"Manifattura"
The craftsmanship that goes into every shoe
The fate of Antonio Minò is extremely interesting. He fought in the Second World War and he came home from the war on foot. In order to get to Toscana, he had to sell his most valuable possession – his watch. In Poggibonsi, a small town nestled between Siena and Florence, he met the love of his life – Valeria. And there he started making shoes. He turned an old cinema into a workshop where every day he made a new pair of shoes. In the evening he would hang a sheet on which he would play old movies. Soon everyone started associating Poggibonsi with cinema and Antonio’s shoes. Here he became a celebrity.
Ekaterina was 28 years old when she met Mikella, who bought the business form Antonio upon his retirement. Nevertheless, he came by the workshop every day to check on the work. He was always dressed to perfection – with light suit during the summer and dark one during the summer. Never without a tie. He was not jealous of the craft - he taught Mikella and Franco how to make and sell shoes. And they taught their skill to Ekaterina, who worked with them. Apart from the shoes they started selling Capalbio –a type of hunter’s vest with many pockets for the game. After some time, Ekaterina moved to Bulgaria and brought with her Minò’s mantra "Tutto andrà bene" - "Everything will be alright".
