The tradition of Shoto dates back to the early 1960s when the Medori family in Montegranaro, in the heart of the Marche region (Italy), began producing handmade shoes. Even after years, the third generation of the Medori family continues to drive innovation and aesthetic research while preserving the heritage of their expertise in shoemaking and the enthusiasm of beginners for the craft. The unique company culture, focused on high quality, reflects the personality of the founder, Graziano Medori. As an independent shoemaker, he opened the first factory with employees responsible for manufacturing classic-style shoes. These were essentially handmade and targeted at the local market.
The year 1985 marked one of the turning points in the company's history with the introduction of the new brand "Shoto," which was entirely conceived and developed by the third generation of the Medori family. The identity of the Shoto brand was definitely new to the market. It was a forward-thinking product with its unique lifestyle philosophy. It appealed to an audience of creative and bold individuals with strong personalities, a clearly defined "physique du rôle," and a special passion for creative elegance, sobriety, and high quality.
The Medori family, which has been manufacturing shoes for decades, has recently ventured into uncharted territory by also producing wallets and bags.
The Shoto Sterling collection, which chronologically falls between shoes and wallets, is lovingly handcrafted by Mrs. Ritter in Germany. More on this below under Shoto Sterling.
The Shoto wallets and bags were introduced in 2017 and 2019. Here, the premise is the same as with the shoes – to create a high-quality, unique product that is durable and brings great joy to both men and women.
The Passion is Shoes
Simone and Stefano Medori have not only been passionate about fine footwear since the founding of Shoto in 1991 (their story dates back to the 1960s). Under the Shoto label, they craft shoes with vintage effects of the highest quality, using special leathers and manufacturing techniques.
In addition to elk, buffalo, horse, and kangaroo leather, and alongside dyeing techniques such as dip-dyeing, dabbing, and wring-dyeing, the complete "stone-washed" treatment is applied to the shoe. Options like Caos, Vintage, Oldwash, Pablo, and many more constantly open up new possibilities to create a unique and incomparable shoe.
The manufacturing techniques are rooted in traditional craftsmanship. Every wearer can immediately feel this when trying them on.
Manufacturing
All shoes are handcrafted in Italy. Depending on the model, type of leather, color, and finish, the manufacturing process varies.
During the "Stone-Wash" process, the entire shoes are washed with stones in an oversized washing machine.
In the dip-dyeing process, the leather of the shoe (and the laces) is dipped into a barrel with the corresponding color and then hung up to dry for up to 24 hours.
Video from Production In the following video, you will gain insights into the manufacturing processes of Shoto. The dip-dyeing and the so-called "stone-wash" process are particularly well visible.
THEMATA - Timeless premium belts from Switzerland
THEMATA was founded in Zurich in 1983 with the aim of designing and selling leather goods and belts in the premium segment. Today THEMATA is the leading Swiss label for high-quality belts:
Designed, developed, and produced in Switzerland - 100% Made in Switzerland
As an owner-managed company, Claudia and Peter Theiler have direct contact with retailers. The advantages of this are obvious: an ear to the customer's wishes, an ear in sales and production. Impulses from the zeitgeist are taken up in order to consistently combine them with the timeless Themata style and successfully realise them in good craftsmanship tradition.
‘A piece of us is in every belt.’
The use of first-class materials, the handcrafted manufacture of the products according to ecological principles and high-quality workmanship reflect the philosophy of the owners:
‘Our belts stand for timeless design, confident style, Swiss quality, longevity, individuality, combined with ecological standards and the finest workmanship.’ Claudia and Peter Theiler
History & leather
science It is unclear exactly when and why humans started making leather. Presumably, however, it was hunter-gatherers who tried to utilise all the remains of an animal. The knowledge of tanning leather, making it durable and soft, was a process characterised by coincidences. At some point, however, man discovered that treating the animal skins with natural materials such as tree cattle or natural stones made the leather soft and durable. The smoke from the fire also helped to soften the leather.
Vegetable tanning was already known in ancient Egypt in the 4th millennium BC. This is known from decorations on a sarcophagus in which scenes of tanning are depicted. Alum-tanned leather was even found in Tutankhamun's tomb. The profession of tanner was highly respected at the time and leather items were considered very valuable. Egyptians from high social classes wore leather sandals, for example.
People in the Stone and Bronze Ages wore broad garments made of various types of leather. The most famous glacier mummy Ötzi (5300 years old) wore a belt and loincloth made of leather. The belt consisted of a strip of calfskin about 4cm wide. This was placed around the hips and knotted. The loincloth was roughly square, about 33cm wide and was made of goatskin.
A great deal of leather was used during the Roman Empire - a legionary's equipment consisted largely of leather. Many manufacturing and tanning techniques were improved or developed at this time.
In the Middle Ages, Asia and Africa were far ahead of the Europeans in terms of leather processing, if Marco Polo is to be believed. He reported on the art of leather production there in his records. At that time, Europeans were still in the process of improving their production methods. Back then, the profession of tanner was associated with very hard physical labour. The tanneries were usually located by rivers or streams where the hides were processed. The constant dragging of the hides and the permanent stench characterised the trade at that time.
With the beginning of industrialisation in the late 18th century, the profession of tanner also changed. Tanning and manufacturing processes were improved and simplified. In the 19th century, with the invention of chrome tanning, it was now possible to produce very soft and stable leather.
Now let's move on to leather science.
Various leather terms are explained briefly and concisely here.
Full grain leather
Full-grain leather describes thick, unsplit leather which is processed on the flesh side and brought to the required thickness. Changes to the grain are possible, as are sanding and buffing. The grain side of full-grain leather is not processed.
Split leather
The leather hide is split into 2-3 layers. The resulting layers are called the grain split (outer split) and the flesh split (lower split). The centre split or core split can also occur with thicker hides. The grain split is also known as full-grain leather.
Sanded leather/suede
NUBUK/VELVET is sanded leather on the grain side. The grain side refers to the smooth, grained surface facing the hair side.
VELOURS/SUEDE is buffed leather on the flesh side. The flesh side is the rough reverse side of the leather. If the flesh side or reverse side is finished on the outside, the surface is called suede.
Nappa leather
Nappa leather is leather that is obtained from the hides of various animals. It is processed on the grain side (aniline leather, semi-aniline leather, covered leather) and is a soft, chrome-tanned, full-grain smooth leather.
Aniline leathers are leathers dyed through with tar dyes (aniline dyes). With semi-aniline leather, the leather is only given a light layer of colour (pigmentation). It is important that the natural grain pattern is not covered by the colouring, but only slightly protected.
Covered smooth leather is surface-pigmented smooth leather with a water-repellent colour and protective layer on the surface.
Genuine leather
Designation for leather made from tanned hides and skins - the ‘genuine leather’ label protects against materials that look like leather but are not leather. It says nothing about the quality of the leather.
Leather care Caring for and greasing leather
Leather is a natural product and requires care and protection from sunlight, cracks and hardening. If the belt hangs in the wardrobe for a long time, it will become stiff and brittle after a while because the leather has too little leather grease or leather oil. It also lacks moisture and movement. When worn, the belt moves and absorbs moisture. Hanging the belt overnight in the humid night air also helps.
The purpose of the greasing process is to make the leather fibre soft, supple and water-repellent. The type of fatliquoring has a major influence on the properties of the leather. During the fatliquoring process, fat is only stored in the spaces between the fibres; the fibre itself does not absorb any fat. Generally, solid fats are used for leather types that are to be given stability and strength. Oils are used for all soft and supple leathers.
Do not use skin creams, milking fat or lotions, which are suitable for our skin but not for leather. As shoe polish does not penetrate the leather but remains on the surface and can even discolour it, it is also not advisable.
With the right care, a proper full-grain leather belt is virtually indestructible and will last a lifetime.
