NiSNAS IND
Resolute
A Handmade Oxford-Spectator shoe
Stunning Palestinian tapestries fused with supreme Italian craftsmanship

What’s in a name? These shoes are handmade perfection, they tell a unique story through craft. Resolute shoes are mixture of traditional Palestinian embroidery and stunning Italian Shoe making artistry. Resolute tell a story of lives lived in the villages of the Palestinian South Hebron Hills where life is a tough mix of survival and resistance. A glimmer of hope can be found in women’s weaving cooperatives in the South Hebron Hills, these provide income, a way to keep cultural traditions alive and a way to tell the story of this place through craft. We partnered with the women’s weaving cooperative in the village of At-Twane’h for this project to bring their talent to a wider audience and provide sustainable development to the village. This cooperative is led by strong, inspiring and talented women who lead in a troubled climate of occupation and hardship. They persevere and lead despite this in a steadfast, stubborn resolve that inspires us as a team, their story also gave this shoe it’s name: Resolute.

We chose the Oxford Spectator style in order to high-lite the extraordinary capabilities of two artisan communities. With the design of the shoe headed by our friends at Fiooco Nero, shoe specialists based in Tel Aviv and the stunning tapestries, handmade for us by the women’s weaving cooperative of At Twan’eh village. The result is a culmination of perfection. With two distinct traditions coming together to form a final piece, these shoes are not only extremely comfortable and durable, they tell a story of craft that spans the world. They tell the story of a community using craft as a tool for Resistance and a craft made to echo the story of the people who make it. These Oxford Spectator shoes are one of a kind, each is handmade with small differences between each pair showing the handmade nature of each piece. The leather all full gran, double stitches with a replaceable sole, made to the top specifications of Fiocco Nerro. They will last a lifetime and remain comfortable throughout.

The patterns in the fabric of Resolute are taken from Palestinian Thobe dresses made by the women in the village of At Tewan’e in the South Hebron Hills. Palestinian Thobe dresses are a traditional garment that is made for festive occasions in Palestine and have come to symbolise the culture and it’s resilience. The patterns on the Resolute shoes are exactly those on the dresses but made into speciality pattern frames for the shoe, according to the models below. Each shoe is specifically patterned and handmade to fit perfectly using the design from Thobe dresses, they are meticulously done to form a unique style that is one-of-a-kind and singular. The colour matching and scaling is done by hand, one at a time in a time honoured tradition going back generations.

Available in 3 models:
Sand Stone: A brown camel full grain leather with intricate off-white/brown tapestry. This design is a call back to the brown hiss of the South Hebron area and a constant theme of the work of the women’s cooperative in At Twane’h. Complete with a custom made sole which can be resoled when needed, double stitching along the sole and elegant finish throughout the design. Available in men’s and women’s sizing. Granite: A dark black full grain leather with intricate black/white and red tapestry, taken directly from the front centre of a Thobe dress, this shoe has symmetric design and color with red at its centre at the top below the lacing. Complete with a custom made sole which can be resoled when needed, double stitching along the sole and elegant finish throughout the design. Available in men’s and women’s sizing. Obsidian: A dark black full grain leather with contrasting red tapestry. This is the most evocative design with the dark red and deep black leather creating a dramatic contrast. This shoe is a statement, a beautiful, comfortable bit of kit that stands out in a crowd. Complete with a custom made sole which can be resoled when needed, double stitching along the sole and elegant finish throughout the design. Available in men’s and women’s sizing.

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