May 07, 2013
Guate Boots Round 2! Updates and Excitement!
Greetings from the Guate Boots front lines!
We have
been hard at work getting ready to make our 2nd generation of Guate
Boots. Growing from our lessons from the first round we have been
preparing for the awesomeness that lies ahead. Tonight, we kick off the
next generation at 7pm central time. We've got an amazing array of
textiles from all over Guatemala, 100s of styles possible.
We've been studying the art of boot making as well
since our last bout in the boot making madness. We had the great luck to
pick the minds of two world class master shoemakers; Lee Miller of
Texas Traditions Boots and Marcell Mrsán
of Koronya Handmade Shoes and Boots. The two were kind enough to sit
down with Sanders, Sophie, and Travis and share some wisdom in ways we
could improve our Kicks. While we're still nowhere near master level
we've made some awesome strides and are continually moving forward. We
have to say, our first go was pretty great thanks to the awesome talents
of our boot makers here in Guatemala. But we strive to always be improving!
Anywho,
we're down here in Guatemala and have been working with the shoemakers;
developing quality control processes, improving design aesthetics,
finishing subtleties, communicating our standards with the community of
boot makers, and overall just improving the whole creation of the boots. Meanwhile,
Sanders has been getting our technology side up to speed so we can
better organize these processes and make sure we can help you create the
coolest boot possible.
Tessa, our rockstar (former) intern
now turned full fledged Teysha Ally Extraordinaire has arrived for her
first deployment in the field to help in developing these processes and
to so experience more of the Mayan culture and their incredible
artistry. She will be spending time in some of the pueblos getting to
know some of the women Teysha has empowered and learning about their
techniques, designs and culture. She's got an amazing eye for tapestries
and has found some truly spectacular ones.
Hanna
Hall, Teysha's newest Ally is arriving this evening for the kick off of
our second round. She is an experienced Latin American explorer,
anthropologist,and enthusiast who will be learning the ways of the Guate
Boots and eventually be taking the reigns. She will be leading the
charge on our anthropological mission to begin cataloging huipils and
other Guatemalan art forms so we and our supporters can learn more about
this incredible region and the many cultures that make it up. So look
forward to hearing more from her on the amazingness that is Guatemala.
And
for me, Travis, well I continue to find myself falling deeply in love
with the world of design and am looking at every tool, pattern, fabric,
leather, glue, thread, rubber, grommet, mind and hand and thinking how
can we do better. While I must admit, I am a rookie relative to Lee and
Marcell, their art form has inspired me to re-imagine the world of
creation and commerce. Our shoes are not perfect, nor ever will be,
imperfection is part of nature and humanity. But, is my mission to bring
us, Teysha, closer and closer to this impossible perfection by
learning, drawing, and helping the many people and materials that make
up Teysha work together to reach this goal. For me, perfection is
something that is created with respect to the natural beauty and
limitations of our precious planet, respects the rights and health of
the people involved in it's creation, empowers art forms to thrive in
the modern world, and then delivers all of these traits- beauty,
connection, quality, and respect- to the beholder and hopefully onward
to their loved ones as the shoe goes on to other generations.
So,
with that said, I want you to know that each pair of Kicks comes with
our full backing. If you're not pleased, we're not pleased and will do
anything in our power to make our Kicks the greatest shoes you've ever
worn. We want to be your shoemaker and cultural connector for life.
Keep Earth Weird,
Team Teysha
2 comments
I see y’all’s smiling faces selling amazing boots at Hope Farmers Market and i love it! Keep up the hard work guys! Way to be original:)
Deleigh Hermes
May 08, 2013
Love them! Will show them to my friends visiting. Best of luck, D.
Daniela
May 07, 2013