The shoe sculptor
- Gabriele makes no more than 50 pairs of shoes a year
- She uses naturally tanned leather from Europe
- Foot measurements are taken both sitting and standing
Austrian-born Gabriele Gmeiner left her hometown at 19 to follow her dream of becoming a shoemaker. A graduate from the Cordwainers College in London and the CFT de L’Abbee Gregoire in Paris, she decided to open her own workshop and settle in Venice. “I wanted to create sculptures, but I preferred to work in the applied arts field, so I chose shoemaking,” Gabriele says. “Shoes are the foundation of the modern migrant man. They affect not only our basic wellbeing, but also the movement and posture of our body. When carving my custom-made wooden lasts, I feel like an artist.” Through saddlery and hand stitching, Gabriele also creates custom belts made up of several reinforcing layers of lining and an outer side.
Discover her work
INTERVIEW
In 2002. But my very first bespoke shoe job dates back to 1993, when I was commissioned to make a pair of shoes for a very precious porcelain doll. Since 2004, I have always trained apprentices from countries such as Japan, France, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
Made-to-measure shoes for men and women, the latter being rather rare in the sector of bespoke shoes. The techniques I use date back to the era of entirely handmade footwear: I do not use machinery or synthetic glues in the creation of my shoes.
The innovation lies in the aspect of sustainability. All my materials are traceable and European, no chemicals or toxic products are used, the production is done entirely in the workshop, there is no waste of materials, and the product itself is the opposite of “disposable”.
That it takes countless hours to make a pair of bespoke handmade shoes. Each sculpted last, each stitch, each hour worked is dedicated to that particular person. An intense, almost intimate relationship arises between the craftsperson and his or her client.
