Rocco’s Shoes
Handmade shoes are as old as history itself and shoes, in the form of sandals, were being made around 1000 – 700 B.C. (approximately 3000 years ago). So is it any wonder that handmade shoes are still being crafted today?
And although technology and machinery has taken over much of the technical side of making shoes, there are still a handful of dedicated shoemakers or ‘cordwainer’s’ right here in Melbourne making bespoke shoes to meet your exact specifications.
So who are these wonderful people and how do you find them?
Well the most famous of Melbourne’s shoemakers has to be Rocco Bufalo, owner of ‘Rocco’s Shoes’. Not only has Rocco been making shoes since he was 10 years old, but he has gone on to establish a range of men’s shoes and boots that are sought after by rock stars, and celebrities both here and abroad.
Beginning his shoemaking career in the South of Italy under the guidance of his uncle Francesco, Rocco immigrated to Australia in 1952. But it wasn’t until 1968 that his legendary store and range of shoes was born. That was 42 years ago and even then his customers tracked him down through word of mouth, seeking his long lasting craftsmanship and quality designs – which are vast.
Going to see Rocco is much like going on a shoe adventure. The store has an old worldly feel to it, and there are rows and rows of men’s shoes all lined up on shelves waiting to be hand-picked or remade into another size.
For the conservative among us there are pointy toed shoes and boots with Cuban heels (think Jack London and R.M Williams), slip-on and lace-up brogues, and for the more daring among us there are shoes and boots made from tapestry, snakeskin, leopard print, zebra stripes and the colours of the Italian flag, as well as purple, gold, red and green varieties.
All you need to do is let Mrs Bufalo measure your feet, choose your design or colour, or you can even bring in your own, leave a deposit and Rocco will do the rest. And the best part about Rocco’s shoes is that not only will they last a good 10 years, but they are only around $200 a pair!
This is a real bargain for a pair of quality hand-made shoes!
Plus to top it all off - no parts are mass produced or made in China, the shoes/boots are 100% leather (including the heels), you will get loads of compliments on them, they will be originals, and you are supporting a local business person – how can you top that?
But unfortunately there is a sad side to this story. You see Rocco is getting older and, although he has his son John to take over the reigns for him when he retires, hand-made shoes are getting harder and harder to make. With the advent of machinery and mass production, it is often difficult for small, independent shoe-makers like Rocco to compete in this dog eat dog world of fashion.
The parts and materials are getting harder to find, heels are more expensive and prices just keep going up, making a business like Rocco’s difficult to justify. But as Rocco says, you can do it if you really want to. So let’s hope his son John really wants to, because without an institution like Rocco’s, Melbourne just wouldn’t be the same.
On a final note, not much has changed since 1952. Rocco’s still has no phone and no website, so if you are serious about getting yourself a pair of Rocco’s handmade shoes, there is only one thing to do – get off your couch and get down to his store, before it is too late!
Please note: Rocco also makes boots for women, but they are very similar in style to his men’s range.
Also check out the book by photographer Ian Kenins called ‘Open for Business. It features Rocco on the front cover http://www.iankenins.com/publications.html
Rocco’s is located at 41 Station St, Malvern VIC 3144
Emma the Shoemaker
Following in the footsteps of Rocco as a bespoke shoemaker is Emma Shirgwin, otherwise known as ‘Emma the Shoemaker’.
With a passion for both shoes and working with her hands, Emma embarked on her career as a shoemaker in 2000 when she did a short course in London, which was followed by more study in Melbourne and then a full time course in Adelaide. During this time, she not only managed to gain work experience with boutique shoemakers Preston and Zly, but Emma kept learning until she felt satisfied that her knowledge, ability, and confidence to work alone were strong enough.
Working from her East Brunswick studio, Emma now designs and makes her all leather creations by hand, with all the materials being sourced right here in Melbourne. And since leather is her tool, it is used in all of her designs for the uppers and lining to the soles. In addition to this, Emma also works in the Italian style called ‘Lunati’, which involves first creating paper shoes and then transposing them to leather to ensure a perfect fit.
Inspired by the kinds of shoes Emma would want to wear herself, she sells her unique wears to a local national and international market. However with any small businesses focusing on a niche market, expansion can be challenging and, as Emma is finding out, so is finding people with the shoemaking skills to assist her.
But niche market or not, Emma has been fortunate enough to receive a substantial amount of media attention, including editorials in The Age, Harpers Bazzar, Frankie and Russh Magazine, to name a few.
And as already stated by Rocco, the art of hand-made shoes is a sometimes difficult, time-consuming and dying craft. Not only are the materials expensive and hard to find, (especially in Australia) but often shoemakers have to charge much more for their shoes to cover the time it takes to make them. Right now Emma is earning about $5 an hour for herself and still has to work really long hours to get it. But because she believes in following her passion, she is prepared to make sacrifices and put the hard work in, knowing that ultimately she will be lead in a good direction.
At the end of the day however, Emma believes that the future of hand-made shoes is off shore. There are basically no tanneries in Australia anymore, and if she wants to make a decent living, she is going to have to compete with the mass shoe market, just like all hand-made shoemakers eventually will.
Before this happens though, go down to Emma’s studio and support another wonderful Melbourne based artisan by letting Emma make you a pair of her custom fit, hand-made shoes, clogs or sandals. You might have to wait between 2 weeks to 2 months for her to make them, but I am sure it will be well worth the wait.
Emma the Shoemaker Ph: 0400 284 768
Weaved Wooden Heel AUD $480
Remmen Clog AUD $320
Suede Bootie Wedge AUD $490
Other Melbourne based shoemakers
Shoemaking course at RMIT
Fancy Pants window display
Circa Interior
Victoria is wearing a Studio Girl dress with a real
vintage feel, boots by 9 West and an Olga Berg bag.
Shonna and her daughter Arnika bought most of their
great clothes from op shops! Shonna is wearing
cut off Sass and Bide jeans, her top is from a friend,
sunnies from Wagga Wagga, a vintage belt and Rubi shoes.
Arnika is just following in her Mother's great and groovy
footsteps with her gorgeous hat, dress and sparkly shoes.
Kyra is wearing a vintage dress teamed with
a Givenchy bag and Tony Bianco Boots
Mim Nervo is wearing Metalicus pants with very
funky House of Baulch accessories
Cardigan 100% Cotton Knit - Black $150
Polo Shirt Anchor Button 100% Cotton Knit - Black/White $150
Cardigan 100% Cotton Knit - Blue $150
V-neck Cotton Sweater 100% Cotton Knit - Black $140
Cara is wearing French label Toi et Moi Jacket
and boots by ZU
Steph is wearing Made in Donald dress and headpiece by
Nadia Pearse also from the Made in Donald team
