Shoes at Meesterlijk 2014

From Friday 28 till Sunday 30 November 2014, the sixth edition of Meesterlijk will take place in Amsterdam, at the Westergasfabriek. This is the event where product designers, fashion designers, food designers and artisans share their passion for design and craftsmanship with the public. In this edition Makerszoon by René van den Berg and the Dutch Shoe Academy also will be present.


Makerszoon (son of the maker) is René van den Berg’s brandname for his durable men shoes collection. With Makerszoon he continues the shoemaking tradition of his family, a tradition of four generations, dating back to 1902.

Quirky, sturdy shoes with as their main features, high comfort and low impact on the environment. With a solid background as an orthopedic shoe-maker he started his custom-made shoe workshop in 1992. In this he combines his creativity and design skills with extensive knowledge of the foot, shoe-making, materials and techniques. René has a very successful career by manufacturing the most extreme shoes for fashion designers such as Thierry Mugler, JANTAMINIAU, Ilja Visser, Anouk Wipprecht and Leanie van der Vyver. His shoes are also worn by famous performers such as Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Black Eyed Pea Fergie.

Makerszoon collection
Consists of three models: Oak (Oxford/Rijg Molière) Ash (Derby/Derby Molière) and Beech (Derby/Derby Molière) in seven sizes. In addition to standard sizes and designs Makerszoon offers you the possibility (at extra costs) to specify your ideas. The price of these handmade shoes start at € 395.00. These shoes are not available through stores. If you wish to purchase a pair of these shoes, you are welcome to welcome in the studio to try the right size, please call for an by appointment first. The delivery of those shoes would be about two weeks. For more information about the extensive possibilities, please feel free to contact Makerszoon.

In addition to Makerszoon René also founded ‘A shoe can be’, to create striking sculptures and exclusive footwear with his business partner Karin Janssen and René teaches shoe making at the Dutch Shoe Academy in Utrecht.

The Dutch Shoe Academy will also presents its students work at Meesterlijk. At the request of Uniquole/Meesterlijk the students investigated the details of historical prints for their school program. The students used details from the prints as inspiration for their handmade shoes and the objects are produced only in one color ‘Ivory’.

Meesterlijk
This november 2014 the sixth edition of Meesterlijk will take place. This is the event where product designers, fashion designers, food designers and artisans share their passion for design and craftsmanship with the public. During 3 days established Masters will stand alongside talented novices at one of the most stunning and inspiring venues of Amsterdam: the Westergasfabriek.

3 days – 3 venues
Where can you buy objects directly from the product designers, fashion designers and artisans themselves? Where can you still find the pure passion for the creation process? At Meesterlijk, the contemporary event for design and craftsmanship. Your ticket offers access to all these venues.

There are unique products for sale, like furniture, glass and crystal objects of use, wooden, metal and ceramic objects and of course wearable items such as tailor made shirts, shoes (for both men and women), hats, bags, jewellery and other accessories.

Meesterlijk – design and crafts
28 -30 November 2015, 12.00 – 18.00
Westergasfabriek, Polonceaukade 2 (De Bakkerswinkel entrance)
Amsterdam 1014 DA
The Netherlands

More info and tickets at Meesterlijk.

Black and white photography by Esther van der Wallen.