Mario Bemer has been making shoes in the traditional Florentine way for more than 35 years. He and his brother Stefano started the firm Stefano Bemer, which still exists today under new ownership despite Stefano's tragic passing in 2012. Stefano Bemer is the firm where I trained as a shoemaker under shoemakers who were trained by Mario, so working with him holds special meaning for me.
Mario continues the original mission of the firm he and his brother founded, making every pair of shoes entirely by hand, entirely by himself. He rigorously selects each hide from the bountiful options of Santa Croce, the tanning town just west of Florence on the Arno River. Most pairs are commissioned and delivered in person so that Mario can consider the clients' desires and give his final stamp of approval only with a thorough examination.