We often look at the legacy that others have left us, but we forget that we have a part to play in building a legacy for future generations, who may look to us as storytellers… or at the very least, as the people who should continue them.
Many footwear companies share this concern: to leave behind a story, a future, and to build on the stories that have been passed down to them.
Choices with Soul in this issue dedicated to legacy pays tribute to footwear companies with decades of history. Every day, they stamp another seal on the passport to the future.
Words: Cláudia Pinto
Sanjo
Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, Sanjo is a benchmark in the Portuguese collective imagination. Created in 1933 in S. João da Madeira, in the Companhia Industrial de Chapelaria, it was the first Portuguese trainer brand. In honour of the town where it was born, it was named Sanjo and the brand was founded in 1936. Shortly afterwards, in the late 1940s and 1950s, Sanjo trainers became a phenomenon and could be found on feet all over Portugal. From children to athletes, Sanjo was a part of Portuguese life. However, it was in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s that it established itself as an essential part of national sport.
But history is made up of good and bad moments, and after the 1974 revolution in Portugal and the subsequent opening up of international markets, the brand lost its competitiveness.
What nobody knew was that this story would have a happy ending. In 2019, Sanjo was acquired by a business group from Braga, which looked at the brand with a young and dynamic eye and implemented the New Old Brand concept. Production was back to being entirely Portuguese, and Sanjo was once again made in Portugal. The vulcanised sole was replaced by a glued sole, with greater environmental awareness. “It is this generational work that we want to give continuity to, building more than just a simple trainer — building a legacy. Sanjo hasn’t just come back — it has come back with the desire to grow, to evolve and to continue writing a story on the feet of the Portuguese,” says the brand.
Centenário
This is one of those cases where we tell the story from the present. “We are the third generation and there is something that keeps us doing what we do. The art of making shoes! We build our generations on knowledge, technique and experience. Our work is love made visible! We work every day to be better and to bring joy to the people who wear Centenário 1941.” This is the slogan of the brand that was born in 1941 when Camilo Ferreira had the idea of opening a shoe factory. It was during the Second World War, and Camilo’s dream of making quality shoes was so important that he cycled uphill and downhill every day for 15 years to join his small team at the factory.
Eighty years have passed, but something has remained in the company’s DNA for these eight decades: the art of making shoes! Domingos Ferreira and Aureliano Ferreira, sons of Camilo Ferreira, are the current partners, but the company already involves members of the third generation.
Centenário specialises in the production of high-quality and durable men’s footwear using the Goodyear manufacturing system. But that’s not all. The company focuses on the production of golf shoes, leveraging Goodyear’s manufacturing expertise with the Golf Signature line. In 2013, its exports to the European market reached 90%.
Today, the company exports almost all of its products worldwide, with the Netherlands, the United States and Spain as its main markets. Following market trends, Centenário is currently investing in the digital sector, both through online sales and as a way of presenting itself to the world and showcasing its products.
Mariano
It all began in 1945 when Manuel de Almeida Jorge, a master craftsman, began producing quality footwear under the Mariano brand. Hailing from the small town of São João da Madeira in northern Portugal, the heart of traditional Portuguese footwear, his products quickly took on a life of their own, becoming synonymous with quality and contemporary design.
Today, over 80 years later, the family keeps the artisanal essence alive and remains committed to producing high-quality, handmade footwear. Four generations later, Mariano continues to make shoes for discerning customers around the world from the same headquarters where Manuel Jorge wrote the first chapter of this story.
With this legacy on its shoulders, the brand never ceases to amaze. After opening its own stores, Mariano Shoes has recently acquired a shoe factory with over 40 years of experience, specialising in the production of women’s shoes. With this move, the company will increase its production capacity, in line with its expansion plan and its aim to increase the range of shoes in its women’s collections.
In this regard, the brand plans to increase the number of designs presented in the women’s collection during 2024, a key step in its internationalisation strategy for the various markets to which it currently exports. “Mariano Shoes will continue to promote sustainable luxury fashion and produce Portuguese luxury footwear, using the highest-quality materials and a distinctive and elegant design. This increase in production capacity is in line with our commitment to offer the best product along with personalised and excellent customer service,” says Fátima Oliveira, CEO of Mariano Shoes.
Fly London
This is one of those stories where the protagonist is vital to the continuity of the story. Let’s break it down. At the age of 14, he was sweeping the floor of a factory. Today he is one of the most important entrepreneurs in the international footwear industry. Fortunato Frederico — 80 years old — has dedicated his life to the footwear industry.
A dream born in Angola during his military service that would lead to the creation of the Kyaia shoe factory in 1984, which would become the largest Portuguese footwear group. Today, it owns five factories in Guimarães and Paredes de Coura and continues to expand in international markets.
In 1994, as part of Kyaia’s growth process, Fortunato Frederico acquired the FLY London brand. “From the very beginning, FLY London’s design philosophy has been to create original products using traditional construction techniques in ways that are not expected. It has always been a progressive brand, and it has always established itself in the market with that position, having grown progressively as a very well-known Portuguese brand of shoes, and also moved on to bags, sunglasses, and other leather care products.” From the United States to China, through Europe, FLY London is now in 57 different countries.
Fortunato Frederico shows no signs of slowing down. He recently reiterated his ambition to “make FLY London the number one brand in Portugal.”
