Luxury, originality, comfort, lifetime warranty, and thus practical indestructibility. This set of superlatives can be used to describe handmade shoes without any exaggeration. Today, it is as rare as it is exceptional. Marek Pažitný has brought this classic Prešor craft with a strong Austro-Hungarian tradition back to the center of the capital, specifically to the famous Grösslingova Street in Bratislava's Old Town. Today, the top master shoemaker offers hand-sewn shoemaking works of art and other leather accessories not only for men but also for women. Lovers of classic models proven over decades or centuries, as well as modern design, will choose from.
Czechoslovakia, of which Slovakia was a part and whose 100th anniversary will soon be commemorated on October 28, had a rich shoemaking tradition. Long before Slovakia became the country with the highest number of cars produced per capita, Czechoslovakia was a traditional shoe manufacturer, especially during the First Republic (1918-1938).
We also asked the friendly Marek a few questions about hand-sewn, custom-made shoes.
What do you think about the quality of branded shoes, such as those from Bata?
Hand-sewn shoes and machine-made shoes are two different categories. If we are talking about real quality, we must naturally move in the hand-sewn category.
Is the price of shoes directly proportional to their quality and comfort?
I think so. In addition to quality and comfort, it is important to remember that handwork is a series of small tasks, the result of which can only be assessed by a good observer - a true shoe connoisseur.
Where do you buy the material for your products and what is your biggest problem with it?
I work exclusively with leather from France and Italy. I order only from verified suppliers who guarantee first-class quality. Perhaps the biggest problem for me is to get leather processed without the use of chromium, which is required by customers allergic to this element.
Baťa and the beginnings of industrial shoe production
Who doesn't know Baťa? He was the one who introduced modern machine-made shoe production. The three siblings founded a company in Zlín in 1984 with the original name A. & T. Baťa. However, soon only Tomáš Baťa began to manage the company. His brother Antonín went to war and his sister Anna got married and left the company. Thanks to flexibility, the company grew rapidly and in 1917 it was producing 2 million pairs of shoes per year. In 1927, thanks to assembly line production, production increased to 15 million pairs. Just as Ford was a pioneer in the automotive industry, Baťa was a great innovator in the shoe industry. The annual consumption of footwear in Slovakia is currently around 50 million pairs of shoes. The vast majority of them are produced by machines. Although times and the primary method of shoe production have changed a long time ago, the tradition of hand-sewn shoes has never completely disappeared from our region. Today, however, it focuses mainly on the production of top-quality footwear.
If we are talking about real quality, we naturally have to move in the category of hand-sewn shoes. Marek Pažitný , top shoemaker
The journey of a master shoemaker
Marek Pažitný learned the art of shoemaking himself from Viennese masters. However, he had a long way to go before he reached today's top level. Marek originally trained as a carpenter, but fate eventually arranged things differently and brought him to shoe repair. After several years spent in a shoe repair shop, he decided to try his luck in Vienna.
But he didn't know then that only family workshops were dedicated to high-end shoemaking here, and they wouldn't let anyone in, especially not a newcomer who didn't even speak their language. After many unsuccessful attempts, he was finally apprenticed to master Andreas Loibl. It was only there that Marek, who had to start from scratch, as they say, discovered how hard the job was and how much time and effort it required.
More than ten years passed before my shoemaking craft matured into its current form and I dared to come and offer luxury footwear in the center of Bratislava. If I had rushed after the prospect of profit and done it sooner, I would have burned out like many before me. Top craftsmanship requires patience.
Dozens of hours of work, hundreds of steps and thousands of stitches
Anyone who orders shoes from Marek may not even know that Marek performed up to 290 work steps on them, tightened 2,600 stitches, and spent a total of more than 70 hours on them. The average number of tries he goes through with a customer before the shoes fit perfectly is usually three.
Hand-sewing shoes requires talent, strength and precision.
The main difference between ordinary and good hand-sewn shoes is the use of a wooden last made of beech wood. This is made according to the measurements taken of the customer's feet in socks. A good shoemaker usually does not make the final pair of shoes right away. If something does not fit properly, the customer has to walk the test pair a little so that the shoemaker can see how his product reacts to the walking style and foot movements.
Summer is over and the weather is coming, which is not very kind to natural materials. How to care for leather shoes in the fall?
Quality shoes need to be properly cared for in every season and in every weather. The generally known procedure is that first you need to remove dirt with a damp cloth, then apply a quality leather cream and finally polish with a soft brush. In dry autumn weather, your shoes may get wet. If you put paper in your shoes, it will draw out unwanted moisture and prevent them from deforming.
Pažitný is now a renowned brand even outside Slovakia.
Today, Marek is very well acquainted with all the Viennese masters. Yes, with those who years ago refused to take him on as an apprentice. Today, they consider him an equal partner and competitor. They meet at exhibitions or when buying material. His hand-sewn shoes are unique not only in Slovakia, but also in Europe.
