If anyone can truly be said to have followed in his family’s footsteps, it’s celebrated Portuguese shoe designer Luis Onofre, who counts Queen Letizia of Spain, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Michelle Obama, Naomi Watts and Beyoncé among his famous clients.
His grandfather started making footwear in 1933; when he died aged just 40, Luis’s forward-thinking grandmother, Rosa Pereira, stepped into the breach.
In an era when few women worked outside the home, Rosa made a success of the business before passing the baton to her son, Luis’s father, who then called on Luis himself.
At the time, Luis tells us, he was more interested in his studies at Oporto’s School of Fine Arts. But he dedicated the next nine years to learning every aspect of the shoemaker’s craft, before…
