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Trends come and go like seasons. When it comes to men’s footwear, the sneaker has reigned supreme for the last decade, infiltrating even the luxury brands, which by now have all released their own luxury-priced version of the style that was once rele- gated to workouts, mowing the lawn and flipping burgers.
And while sneakers will always have places in shoe closets, their collective choke- hold on men’s fashion has begun to loosen. The current moment has even been described as a “post-sneaker world,” a phrase coined by James Harris and Lawrence Schlossman of the influential Throwing Fits podcast.
This doesn’t mean men are throwing out their prized Jordan 1 retros, but rather they have expanded their horizons: the hottest shoe over the past few years has arguably been the penny loafer, thanks to emerging brands like Aimé Leon Dore, which is known for pairing more formal footwear with casual outfits.
In other words, the spotlight is back on classic men’s foot- wear, which means it’s also on the Sanchez family.
Their shop, Custom Shoes by Zapato Sanchez, which has remained in West Edmonton Mall since it opened in 1985, has offered premium hand- crafted leather shoes since 2017, when it was renamed from Rucallen Shoe Repair to match its shift in focus from shoe repair to shoemaking.
Now led by third-generation shoemaker Rodrigo and his father Julio, the store’s founder, the family-led enterprise is
a beacon of tradition and artistry in an increasingly dis- posable world. Plus, they make incredibly comfortable shoes, right here in Edmonton.
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