SHOES

Ben Calçat sells five different kinds of self-made shoes, all in first-quality leather such as “nobuk”, “serratge” and “pellflor” in a wide range of colours.

 

Albarques

“Albarques” are typical Minorcan shoes. Initially, they were made out of reused old car tyres. But today tyres are no longer reusable since they include metals.

Nowadays, however, transporting belts are used to make the soles after being cut and engraved while they are hot by a specialized machine, imitatintg the car sole design. Rubber bases are also produced to make the soles of this kind of shoe, despite being of lower quality, and they are not used in our workshop.

Porqueres

The legend tells that a poor man from Ibiza, whose shoes broke when he came to Majorca, had no money to buy a new pair, so he took an old car tyre and a piece of canvas and made himself the first “porqueres”.

Initially the “porqueres” were made in black, brown and natural colour. At present, we make them in a wide variety of colours so that they can be more easily coordinated with clothes.

Summer shoes are made of canvas and leather, and winter ones of leather.

 

 

Bota Mallorquina

Majorcan boots are ordinary ones with laces and the tongue underneath. They are made in a wide variety of colours and in our shop they are made with mountain sole, all in leather, and in plain or mixed colours. Moreover, they have an anatomical inner sole.

 

Patatera

This boot is different from the Majorcan one because the tongue goes over the laces. The boot was originally used during the potato harvest and the fact that the tongue is over the laces prevented the earth getting into the shoes.

They are made both with tyre and mountain sole (this last one is much better because the tyre sole is slippery and colder in winter). Moreover, they have anatomical and isolating soles.

 

 

Frailera

The “frailera” is typical of Majorca. The front part is similar to the Minorcan “albarca” but it includes a buckle in the middle which helps tighten your foot and a heel and a heel-pad at the back.