¿How did you come to be a shoe producer?
My family has been producing shoes for generations. Valencia is my home town and that of my parents, grandparents and great grandparents. Of course I’ve also been influenced by the sea: my very first shoe was a sailing shoe!
¿When did you first start thinking of making environmentally friendly shoes?
I was preoccupied with ecology even while I was still at university. It was my idea to motivate people to use natural resources. In the 1990s my first “nature” collection came out of that.
¿Was it difficult to convince your employees about your new ideas?
In the beginning, yes. I had to put in a lot of effort convincing people, but I genuinely wanted to try out something new. The employees had very traditional attitudes and had difficulty following my vision.
¿Why have you had your shoes developed by industrial designers?
A designer from another discipline has a different perception of traditional shoe design. His sources of inspiration are different. One of the first shoes, for example, was powerfully influenced by the Bauhaus style – with clear lines, no unnecessary seams, and no flourishes or ribbons.
¿What do you think the shoe of the future will look like?
Design should not be dictated by fashion, it should be something for eternity. Our shoes can be worn today just as much as in twenty years. The smell of leather is the most important thing for me. That is, and will always be, my favourite perfume!