Austria
With a series of video portraits, TV journalist Sibylle Tiessen takes us on a captivating journey into a world full of exciting projects, cultural diversity and authentic stories on Mallorca. Supported by TUI, the TUI Care Foundation and Majorca Daily Bulletin, viewers learn more about the island from a whole new perspective, from inspiring stories of locals to social, artistic, ecological, scientific and political aspects.
Episode 14: A special shoemaker’s tale from Soller
In 1975, Maria Mira and her brother Paco opened a shop in Puerto Soller, where they made and sold leather products such as belts, bags, sandals and hats. “But after about 20 years, the things we made went out of fashion. They had a touch of the '70s and people just called us 'the hippies from the harbour'", says Mira.
So they continued to sell only the colourful sandals and focused on shoes. And with this change, things started to pick up again: “These are the ‘porqueres’. They are ideal for working in the fields or with the pigs. The farmers use the shoes during the harvest to make it easier to climb the olive trees – if necessary,” Mira explains. “And these are patateras, boots that are worn during the potato harvest.” She points to the flaps of the shoes, which are on top and not inside as usual. “When people walk through the fields, the dirt can't get into the shoes. With a flap on the inside, the shoe would have to be constantly cleaned of dirt.”
Mira and Paco came up with another innovation: Because the porqueres used to only be available in one colour. “However, as there were always a few pieces of leather left over from the colourful sandals, I started to use these pieces in the porqueres. That was a good idea, because demand was growing. The work shoes became a shoe for every day and for everyone. Many students, in particular, wear the patateras in many different colours, creating a real trend.”
And the future is already secured. Her son Jaume has decided to take over the business at some point. “He's already bringing a breath of fresh air. I'm over the moon about that.”
