Elena Ferro

Shoemaker

Reinventing clog making

Elena has adapted this popular and traditional craft to modern times
She has a master’s degree in Leather Design from the Loewe Foundation
Three generations of the Ferro family have worked in the workshop

Elena Ferro leads the third generation of wooden clog makers in her family. Along with her sisters, she keeps alive this artisan practice, which has always been in danger of disappearing since the industrial revolution. Her father and aunt taught her the techniques of the craft and to take pride in the work made in the family workshop. At 18, after finishing high school, she took over the workshop created by her grandfather in 1915 in the town of Merza (Pontevedra). Since then, she has been creating clogs and other leather goods with innovative designs and colours that are inspired by the nature of the Galician region. In 2019, Elena was awarded the National Craftsmanship Award for reinventing this humble footwear as a fashionable accessory.

Interview

How would you define the craftsmanship you do in your workshop?: Our work is very traditional, but also creative and innovative. We have adapted the handcrafted manufacture of clogs to modern times, using innovative designs.
What are your core skills?: Our skills lie in the design and layout of our products. Die-cutting, sewing and assembly of our pieces are particularly important to us. So is the work we do with leather.
How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?: Respecting the handcrafted tradition of clog making, we have updated our products and brought them into the present. We have incorporated cow leather, created new patterns and adapted their footstep to make them as comfortable as possible.
How is clog making linked to your region?: Clog making is closely linked to the rural environment. Although we now practise this tradition in a different way, we continue to work from the countryside to keep it alive. Our workshop is in the same place where my grandfather founded it, when he started in 1915.

Elena Ferro is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1999