Hand-crafted.
Every pair of our shoes are hand-crafted in Tempe, Arizona through small batches and/or custom orders. We work to create high-quality, comfortable, durable, locally crafted wearable art for your feet.
Our footwear is made from heavy duty supple bull-hide to ensure comfort and durability. Each boot features a moccasin style side-lacing with hand-crafted buttons and can be fully customized with your choice of embellishments, color combinations, and artwork. We use Vibram soles, which are extremely durable and long-lasting. And, our boots are re-soleable, so your footwear is built to last.
Our artist Rai works in his Tempe workshop to serve the peoples with Shoes for the Peoples. Committed to creating a high-quality, long-lasting product that provides comfort for your feet, Rai personally works from start to finish on each piece of footwear.
Durable.
Our footwear is built and designed for daily use. Over time the soft leather forms to the shape of the foot of the wearer, increasing comfort and durability.
Each piece of footwear is stitched using an industrial sewing machine, with our master boot maker Rai ensuring quality is stitched into every pair.
Each boot has a Vibram sole, sturdy and made to take you up hills, across beaches, through the shops ‘til you drop, or wherever you want to go, for years to come.
Even when the sole wears down, these boots aren’t thrown in the trash, but are easily and economically re-soled to keep on keeping on.
What does custom-fitting mean?
At Shoes for the Peoples, custom-fitting begins when you walk through the door of the shop or visit us at an event. First, a tracing and cast are made of YOUR feet. Then you pick out the height of the boot, the colors of the leather, any artwork or embellishments if desired, the buttons, and the sole. Your boot is made to order to those specifications, built to fit your feet, and ready to take you wherever you want to go for many, many years to come.
Check out our gallery of finished boots to see what is possible with custom artwork, hand-crafted buttons, and different boot designs.
Every boot is custom.
Caring For Your Boots.
Obenauf’s “Your Best Leather Protection” Made in U.S.A.
It is a simple fact that leather needs care and conditioning. A leather conditioner or oil keeps the leather supple and protected. We use Obenauf’s, made in America, and all natural.
Obenauf’s Heavy Duty LP Leather Protector
The leather conditioner cream has been specially formulated with beeswax and plant oils so it melts when spread onto your boot by hand, allowing oils to be released into the leather for a long-term affect. It is heavy duty, designed to not only preserve leather but also to rejuvenate it. And it is a way to waterproof your boots which extends the life of your leather! The leather is softened, becoming more supple and protecting against cracking.
Obenauf’s Leather Oil
This leather oil is made from all natural oils and beeswax, which works with the leather allowing it to breathe. The oil creates a resistance to water, and rejuvinates and preserves your leather boots. It is easy to apply with a cloth and can be buffed to create a shine if you would like. The oil helps leather be more supple while protecting and preserving.
