Eferro
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
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Project Description
Elena Ferro es la tercera generación de zuecos de su familia fundada en 1915. Bajo la marca Eferro, logró convertir un artículo rural en un complemento de moda, agregando valor de innovación a un elemento del pasado.
Trabajan en su taller de Merza para reinventar su profesión combinando nuevos diseños con características ergonómicas. Al hacer esto, están protegiendo nuestra identidad cultural al construir un puente entre los tiempos modernos y el conocimiento antiguo.
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Description of the project
Summary
Eferro was established in 1915 by D. Perfecto Ferro Cornado and his steps were followed by his son D. Alfonso Ferro Iglesias. Currently, the head of the company is Elena Ferro, D. Perfecto’s granddaughter, making her the third generation of clog makers in her family.
Back in the days, being a zoqueiro (= clog maker) meant to go through the villages making new clogs and refitting old ones and also selling them at trade fairs. The clog is a very traditional item linked to the rural, countryside way of life. Its sole is made of wood (alder or birch) and its body is made of greased cow leather.
Due to the abandonment of the countryside and its traditional activities, zoqueiros were also disappearing, forcing them to adapt to the changing times.
Through Eferro, Elena Ferro has applied new techniques to adjust the value of an underrated element and, also, to change how we view the traditional uses of this on-farm labour footwear. She reinvented it as a fashion accessory with bold designs and bright colours and this helped to upgrade it and adapt it to the new market needs.
Thanks to the combined production of clogs and other leather goods, Elena and her family, under the name of Eferro, keep this traditional profession alive and make their living out of it.
Key objectives for sustainability
- Use of natural materials such as wood, and cow leather that can be mixed with other leathers such as colt, goat, sheep, or snake. All of them have their authenticity and quality certificates.
- Use of vegan leathers.
- Use of recycled tyre rubber for the soles.
- Leather is coloured with non-toxic dyes.
- A small amount of glue is used, as the pieces are joined with staples or nails.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Some changes were made to the original raw materials and measurements: the wood is now wider and different types of leather can be used.
Animal print and bold colours are introduced, mix-and-matching them to create new styles and suit them to current trends, creating a mixture between tradition and modernity.
These new clogs, with women, men, and kids collections, adjust to the shape of the wood with new designs with heels, bright colours, no laces, and, also, summer footwear such as sandals or mules. Also available with pliable soles.
Key objectives for inclusion
Our goal is not to create a standard stock of average clogs. What we offer is a customized product with a wide range of options to mix and match, to fulfill every need.
60% of our production is tailor-made to fit every foot and customer. This includes vegan options or pliable wood for sensitive feet. That is why we keep searching for new layouts and designs to improve our clogs, making them the most comfortable possible for as many people as possible, taking care of their needs.
Customers don’t have to fit into our clogs. We fit our clogs to our clients.
Results in relation to category
Zoqueiros (Clog Makers) were about to disappear, but Elena Ferro and her family worked hard to make a comeback, stronger than ever, dignifying clogs. This puts the clog in a well-earned position and it is changing people’s minds, treating this footwear with much more respect.
It is quite common, nowadays, to see people wearing clogs in big towns or cities, not only in Galicia but also in different places in the world. Eferro has been working with many designers and their clogs were even shown in the catwalk of several Fashion Weeks, such as Madrid, Barcelona, or Paris.
Elena Ferro won the Antón Fragua Awards in 2010 and the Spanish National Crafts Award in 2019.
How Citizens benefit
Having an item so linked to poverty and farming going from the brink of extinction to a high-ranked element in society is a really big achievement that makes us proud of ourselves.
Zocos (clogs) keep the feet warm, and they are waterproof. At the same time, they can be customized with different colours and textures to match the personality of the customer.
We keep the tradition of the elders and we attend many fairs, as our family did before us. Fairs give us first-handed contact with customers, listening to their needs and opinions and this information is vital to us. Fairs also give us the chance to reach those customers in small places who do not have access to the other sales channels we offer.
Social media have played an especially important role to put us on the map. They have been a big factor in our growth and, also, in the spreading of the concept of zoco. We elaborated creative montages, staging local countryside scenes where the zocos are the main subject. This allows us to educate consumers using our culture, tradition, humour, or just fantasy. What started as a game became an important tool for our job.
It’s the word of mouth that helps us because our clogs catch the eye of people and they are eager to share their qualities with those they know.
The essence of our Brand is the Galician countryside because that is where our product was born and, also, because our workshop is still located in the house of our grandparents, a small town with a population of 300 called Merza, in Pontevedra, where all our products are made.
Innovative character
That would be our continuous search for new materials, shapes, possible combinations allowing us to take an endangered traditional job and keeping it alive and transform our product into a stylish fashion accessory that keeps up with the new trends and artistic movements.
We don’t believe in standing still, that’s why we are constantly evolving. That makes us true to our principles of adapting to the new times.
