Alfonso Muñoz

A lifelong passion for the handmade

• The workshop was created in 1898 by Alfonso's grandfather
• Alfonso was trained by his father, his cousins and his uncle.
• Every shoe is totally handcrafted and custom-made

Alfonso Muñoz's story is one of family tradition. As a child, every summer was spent at the family workshop in Toledo. Thanks to his father, uncles and cousins, Alfonso began to learn how to make shoes and boots. He became passionate about creating an item from scratch just with his hands, supervising all the details and making quality inherent to his work. “I was stunned when I discovered all the possibilities of creation that craftsmanship offers you,” he says. Now, a new generation is learning just as he did. But he is pessimistic about the future of his profession. “Nowadays it’s easy to say that what you are doing is craftsmanship while all the processes behind it are mechanical,” he laments.

Interview

©adriantyler.net

©adriantyler.net

What's the history of your workshop?

My grandfather established it in 1898 and the family has been working there ever since. Today I share it with my brother Enrique. My nephew, the fourth generation in the family, is now beginning to work there as well. I've loved it ever since my childhood when I spent every summer there.

How did you learn to make shoes?

My father, my cousins and my uncles taught me. But you don't stop learning. I would say to young people that the most important things in this profession are enthusiasm, tenacity and lots of patience.

What's the key to your craft?

The way that we craft every shoe totally by hand. The work of a person with an awl and some needles, stitch by stitch, cutting with a blade, preparing a slipsole, their ability with tools, then mounting every piece with the form of the foot in a mould, using tongs and pulling it by hand.

How do you feel about the future?

I would say that our profession is in danger. It´s easy to say you are a craftsman when really you are using a mechanical process. It's important that our shop is next to the workshop and clients can see how every piece is made.

Alfonso Muñoz is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1979

Works

M Kesseler ©Michelangelo Foundation

©Artesanía Muñoz

©adriantyler.net

©Artesanía Muñoz

Where