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KLEMAN - LE SAVOIR FAIRE

KLEMAN - LE SAVOIR FAIRE

It's been a minute since Union were introduced to the quintessentially French footwear fancies of the Kleman brand, another in a series of relationships with fabrication first ateliers in the fashion capital. 

A brand that place's their history and future at equal ends of the manifesto, to understand how they push forward in a fast fashion dominated world you must know their past.

Here's a bit of bumph about the brand, straight from the source's mouth:

"A shoemaker and bootmaker by trade, René Cléon joined the front lines during the Second World War. He was taken prisoner in 1940 during the Battle of France and spent 5 years in captivity in a Stalag in Germany, where he continued to model small leather shoes in his spare time. Probably hoping to be back soon to his homeland, the idea of launching his shoe manufacturing workshop is gradually growing.

At the end of the war in 1945, in the weeks following his return, he formed a team of apprentices and bought his first stitching and assembly machines. The story begins in the family home in La Romagne, with a specialization on Kneipp sewn mixed models, then the business grows and a factory is built. The sons Jacques and Louis-Marie took up the torch and diversified the activity in the 1970s -1980s."

Offering a true working pedigree through years of "public administration" contracts, the fruits of Kleman's labour manifest in the current collection of durable footwear, typified by their staple silhouette: the Padror.

An authentic 'Fabriqué en France', the fully leather upper is sourced and arranged in France with a rubber outsole. This an instantly recognisable and iconic model in the modern wardrobe arsenal, and it's not hard to see why. Anti-slip and anti-abrasion properties to the outsole, with a Poron® insole that absorbs shocks and provides optimal comfort. Classic leather styling, suede finishes or hide and leather finish. Pick your fighter!

Offering a more hybridised design, the newest model to the roster comes in form of the Frodan Derby. Taking the same highly reliable and durable chassis as the Padror, the Frodan skillfully mixes the brutality of the workwear style and the formal elegance of the glossy leather for an exclusive, uncompromising look. 

 

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