Leather shoes, with their classic design, are an indispensable piece in every elegant man's wardrobe. It is not just a “detail” as much as it is an essential piece that reflects his taste, personality, and the extent of his interest in the quality of what he wears.
While fashion imposes its accelerating rhythm on shoe colors, materials, and shapes, handmade leather shoes still maintain their place as a symbol of fine craftsmanship and quiet luxury. They are more durable and last longer with their owner, especially if they combine classicism with contemporary elegance.
Believing in these concepts and the importance of handicrafts, in 2017, Egyptian twins Ziad and Nadine Fathallah launched their brand specializing in this type of shoe under the name “The Cobbler.” They started from a clear idea aimed at reviving the profession of “folk shoemaker,” which was on the verge of extinction due to modern manufacturing methods that rely on machines, like many Egyptian handicrafts.
Nadine and Ziad's entry into this particular field did not come out of nowhere. In some stories, the profession does not begin by choice or by chance, and this is what can be said about them. This legacy has crept into their minds since childhood, when their grandfather and father would take them to craft workshops to manufacture the family’s needs. There they discovered this world, and how simple materials are transformed into pieces bearing the fingerprint of their maker.
Ziad Fathallah tells Asharq Al-Awsat: “The passion for everything handmade has been passed on to us as a family heirloom. We became convinced that the craft is a skill, a culture, and an identity that deserves to be preserved and developed.” The duo, Fathallah, did not begin in the field of accessories, but rather in manufacturing clothing, and the matter developed into manufacturing shoes. The idea of specializing in the manufacture of luxurious handmade classic shoes may seem strange and bold in Egypt, and to transform into it from the clothing sector would mean leaving the “safety zone” to a large extent, but they decided to take the adventure and return the Egyptian man to the elegance of the old days by reviving the idea of the cobbler, provided that this time it would be in a luxury exhibition, or an electronic store instead of the antique shops in the popular Egyptian neighborhoods.
Nadine says: “Before the shoe industry turned into huge production lines that depended on speed and large quantities, the cobbler represented one of the most prominent symbols of the handicraft. He relies on his skill and experience, without the use of modern machines. Therefore, the cobbler in the traditional neighborhoods and markets was a destination for anyone who wanted to restore his favorite shoe, or acquire a design specifically executed according to his needs.” In the first stage, the manufacturing was done by craftsmen in their workshops, then they opened a private studio completely specialized in making custom-made shoes in the Roxy neighborhood in Cairo. Their activity soon expanded, and a factory was established in the Abbasiya area. At this stage, their experience increased, and their conviction that quality means dedication and accuracy. Making one shoe may take several weeks, during which it undergoes various manufacturing steps carried out by several skilled craftsmen, each of whom is an expert in his field, before the piece is completed and then reaches its owner.
What encouraged them most in their journey was that the dominance of automated shoe making did not prevent a segment of men who were passionate about quality and uniqueness from searching for handmade shoes made of pure natural leather that the cobbler had offered years before. It is this segment that they target with designs inspired by Oxford, Derby, and loafers, while reintroducing them in a contemporary spirit through light touches and colors that are in harmony with the fashion trends of each season. Ziad adds, explaining: “The success of the brand is also based on the expertise of the craftsmen who constitute its beating heart. They are an integrated team of craftsmen, some of whom belong to generations exceeding sixty and eighty years of age and inherited the profession, and some of them belong to a new generation of young people who have been trained, to ensure the transfer and continuation of experience.”
The two founders confirm that handmade shoes not only compete with ready-made products in terms of appearance, but also provide practical solutions that are difficult for the commercial industry to provide. Custom-made tailoring meets the needs of people with sizes that are not available in the market, whether they are very large, such as sizes over 46 and over 49, or small for men’s shoes, such as 36 or 38. These are categories that often face difficulty in finding suitable shoes, and some of their owners even feel embarrassed by the traditional purchasing experience. The service is not limited to different sizes; The workshop also receives clients who suffer from foot problems, such as flat feet, high insteps, or different foot sizes. Each shoe is designed according to each customer's exact measurements; This achieves the necessary comfort and support, and turns the shoe into a piece specifically designed for its owner, according to Ziad Fathallah.
As for lovers of classic elegance, they find in handmade shoes an opportunity to own designs bearing their personal imprint, by choosing the type of leather, its color, the method of stitching, and the fine details, so that the shoe acquires its uniqueness at the last stage, in contrast to the similar production imposed by major factories. Regarding the secret of maintaining the level of quality, the twins confirm that the development of the craft did not depend on academic study alone, but rather came from long years of daily practice, and constant exposure to the latest industry techniques in this field, through travel and following leading European schools - especially in Italy, Britain, and Spain - that still preserve the traditions of making fine handmade shoes, in addition to specialized books and training courses. They also recently launched a new line of daily shoes (Active), which does not fall within the traditional sports shoes, but rather relies on entirely natural leather with a flat, lightweight sole, to give the wearer comfort throughout the day, while its shape suits casual clothes. The twins reveal that the fall and winter season of 2026 will witness the launch of the first integrated women's collection, with the specifications that distinguish the brand, and meet the ambitions of the twins. Their dream will not be complete unless they establish a specialized Egyptian academy to teach handmade shoe making, according to their statement, as it will restore respect to the cobbler’s craft and entice a young segment of craftsmen to carry it into the future.
Daniel Rosebery, creative director of Schiaparelli, says that last season's collection, which was aimed at spring and summer, represented a turning point for him and for the house alike. He found the equation he had been looking for for a long time. When he started working on the fall 2026/winter 2027 collection, he thought his task would be easy, because all he had to do was repeat the same creative approach and build on it. Indeed, he took the same steps: traveling for inspiration and visiting an architectural monument, this time to Barcelona to discover Gaudí's works. The next step was to unleash his imagination. But things didn't turn out that way. He quickly discovered that repeating that equation put him into a vacuum that thwarted the birth of an unprecedented idea, and that the feeling of reassurance he felt at the beginning stripped the ideas of their magic and ability to amaze. He had to retreat from his initial idea and surrender himself to the unknown. He began a new page, starting from a point established by the founder of the house, Elsa Schiaparelli, which is surrealism. For her, this was not an escape from reality, but rather an approach that revealed truths that remained difficult to explain, making her believe that the most immortal creations are not born from certainty, but from contradiction, coincidence, and the courage to venture into the unknown without calculations that restrict her imagination or commercial considerations. It was only when he returned to it, Rosebery says, that he heard “the void calling him” and the real innovation began. This transformation made him think about whether beauty lies in the material and product, or in the imagination capable of recreating them. In this collection, he chose to engage in a new practical experience that combines high fashion techniques and industrial materials. Instead of traditional silk, satin, and wool, latex and silicone were used, along with layers of paint that were heat-treated until they turned into sheets, then sculpted into innovative design shapes.
Even the iconic Schiaparelli jacket moved it from a mere fashion piece to a piece of art that does not require accessories. It is lavishly embroidered on all sides and angles. The corset was also literally sculpted before being cast in silicone, as were the flowers that decorate the skirt, which were composed of hundreds of flowers made from women's stockings stretched over metal wires and pearls. Another dress features tubes of crinoline, while a jacket and matching leggings are decorated with natural flowers, fish scales and ribbon flowers, while latex tentacles emanate from the shoulders, pulsating with movement. This season also witnessed new color experiments, based on shades inspired by plants and marine creatures: lobster-inspired pink, violet, blazing orange, saffron, and pale mint green; They all shine against a background of high-gloss glossy black and raw waxy ecru. Then don't forget the golden touches. At the house, gold is not just a finishing touch, but rather more of a sculptural material. It transforms the body into an entity that combines adornment, armor, and a work of art at the same time. This artistic boldness extends to accessories as well, such as the Secret bag decorated with crinolines or flowers, The Bubble shoe, with its metal structure coated with silicone, gold-plated shell earrings, and others inspired by the swaying tentacles of an octopus, or the shapes of sea anemones.
The name of the group may, at first glance, lead to the image of the “Pleiades” hanging on the ceilings of houses, but in reality it refers to the “Pleiades” constellation, which sailors were guided by in ancient times, and poets were inspired by in their poems. From this heavenly reference, Azza Fahmy House begins its new collection to build a visual dialogue around the crescent and stars, as they are among the most present symbols in Islamic and Ottoman arts and decorations. Since the founding of the house, Azza Fahmy has been busy researching Egyptian, Islamic, and Middle Eastern heritage, and extracting its details to present them in contemporary designs, without turning into a reproduction of the past. This approach is continued by her daughter, Amina Ghali, who shares her mother’s passion for researching historical references and turning them into a source of inspiration for design. “Thuraya” comes as an extension of this approach, with a clear focus on the idea of interconnection. This is the idea that was inspired by the formation of the constellation itself; The beauty of the stars does not lie in each star individually, but in the relationship that unites them. This concept is directly reflected in the design language of the collection, as the chain occupies a central place in most of the pieces, as a means of connecting the parts of the jewelry, and a stand-alone visual element. This element gives the piece flow and movement, and creates a connection between the crescent moon, stars, stones, and various decorations. Perhaps this treatment represents an extension of one of the features that has been associated with the name Azza Fahmy over the past decades, in which the chain has acquired a presence almost equal to the presence of gold and precious stones in shaping the identity of the house. Because the crescent and stars are symbols of Ottoman arts, they appeared in architecture, metalwork, textiles, and jewelry, and Azza Fahmy used them as a starting point for designs that translated history into a contemporary language.
One of the most prominent pieces of the collection is the “Celestial Scarf Necklace,” which reintroduces the series in a flexible design that can be worn in more than one style. Chains of varying lengths hang from the necklace, decorated with crescent and star symbols, and it bears an engraving of the phrase “My times are sweet, they are sweet with you” from a song by the artist Warda, in an extension of Azza Fahmy’s style of using poetry and popular proverbs in her designs. The house indicates that the implementation of this necklace took about 82 hours of manual work, due to the precise details and moving links it required. The collection's references were not limited to the Ottoman heritage, but also included European jewelry as well. In “Beaded Celestial Choker,” the house takes inspiration from the Victorian collar necklace, and reinterprets it through 3 rows of pearls or colored stones, in the middle of which is a crescent and star decoration studded with honey-colored diamonds. In another direction, the group restores one of the most famous pieces of traditional Egyptian jewelry through the “Kirdan Celestial Necklace,” inspired by the cardan that Egyptian rural women have worn for many decades. Here it comes with a more flexible and streamlined formulation, from which stars and precious stones hang, while the crescent and star occupy the center of the composition. The result is a piece that recalls popular memory, but in its lines it belongs to the present. The interest in geometric construction is also evident in the “Bracelet Chain Constellation”, which employs 3 shapes.
What is also striking about this group is that the dialogue proposed by Soraya is not limited to evoking historical symbols, but extends to places as well. The house chose the city of Alexandria to film its campaign for the group, and it is not an arbitrary choice, as Alexandria is a city whose identity was formed from cultural exchange, and was followed by civilizations that left their traces in its architecture, streets, and port. Perhaps this diversity finds an echo in the collection itself, as it moves between Ottoman, Egyptian, and European references without appearing disjointed. Just as Alexandria embraces adjacent historical layers, Soraya combines Egyptian cardan, Victorian collar, and Ottoman decorations. The credit for maintaining the balance of these elements goes to the chain that connects them, just as the constellation connects its stars. There is another dimension to choosing Alexandria, which is its maritime history. Before the advent of modern means of navigation, the stars, including the Pleiades constellation, served as a compass that guided sailors on their journeys across the Mediterranean. For a city whose history is linked to port, trade, and travel, the presence of the sky in this collection becomes more than just an aesthetic metaphor; It is an evocation of the ancient relationship between man and the stars, and of the role that the sky once played in guiding travelers across the sea.
