What makes our sandals unique and authentic?
Their artisanal production
A pre-Columbian sandal entirely made by hand , the traditional Mexican huarache was born several centuries ago in the state of Michoacán . Thanks to its thin interwoven leather straps, it is the fruit of exceptional craftsmanship carried by indigenous communities : a sandal with a unique style, endowed with great comfort and great solidity, having allowed it to easily cross the ages.
In addition, the leather braiding technique contains a richness that we absolutely want to preserve, since the sandals are braided using know-how passed down from mother to daughter. Our craftswomen carry out the braiding at home, which allows them to stay close to their families.
At Mapache, we work every day to ensure that this craft remains valued, viable and fair.
Preservation & enhancement
of ancestral know-how
The authentic Mexican huarache
The driving force behind the Mapache adventure has remained the same since 2015: placing craftsmanship at the heart of our approach. Thus, our development as a brand cannot be achieved without respecting traditional manufacturing techniques.
Thus, each sandal is created taking into account all the specificities linked to this know-how (learn more about the creation of our models) . The manufacture of your pair requires a succession of very specific stages, during which nothing is left to chance .
Thus, by maintaining a traditional manufacturing process, we guarantee that each pair of shoes is made according to the criteria of the authentic Mexican huarache.
The main manufacturing stages:
The example of the iconic Alegre
The preparation
The soles, uppers and leather strips are cut manually using punches and a press.
The back rods are doubled and then all the rods are then put through the sewing machine to be covered with decorative topstitching.
Braiding
The leather strips are inserted into the upper through loops previously perforated with a press. Even the braid is done by hand, directly onto the upper!
The braided rod is then lightly moistened and hammered to achieve a uniform shape. It must then be left to dry for several hours.
The assembly
The insole is stapled to the horma ( form ) and then assembled to the upper by inserting its leather strips into the pre-perforated holes. The protruding pieces of leather are then trimmed to avoid unsightly bumps. The upper is moistened and hammered again so that the leather takes the shape of the horma. The leather is then left to dry again.
The assembly
Our sandals are glued and assembled by hand. The shoe on horma is then inserted into a press to apply heat pressure. Then, the sole is sanded to make it more uniform and a scissors is run along all the leather strips to remove any excess fibers. Your pair is finally ready (after almost 16 hours of work) !
Manufacturing in pictures
The materials
Leather
Particular attention is paid to the selection of our leathers. These are chosen to be as little elastic as possible in order to guarantee a better fit, while maintaining a certain flexibility for absolute comfort .
The crepe
Made from rubber, crepe is known for its suppleness and flexibility. We therefore choose it for our soles to guarantee comfort, durability, and perfect grip.
The recycled tire
The traditional Mexican sandal originally had a tire sole that guaranteed flawless robustness . So we decided to reintroduce this material, but this time recycled!
Leather: our expertise
Since leather is the preferred material in the manufacture of our sandals, we have developed a detailed understanding of its characteristics over the years. While we know leather for its many benefits (breathability, durability, comfort, etc.), we are less familiar with its tanning methods, its quality levels, or its many ways of working it. This is why we have chosen to specialize in this area.
To date, we work with several tanneries located in Mexico. One of them remains very family-run and artisanal, its tanning process allows us to transform the leather using vegetable tannins , without resorting to chrome. Called "vaqueta", this leather is used in the manufacture of traditional huaraches. It is appreciated for its thickness and rigidity, but also because it absorbs water well: an advantage for shaping it perfectly when assembling the shoe. However, its lack of elasticity (making it less comfortable on certain closed sandals) prompted us to explore other alternatives, such as semi-vegetable tanned leather.
The latter comes from more industrialized tanneries, which have implemented ecological wastewater treatment solutions. They can therefore include chrome in their tanning process and thus obtain a leather with ideal characteristics: as resistant as with vegetable tanning, but much more flexible (whereas tanning exclusively with chrome would result in leather that is too elastic).
Alongside this technical expertise, our close collaboration with tanneries allows us to continually innovate with new collections. We develop different types of leather (smooth or velvet) and a variety of colors, from the softest shades to the boldest nuances.