The career of… Alice Duarte, shoemaker at Veja

People|Interview

The Job Of… Alice Duarte, Shoemaker at Veja Credits: Courtesy of Spice PR

The shoemaking trade is not dead. On the contrary: it is very much alive, Alice Duarte, shoemaker at Veja, shares in an interview with FashionUnited about her job. She has an impressive resume: she learned the craft of shoe repair at a vocational school in France and rose to become a shoemaker for luxury fashion brands Louboutin and Chanel. Now she works as a shoemaker at French sneaker brand Veja, which has shoemakers in Paris, Bordeaux, Berlin and Madrid. In this interview, Duarte shares more about her job.

What are your duties as a shoemaker at Veja?

“Every day starts with opening the workshop, checking emails and registering the shoes that come in on a spreadsheet. Then I start with resoling, repairing linings and cleaning shoes. My week starts with small repairs, such as stitching and repairing linings or leather parts. Later in the week I work on the larger repairs, such as resoling shoes.”

How did your path lead to a job as a shoemaker at Veja?

"I couldn't sit still in school. Someone said, 'You're going to do an apprenticeship,' and that sounded great to me. I thought, 'It's going to be shoes,' because I loved shoes. In France, there's an apprenticeship program (Les Compagnons du Devoir in French), a kind of craft guild. I did an apprenticeship for shoemakers. I learned a lot about the trade, from orthopedics to traditional shoe repair.

Later I worked in orthopedics because those companies hire more often. Traditional shoemakers often don’t have the budget to hire someone, I thought until I discovered London, where big brands offer after-sales services. I started at Louboutin, known for their red soles. They had a shoemaker in Paris and one in London, although the latter has now closed.

People often say that the shoemaking trade is dying out, that no one repairs anymore because shoes have become cheaper. But my experience is that big brands do care about aftersales. After Louboutin, I also worked for Chanel."

They do say that the shoemaking trade is dying out. Are there more prejudices about your job?

"When I ran my own workshop, customers often asked for my husband, while I was the one who did everything. People often expect an older man for a shoemaker, but more and more women are entering the profession. The image that it is a dying profession is also not true. New shoemakers graduate every year."

What are the main responsibilities in your role?

“Dealing with customers is the most crucial task. I have to reassure customers that their shoes may not be repairable, and educate them on maintenance and how to best wear their shoes. Customers have to trust you and know that you know what you are doing.”

What inspires you most about working for Veja?

“At Veja, they really value good machinery. They have machines that you won’t find at a standard shoemaker. For example, an automatic press that works from the bottom instead of just the top, which is essential for sneakers. They also work with a French company that repurposes used machinery. That’s great and fits in with their focus on sustainability, which I fully support. My job is about repairing, not consuming.”

Are there any specific challenges in your work?

“Customer perception of shoe repair can sometimes be challenging. Some customers have high expectations. If a shoe that has been made does not look the way the customer had in mind, it can sometimes be difficult for a customer to accept.”

Are there specific qualities that someone must have to be good at your job?

“Problem-solving skills are key. You have to be willing to make mistakes and learn from them so you can avoid them in the future. This profession really requires patience and the will to keep learning and improving. You also need to have a passion for shoes and sustainability, because this is the core of what we do at Veja.”

What would you recommend to people who also want to become a shoemaker?

“Learning to repair. It’s a very vibrant field. You learn all kinds of shoes and repair techniques. Ten years ago I wouldn’t have recommended this line of work because of the limited opportunities, but now I see more and more brands offering repair services, which makes sense given the focus on sustainability.”

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.NL, translated and edited to English.

It was translated using AI. .

Interview

Veja