This week our episode is about shoe + leather goods repair with Stephen Kelly, CEO of Cobblers Direct. This was a super fun conversation about honoring the shoes and bags that have lots of life left in them if we just take care of them.
Fun Q+A
1. What’s your favorite example of a product to repair? - cowboy boots and designer purses. people cannot believe the magic our artisans can do.
2. Name something that you own and love and has been in use for more than 5 years. - my Le Patrie classical guitar
3. What is something you want to learn to repair yourself? - I'd like to learn more about welding and repairing metal items
4. What is a product in your daily life that cannot be repaired that frustrates you? - Plastics and other polymer materials. Whenever something cheap (like plastic) breaks, we throw it away because it's cheap, but also because it's not easily repaired. We experience this in the shoe repair industry when dealing with cheap vinyl and fake leather (pleather) articles.
Thank You to Housing Works eShop
We’d like to thank our sponsor, The Housing Works eShop. Housing Works’s upscale NYC Thrift Shops are frequented by discerning fashionistas, socially conscious celebrities, and sustainable style influencers alike. Now the thrill of thrifting is available to shoppers around the globe 24/7 on eshop.housingworks.org. All proceeds support Housing Works, an organization dedicated to ending HIV/AIDS and homelessness through lifesaving services and relentless advocacy. Learn more at housingworks.org.
See you next week,
Cynthia + Laura