Keeping Marikina’s heart and sole alive

Honey and Carl Josef represent a new generation of shoemakers in Marikina. But while life has been good for the couple, Honey could not help but frown when thinking of their sapateros (shoemakers) in her parents’ and aunt’s factories.

Honey, in a casual conversation with this author, shared that the sapateros are aging, not only at their family factories but in the entire Marikina. Enticed to pursue greener pastures abroad instead, many of these sapateros’ children are allegedly not interested to continue their parents’ legacies.

Determined to do their part in keeping the city’s shoemaking industry alive, the couple founded Munting Sapatero in 2020, the start of the pandemic that later further threatened the city’s shoe sector, as global lockdowns halted the need for more footwear.

According to Honey, Munting Sapatero aims to spread awareness and appreciation for shoemaking especially among the youth by offering what they claim as the country’s first do-it-yourself shoemaking and leather crafting kits for kids.

Honey’s parents run a factory creating specialized leather shoes for security forces and the like, while her aunt has a workshop for sandals and other leatherwork. Through Munting Sapatero, the couple gives something different: affordable leather craft training to students — young and old. The young come in droves through fieldtrip buses that take them to Marikina, while adults tap the couple to give trainings as part of team-building seminars and the like.

“Even Koreans and other foreigners go to Marikina just to learn how we make shoes. They’re very interested about Filipino craft,” declared Honey.

Their calendar, in fact, is already full with workshop bookings left and right — both from local and international clientele. Thus, the couple travels a lot, and to not miss their kids, brings and home-schools them wherever they go.

Initially very excited to make their first pair of shoes, their sons were able to create two pairs each before, so now they play on the side as their parents host the workshop.

So, how was it like to have a workshop with Munting Sapatero? “It’s very safe, but quite messy,” quipped Carl.

First, strap patterns are transferred then cut into leather. Then, contact cement is applied thinly into pre-molded cork and rubber soles and let dry.

The contact cement is stickier when dry, so while waiting for the glue to dry, workshop participants are taught about the history of shoemaking in Marikina. Honey relayed that it all began when a local scion, Don Laureano Guevarra or “Kapitan Moy,” brought home a pair of leather shoes from abroad, dismantled the shoes, then studied how to re-assemble it with a local sapatero. From then on, shoemaking in the city thrived, making it earn its place as the country’s so-called “Shoemaking Capital,” and Kapitan Moy as “Father of Shoemaking in the Philippines.”

At Otto Shoe Museum, Munting Sapatero’s partner venue for its workshops, Kapitan Moy’s 200-year-old former residence can be seen across the street, now hosting a coffee shop and an events place known as Sentrong Pangkultura ng Marikina.

Now, back to the workshop, once the contact cement has dried, the cut straps are sandwiched in between the cork and the rubber soles, which are then hammered together. Additional stitching by machine can be done to further strengthen the bond.

Contact cement, said the couple, is the generic name for the adhesive. “Rugby” or “Epoxy” are actually brand names for contact cement, like Colgate is for toothpaste. The contact cement they use in their workshops are free from harmful chemicals, so the couple assured that the glue is safe even for kids. Face mask can also be worn as added protection.

According to the couple, participants walk away from the workshop with smiles on their faces — and new personalized footwear on their feet.

“Slow down, work with real leather, and create a leather journal cover and organizer you’ll use for years to come. Join us for an afternoon of mindful making, where the focus is on process, not pressure,” Munting Sapatero says on its Facebook page, encouraging those who want to join future workshops, which have been “designed for beginners who want to create with intention.”

“We aim to keep the heart of Marikina beating — one craft, one story, one step at a time.”