We had some interest expressed in seeing a bit more of the process behind our sandals, so we decided to give you a peek into the making of our shoes.
First, the leather uppers are cut and marked with the pattern, then given to one of our skilled beaders to complete the specified design.
(These are the hands of Fatuma, one of our most talented beaders. She was happy to let us take a picture of her hands, but, like many Muslim women in Tanzania, she is uncomfortable with having her face photographed.)
The design on a pair of Seeded sandals requires anywhere between 2 and 8 hours to bead, and is by far the most labor-intensive part of the process--but the results are quite lovely!
After this, the assembly begins. First, the beaded uppers are attached to the suede liner and all excess is trimmed away.
(Note: These photos were taken during the production of a sample run, so some of these styles are not currently available.)
The straps are then attached to the leather foot bed, which has previously been cut out of a large piece of hide (not pictured. Then the straps are inserted through holes in the foot bed, shaped to a last in the appropriate size, and the excess leather on the bottom of the shoe is thinned with a razor, then sanded to reduce the bulk and make a smoother shoe.
(Production Manager Shine giving a demonstration of how to thin the excess strap leather)
(Shine demonstrates using the sander to smooth the bottom of the foot bed before attaching the sole)
The shoe is then glued to the sole, and the excess rubber is removed. The edges of the shoes are sanded down to make a smooth edge all the way around.
Shoes are trimmed, polished, and ready to go!
