September 13 is the Zapatero day and every year he invites me to stop a moment and think about everything this trade means to me. It is a challenging year, we know.
September 13 is the Zapatero day and every year he invites me to stop a moment and think about everything this trade means to me. It is a challenging year, we know. But, despite the difficulties, I still convinced that making footwear in Argentina is a huge pride. In this context, I reaffirm that it is not just about making a shoe: it is to choose good materials, take care of the details and tell a story with every pair that comes out of the factory.
In our country, the shoe was always more than an accessory. It is identity, it is style and social belonging. The footwear industry has a long tradition: during much of the twentieth century it was an engine of employment in whole neighborhoods of Greater Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Santa Fe. There, family workshops lived with large factories that exported to different destinations in Latin America. And in that plot the endearing figure of the neighborhood shoemaker appears, with his work bank, his simple tools and his office learned from generation to generation. The shoemaker recalls not only prolonged the useful life of footwear: it was also part of the daily life of the community, being affective memory of several generations.
Produce in Argentina, an act of resilience
Today, in an adverse context for national production, I still choose to create here, in Argentina, with top quality leather and with intact passion. I am lucky to have an incredible audience that values that work, which accompanies and understands that each handmade shoe is unique. That is the biggest motivation to continue betting, even when the economic panorama is not always encouraging.
The Argentine shoe is resilience. It combines artisanal tradition with innovation in design, and is also a reflection of the collective effort of workers, designers, suppliers and merchants who bet on ours in difficult times. Each pair prepared by hand carries with it an unrepeatable footprint: that of an office that resists, that adapts and reinvents with creativity. And the most inspiring is that the industry progresses towards sustainability: the use of alternative leather, material recycling and the implementation of less environmental impact processes are concrete steps so that fashion walks hand in hand with the care of the planet.
A trade with a future
Zapatero’s day is also an opportunity to thank. To thank those who work in the workshops, the suppliers that support the value chain, and each consumer who, when choosing national footwear, helps to keep this trade alive. Because while there are people who create in the strength of this work, there will be a future for the footwear industry in Argentina.
This September 13 I not only celebrate one day: I celebrate the path traveled, the steps taken and those that will come. I do it with the certainty that the passion for what we do always takes us further. Because the footprint we leave is not alone in the steps we take, but also in the shared legacy of effort, dignity and creativity that we proudly carry in each pair of shoes made in our land.
CEO and founder of Morín Calzados
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
