The Oberlin Shoe

I am the proud father of a lovely two year old girl. A two year old girl with wide feet and a high arch. Before she was walking she had the chunkiest little feet imaginable. So chunky it was sometimes hard to find shoes for her. Especially cute shoes for special occasions. The obvious answer was to develop a design that would work for her foot! A little over a year and many dozen pair of baby shoes later Oberlin Atelier has emerged.

The shoes are simple and designed to fit a range of little feet. They have a soft leather sole and a soft leather upper made of cow hide. The style is a hybrid of contemporary and historical meant for both girls and boys. They come in a range of colors with custom orders available. The leather they are made from is mainly from Edelman Leather. It is made with hides harvested from the food industry and tanned using eco-friendly processes. As the shoes are tiny, I am able to use cut offs and left over pieces from upholstery shops. This means less waste all around and extends the product lifecycle of the leather.

I'm certainly learning a lot about production, distribution, sales and a million other entrepreneurial skills as well as how to live with a startup in your apartment (It's fantastic).

Currently each pair is hand cut and hand stitched. You can check them out on Etsy!