Leon, the place to design & make shoes

Man working with colorful fabric in a cozy room with another person at a desk.

I came from El Salvador

After studying design at University Don Bosco in San Salvador, I set up a small shoe-making studio. My designs ranged from high heel fashion to casual street-wear. But production was a problem. I made repeated trips from El Salvador to Leon in order to purchase materials, attend trade shows and learn more at CIATEC, a technical school that has a specialization in shoe-making.

Ultimately, my decision to move to Leon was about workers - the generations of amazingly talented craftspeople that have made Leon the Shoe Capital of the Spanish Speaking World.

Armando Estrada

A pair of casual shoes, one brown leather and one woven fabric.

I created the IXOTI line

In Leon I set up a small workshop in the colonial part of the city, a place where hundreds of similar shoe-makers and tanneries are located.

A small workshop offers the opportunity to experiment with new designs and materials. The brand that I have created is IXOTI.

In a small workshop I can make prototypes for large scale production. Or I can make highly crafted "bespoke" shoes for special customers.

Green building with ornate iron window grills at dusk.

My Workshop is also a School

If you design shoes, sell shoes or just wear shoes you may want to know how shoes are made. You may even want to design and make a pair for yourself.

My Shoe School is a serious 12 day commitment. The curricula includes an industry survey, creating a design, sourcing materials and making your own shoes.