El Paso: The Faces Behind Our Craft

This is where it all begins -- our workshops. 

In this case, El Paso, TX, where we spent last week visiting with a longtime friend of the brand to work through the final details of an upcoming collaboration.

Every time I visit the El Paso workshop, my determination to build our business is renewed. The care, the attention to detail, the years (and generations) of honed craft are deeply inspiring. The spirit of our workshop is truly infectious.

With so much constantly in production, we thought we'd take a moment to re-introduce you to the faces & hands behind our Babas, Bolos and Collector's Series. We took a day to capture it all on film, shared below.

As always, thank you for supporting our craft & our team and for following along!

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Everything is done by hand at our workshop, and we're very proud of that. I'm also appreciative of the environment we've built here -- it's energizing, creative, and warm. Amongst many things, you'll notice the Sabah Blue accent color speckled throughout the space.

Beto (above) is quick to smile. He manages all things soles: prepping, applying, glueing, and finishing. He's a master on the sanding machine, no easy task.

Ricardo Sr. who's been making shoes for 40 years, has been instrumental in passing on knowledges to our apprentices, like Brian, who had no prior shoemaking experience. Four years later, he's mastered many steps of the process.

Brenda has worked with us since day one. She manages our quality control room. Whether with a paint brush, an exacto knife, or a small eraser, she ensures no pair leaves the workshop that isn't in perfect condition.

Jesus (on the left), also known as Chuy, has been hand-lasting shoes for 14 years. He learned from his father, a skilled cowboy boot maker. He lasts every pair of Bolos & Babas we make -- an incredibly difficult process that requires strength, precision and intense focus.

And, on the right, Daniel. New to shoemaking when he joined us, he's been at it for almost four years now. He runs the McKay stitcher which is used to attach soles to uppers -- a traditional machine that's quite complicated to run and maintain.

Ricardo Sr. runs the sewing operation at the El Paso workshop -- sewing together uppers, linings and bindings for every pair we make. He's been making shoes for over 40 years; previously running his own workshop in Leon, Mexico.

Brian manages leather cutting and upper assembly. A quick study, prior to Sabah, he had no experience in shoemaking. His work takes a lot of attention to detail, noticing any imperfections or subtleties in the leather hides we use.

Last but certainly not least - that's Ricardo, our caring and passionate workshop general manager. He's also a master tooler, renowned for his work in the world of custom cowboy boots. We've very lucky to have Ricardo leading the team in El Paso.

It takes a village, but here at Sabah, we have built one with a community that we are endlessly proud of. 

With the sky as the limit, we are always excited to see what will come out of our El Paso Workshop. 

Where to next?!