The Left Shoe Company, formed in 1998, blends old world craftsmanship with new technologies by using 3-D scanners to measure men’s feet. They claim to be the only company in the world to utilise 3D scanner technology the way they do, and are the only company in the UAE to offer a 3-D foot scanning service.
With six stores around the world, the brand opened its first Middle Eastern boutique last June in Dubai International Financial Centre. The DIFC store sells between 15 and 20 pairs a month (compared to 150 at the company’s London store), with the numbers on the increase.
However, you will already need to be well-heeled if you want a pair of these luxury shoes.
The most expensive pair on offer is the Dh10,700 Brummell. The shoes are made of certified crocodile skin, a material that works well with shoes, according to the company’s design director, Maurizio Mazzucato.
“Our crocodiles are farmed in South America. It’s a classic derby shoe, with a slightly squared off toecap, a grey Goodyear welted sole and inner leather lining,” explains Mr Mazzucato.
Though the company headquarters is in Finland, its shoes are made in Portugal and designed in Italy, using Italian materials.
Mr Mazzucato comes from a line of Italian shoe makers. His grandfather made shoes during the war, his father also made a living designing shoes and Mr Mazzucato and his brother have been in the business for the past 30 years, designing for the Left Shoe Company since 2003.
“I remember as a little boy watching my father designing the shoes,” he adds. “He never told me and my brother that we have to become shoe designers. But I grew up with shoes and I love shoes, so if you love something, you have to do it.”
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