I’ve always loved fabric in shoes, and I can’t quite pinpoint the first time I experienced this fascination. I want to say it was during my Nordstrom days when I used to sell shoes there.
In fact, I’m quite sure it was a pair of green canvas Donald Pliner loafers. Donald Pliner was always known for making quite funky things, and I loved those shoes. I used to get loads of compliments on them, too.
Not to make a comparison between the two, but Mario Bemer recently sent me a few photos of his latest model, which is a pair of green canvas loafers. And it kind of sprung this reminiscent time in my mind when I used to wear crazy-colored shoes far more than I do now, along with various types of materials.
I’ve always loved that.
Mario Bemer and the Beauty of Choice
One of the things I love about Mario Bemer is that he allows his clients access to pretty much anything.
It really feels like you can go to Mario and tell him, “I want to make the moon in a shoe,” and he’s going to make you the moon in a shoe.
While I’ve mainly seen his regular canvas styles and now this new green canvas color, the offering goes well beyond simply making a pair of shoes. He can make you a canvas backpack, a canvas belt, a canvas bag, and essentially create matching pieces in whatever canvas colors are available.
It’s pretty cool that he offers this type of thing. And it’s also good to see that he’s getting client requests for new colors because I can only imagine that his limitations are really dictated by what clients actually order.
I think if a client went to Mario and said, “Hey, I want black canvas. I want purple canvas,” Mario would do his best to find it for you and make you that shoe.
That’s the beauty of Mario Bemer’s offering.
He’ll make you anything he can find. And I’m sure that if you have something particular in mind, he’ll look through Italian fabric suppliers trying to find the material that gets you as close as possible to that dream shoe you want.
A Military Green Canvas Loafer
This particular pair is a cool, kind of military green canvas loafer, and I love it. It takes me back to when I was younger and far more bold than I am today, when I wore these types of things regularly. Crazy colors. Different materials. Shoes that weren’t necessarily what everyone else was wearing.
And I loved it, to be honest. Because I think wearing things that are different is where it’s at. Blending in with the crowd is just not my thing.
And I know that because here I am now in Idaho, blending out of the crowd wearing black suede loafers, tucked-in polo shirts, and black suede belts while everybody else is in country gear.
So apparently nothing has really changed. I’ve clearly always liked to stand out from the crowd. Not in a “Hey, look at me” kind of way, but simply because I’ve always beat the drum my own way.
And Mario Bemer shoes are just the same.
Just the Tip of the Iceberg
This post is really just the tip of the iceberg.
I have more things to show you in subsequent posts about the offerings that Mario Bemer can give you as a client, and some of the more interesting things that can be done when you’re dealing with a shoemaker who isn’t afraid to experiment.
But for now, I simply wanted to share these green canvas loafers because they brought back some good memories.
And maybe they’ll inspire someone else to stop playing it safe with their next pair.
If you are around the DC/Alexandria area make sure to visit Mario Bemer at Old House Provisions this Fri/Sat (Aug 21st/22nd)
Find out more: https://www.mariobemerusa.com/
—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob
Shop · Marketplace · Patreon
***Mario Bemer is a supporter of The Shoe Snob Blog and you can consider this a sponsored post***
