Experienced shoemaking and leathergoods specialists and a hundred-year-old know-how to manufacture handcrafted “jewels” everyday.
Our Workshop
Authenticity, a sense of detail and know-how transmitted from generation to generation.
Our shoemaker craftsmen produce Bobbies’ creations with passion in our own traditional workshop in Santa Maria da Feira just south of Porto. Freedom, suppleness and creativity are our key words as we propose models with well-made finishes that will last a long time.
In support of this production, we have worked hand-in-hand for over 10 years with family-owned workshops in Portugal for our shoes and in Spain for our leathergoods. All of our partner workshops function on a human scale.
Meet the members of our team and discover our different manufacturing steps:
01. Patternmaking
Manager: Rui, truly a shoe architect
The technique: Rui custom-makes the “architecture” of a pair of shoes by starting with a technical drawing. He defines the ideal shape and prints it with a 3D printer while determining the quantity of leather required to optimize any scraps.
The secret touch: Thanks to his experience, Rui does pattern measurements by eye and draws directly on the shoe last.
02. Cutting
Manager: Ramiro, the leather expert
The technique: following the patterns, Ramiro hand-cuts the leather pieces using the different dyes that have been made for each size.
The secret touch: This established technique can produce 60 pairs of shoes a day while reducing scraps.
03. Stitching & Painting
Manager: Dalila and her magic fingers
The technique: after having reinforced the leather, fitted the lining, folded, hammered and sewn the leather, the team paints the raw edges by hand.
The secret touch: It is in this workroom that we apply Bobbies gilding on the inner soles.
04. Assembling
Manager: José-Luis, the master assembler
The technique: The assembly is done by hand using machines that heat the materials to make them malleable, then fuses them and stabilizes the form of the arch.
The secret touch: The shoe model’s name is inscribed on the mold, construction insole and outside sole to be able to find and match them up.
05. The finishing
Manager: Manuel, the shoe doctor
The technique: Manuel makes sure there are no marks on the leather and verifies the finishings. He inserts the insole and shines the leather using a machine with a rotating brush before it is put in the box.
The secret touch: an eagle eye to catch any defects. This is the final step to make the shoe come alive.
Over 200
micro-steps
are needed to manufacture a pair of Bobbies shoes.
Manufacturing
in images
Our Materials
Leathers
Sourced in well-known tanneries certified by the Leather Working Group, our leathers come exclusively from Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. This certification assures a responsible production that saves energy, respects European regulatory standards and puts in practice advanced methods that respect the environment.
Each tannery specializes in a type of leather and has been chosen for their high-quality, sturdy, supple and vivid skins.
Some of the smooth leathers we use for the leathergoods are vegetable-tanned. This natural, ethical procedure that uses tannins present in plants, respects the environment, assures that the leathers will be supple yet sturdy, and reveals deep, nuanced variations in the skins.
Soles
Leather
Our fine, supple leather soles are made in Portugal using a method that respects traditional know-how. Hand-cut with metal dyes, they can be nubucked for a smooth finish or have an injected rubber base for optimal adherence. They are either soldered to the upper or sewn to it using a Blake or Goodyear construction.
Rubber
Assembled under our sneakers by using a Strobel construction, our rubber soles are composed 70% of recycled rubber and 30% of natural hevea rubber. To produce them, we have confidence in our partner Bolflex who has made a strong commitment to limit their company’s environmental footprint. The lightweight, comfortable rubber sole is also a key element in our picot-soled loafers that have been iconic pieces in our collections for over 10 years. Hand-assembled and hand-sewn to the loafer, there are over 100 different picots on each sole.
Acetate
Made by hand in Italy, acetate is inextricably linked with our iconic Ancône bags and Firenze chains. The deep shades of acetate, an ultra-resistant material, offer infinite possibilities including a rainbow of colors and custom-made designs. Today the bags’ delicate manufacturing make them a signature element of Bobbies’ leathergoods.
Boxes
We take special care to produce our boxes that are composed exclusively of paper from sustainably managed, FSC-certified forests.
Our objective: fight deforestation and preserve biodiversity while offering our clients a lovely experience when they discover our packaging. This is also the reason we propose that clients make a donation, with each order, to the A Tree for You association for which we match the amount they have donated.
