Pak Sella a Javanese migrant to Bali, has been our reliable and trustworthy cobbler for eight years. Working in a modest workshop attached to his house, he carefully cuts the leather for our designs on the floor in bare feet, perhaps with one of his children playing nearby, as his birds sing in their cages hanging around. He then sews each pair of shoes using one of his two sewing machines, hand-threading beads onto designs when they call for it, and finally stamping the Buddha Wear logo onto a pair when they are ready for sale in our shops.
This artisan, who learned his craft from friends, makes around 15 to 20 pairs of shoes a day. If we place a larger order with him, he calls in several co-workers, perhaps family or friends, to help fulfill it by our deadline. Pak Sella’s work consistently exceeds BuddhaWear’s standards, and he is very involved in our business, visiting the office once a week or so to see our samples and have a chat.