José Macha, Clog Maker
To be completely honest, I’m not a clog fan, but these made me look twice – I had noticed them a year ago. I think they caught my attention because they look so monolithic, but then they have these little decorated details, and a white leather trim finished with nails that look so strong as uneven.
The man that makes these shoes by hand is mr. José Leite, from Cabeceiras de Basto, who is 85years old and still goes to work every single day. Last saturday we made him a visit and he was kind enough to show us how he makes his clogs and boots, a process he learned from his father.
The wood used for the soles comes from the Alder. Being a less dense wood, it is much lighter and also more beautiful, according to mr.José. Until a few years back, he sculpted them by hand, a log like this would make two pairs, but now he has them cut in a nearby factory.
The leather is cut, wet and soaped to make it easier to work with. Then he starts shaping and nailing the leather to the sole – this is easier said than done, of course.
The original clog molds were sculpted by him in wood, but as they tend to wear out easily, he had them copied both in wood and in plastic.
After the leather is shaped and nailed, two small triangular cuts are made in the tip, to make sure it doesn’t loose its shape throughout time.
He trims all his shoes with a white leather strip, nailed again, and while the leather is wet he goes on decorating them with thin lines and small crosses – his idea because the prettier the shoes, the better they used to sell at the local market.
Since the shoes need to dry for about 24h before the finishing touches, I didn’t photograph the rest of the work and will be back for a second visit.
My favourite shoes are definitely the Chancas – this is the portuguese name for the clog boots used to work in agriculture.
Looking at these, you get the distinct feeling they were made to work. Solid and waterproof, free from those alterations that vulgarized the clogs for a daily urban use. They are not lined, don’t have special soles or trendy accessories.
They are a pair of boots so honest about their function that no passing trend can take that beauty away.
