are no two same shoes?

- We work with real leather. This means that every animal has had their own life, with scarfs or veins that stick to the leather. We can not avoid or work against this. We celebrate the uniqueness of our products.

- Some of the leathers we work with, come from a vegetal “curtido”, which is natural and that can produce differences in the colors.

- We support the local economy by working with local small businesses.  

When buying handmade products, and especially a pair of Unmarked, keep in mind:

• There are not two pairs exactly the same (and we believe that is a good thing!) You have high-quality shoes/boots that are as unique as you are.
• You are contributing to environmentally friendly production. Why? Because we don’t have a large production facility, therefore, we don’t contribute to air and noise pollution as one of a big scale does.
• We often read or hear that when you buy handmade goods, you are supporting the local economy, but do you know the scope of it? The first one, it’s obvious. The money comes to us, not too big corporations and lots of intermediaries. This allows us to give fair payment to all the people working with us.
• By this, we don’t only offer better opportunities to our workers, but to their families and the possibilities of a better life.
• When our artisans receive a fair payment (much more than minimum wage and a very competitive salary in the market) they view their craft as something valuable and fuel them with confidence in their purpose.
• Most certainly, you will find cheaper boots. But is it really cheaper when you need to buy a new pair every 6 months, 1 year tops? A pair of Unmarked can last longer than 10 years. We are here for the long run. And then? We can rebuild, repair or resole them to give them a few thousand extra miles. This is not only good for you and your pocket, this is truly, environmentally friendly.
• When buying a pair of Unmarked, you are a conservationist. You are supporting the craft and helping our artisans to pass the skills to younger generations to keep the art of shoemaking alive.
• We are committed to our craft, to our people, and to our clients. We are real people creating real handmade shoes that you can feel as proud to wear as we feel proud to make them. What’s better than that?
• You can be sure that your pair of Unmarked are unique and have been made just for you. All the effort and time that every member of our team has invested is reflected in the quality and comfort you receive.