We are always looking for examples of beautiful craft. This morning I was inspired by Ruslan Khasanov‘s liquid type. I couldn’t help but pull together theabove  Otabo logo from his microtype face.

The fonts make me think of the hand made collection that we are creating. The structure of the font is still legible but every single version of the letter will be slightly different when painted or animated just as every piece of leather we hand stain is unique. Every pair of shoes has its own subtle character. Each an original piece of art.

Hats off to Ruslan. More coverage by Fast Company here.

We’ve been working on a special request custom golf shoe for one of our customers this past week. The woven leather uppers are fashioned in Bavarian flag colors. Hand welted leather outsoles will be fitted with custom placed, stainless steel cleat receptacles.

Have a dream shoe? We can help.

Send us a note: collaboration@otabo.com

We’ve got all these fine looking brogues and oxfords sitting around the office, and Ryan Shaffer, our Director of Production, still diverts to wearing sneakers.  And who can blame him? Sneakers are not only a high-fashion staple nowadays, they are also comfortable and work with a diverse wardrobe. Here’s a sneak peek at one of our new client projects. High tops in sueded and mirrored calfskin with a classic vulcanized outsole.

While we don’t use metal shanks in our Otabo shoes – we use heat contoured fiberglass, which is light weight and stronger than steel – we are playing around with metals in some other interesting ways. Namely, as toe and heel caps. These molded gold pieces will be used in new patterns for prototypes of ladies’ ballet flats. If they turn out well, our subscribers just might be receiving a limited edition offer this spring.

We had a busy day with the Otabo Development Team today – tested the heel pitch of new stiletto heels, dissected a pair of work boots, redesigned our factory order form and received lots and lots of gorgeous new sample materials. These fish skins just arrived at the end of the day. We are still deciding on how to use them. Chris Finlay, our Director of Strategy, requested one of the metallic skins for a pair of sneaker prototypes. Maybe they’ll be style-worthy enough to add to our upcoming custom collection!

Visiting the factory is always exciting. We get to see what is brewing and how things get done. The process, even in its roughest form, is always beautiful – these new wingtips are beautiful. Crafted from a single piece of seamless leather, this wraparound “wingtip” pattern creates a unique aesthetic that represents a high level of master craftsmanship and some pretty exciting changes coming to our hand welted, Otabo Bespoke line.