THE STORY OF SEVILLA SMITH

After 18 yrs as a film costumer, dressing actors, travelling, and spending most of my time on my feet. My soul ached for wonderfully beautiful, timeless, comfortable shoes. I design modern shoes in primitive ways, shoes meant for loving over time.

A FATEFUL STROLL...

I spent 3-6 months a year traveling, being inspired by things around me. The thing about traveling so much, you are simultaneously inspired by things, yet you have a yearning to have less "things." You appreciate beauty and become increasingly selective about what you call "mine"...and you long for comfortably beautiful shoes.
And there it was, another seemingly typical day of wandering. It was a beautiful afternoon meandering down the medieval alleyways of Barcelona's Born neighborhood. I stumbled into a wonderful little shop filled with fabulous shoes. There was something about the shoes that was special, intangible. They weren't trendy, flashy, or luxe, but they had an aura about them that made them unique. Then I saw it, behind the counter was a small little workshop, machinery, zinc tables, scraps of leather everywhere. I asked the owner, Niccolo, if he made the shoes.
He answered, "Of course!"
I replied, "Would you teach me?"
And amazingly he said, "Of course!"
And so I began my instruction, in a not so foreign place, with a wonderful teacher from a village in southern Italy. In a tiny little workshop with a girl upstairs strumming Bob Dylan songs with an accent and acoustic guitar, day in and out he taught me everything he could (given both our limited Spanish)...hand gestures, drawings, pictures...an unforgettable experience.
Once I returned back to Philadelphia, I continued not only making, but learning. Researching materials and manufacturing, which seemed all but dead here in the US. It was consuming...but I loved it! I found my leather supplier in Upstate New York and Missouri, my soles in Pennsylvania, heels in Boston ...it took a while, but soon it all came together

 

 

THE EVOLUTION....

Years have passed, yet not much has changed.  The spirit of travel still inspires my work with its beauty and rigor, but now I am based in Europe most of the time.  The inspiration and access to quality sourcing keeps me here.  Our leathers come mostly from small heritage tanneries in Italy.  Our components are created for us in Portugal.  And now I have been able to move to a small workshop that wsa built in the 14th century in the artesan district of Barcelona.

So here I offer my shoes that we make from the attic of my house in Philadelphia, and sometimes in an apartment overlooking and archeological site or a 14th century workshop in Barcelona, possibly even a Riad in Marrakech..truly wherever my suitcase of tools and leather can take me.

This is a way for you to connect with a craft that is hard for many to ever experience, much less own...it's a disappearing craft that is often out of financial reach for most everyone. Each shoe is made by our hands, leathers are hand cut, the shape is hand lasted. I focus on designs that are classic and not easily replicated by factory made shoes. I invite you to choose your leathers, take advantage of the privilege of having a pair of handcrafted to order shoes, savor them, wear them...love them.