Meet Marcue - maker of handmade shoes.

I first saw the glorious handmade leather shoes of Marcue at the Finders Keepers market in Sydney on the last day of May.

Wow! I thought!

And my husband obviously thought pretty much the same thing when we went together the next day.
Because he offered to buy me a pair!

And last week I went to pick them up from the Sydney workshop.
It was kinda hard for find -

photo courtesy of Marcue

It was like going down into the bowels of the earth!
Could such divine shoes be made down here?

But then I saw the smiling Marina waving to me - and yes, indeed, this is it!

Marina Roorda is the creator of this new Australian label producing a collection of handmade shoes and accessories.

I learned that Marina originally hailed from Uruguay and started off her working life as a graphic designer (funny, I know a lot of ex-graphic designers!).
After a while she realised that she didn't really feel fulfilled in this role and wanted to do something more "hands on".

After taking a workshop with a bespoke shoe maker she was hooked and has spent the last few years refining her designs and buffing up her techniques as well as setting up her workshop in this awesome space.
This ex-garage space is a shared with other artisans - there are amazing piles of recycled wood waiting to be put into use by the restaurant outfitters next door.

As you would expect there is lots of gorgeous leather -

And shoe lasts -

As Marina told me when she develops a new design it has to be drawn up in all sizes - what a mammoth task.

Marcue has shoes for men and women and they are made using traditional shoemaking techniques - but the end result has a freshness and a sense of daring - as well as being incredibly comfortable.

Here are mine - I went for red boots with a navy blue trim - I'll see if I can click my heels.....

Have a look at Marcue's website for other styles and colours.
Or check out her shop on etsy.