kuyban
How can a simple loafer demand so much of my attention? I first saw this shoe on Pinterest (pinned by cofounder Ben Silbermann) and I was immediately drawn to the photo firstly because I'm a driving moc freak and these are awesome but secondly because after reading all about this company and its story, the parallels to my own life were many. Kuyban's Colombian co-founder Paola Chaparro is a trend spotter, world traveler, and Parson's graduate who promotes the Colombian leather and manufacturing trade and makes sure that her company is socially and environmentally conscious...the first half of my career was spent as a shoe buyer and my grandfather was a South American leather dealer and shoe manufacturer...
Kuyban's beautiful shoes are made by Colombian single moms...how wonderful to provide talented shoemaker's with a platform...my mom moved to Washington, D.C. from Colombia after my dad passed and raised my sisters and me as a single mom...
the men's collection...I can say from experience that Colombia makes amazing luxury leather goods...I can smell them now...
loVe the contrast stitching...
the women's collection...
Immigrant stories fascinate me...my mom moved to D.C. to be near my grandmother, who had moved to the states with my aunt for her to attend graduate school. My mom went from a "kept" woman, wife and mother with a staff of housekeepers and a nanny in traditional Colombia to a single working mother in the U.S. Talk about culture shock. Hard to imagine. She first had to go to night school and learn English and then was lucky enough to land a sweet job at the Inter-American Development Bank. She was strong, successful and gave us a good life. I am very grateful to my family for their hard work and tenacity. I adore the states but will always have a soft spot for my Colombia...and I have to buy these shoes, right? Have a great Monday!