Our Story

Why do people wear shoes that look so similar? Why do they seek to fit in?

For most people, it feels safe to conform. It gives them a sense of belonging; of being “part of the tribe”. However, this is anathema for the radicals - those who go their own way. They don’t follow the crowd. They are different. They are not afraid of showing it.

But even if you want to go our own way, express yourself, uniquely, why is it difficult to find shoes that uniquely amplifies your personality?

In a world of economies of scale through mass-production, products are churned out in large numbers. Lower unit costs means higher volumes. The craftsmen have been replaced by machines. The attention to the product has partially given way to the attention to the process; to attain standardisation, replicability and scale. We can find the same, identical product, even "exclusive” luxury clothing items, in shops in many different places in the world, indistinguishable from each other.

esgeneris, from “sui generis”, meaning “unique”, offers truly unique shoes. Each pair is different - one of a kind. Never made before and never to be made again: Crafted by skilled artisans, vintage kilims, 50-80 years old, are sourced in the secondary markets. They are typically no longer usable as rugs in their original entirety, as they have sustained damages over the decades, which are beyond repair. Rather than discarding these treasures, the artisans use a unique cut of the still usable part of the kilim, itself a unique piece of art, for our shoes’ upper part. The result? Truly unique shoes, works of beautiful art, that stand out and let you express who you are and what you stand for.