Yuketen Alejandro - Brown

The Alejandro is a huarache — a shoe form with roots in pre-Columbian Mexican footwear, in which strips of leather are interlaced into a lattice upper entirely by hand. Yuketen commissions the Alejandro from workshops in Mexico where this technique is still practised using the same methods passed down across generations.

The leather is vegetable-tanned — a slow process that produces a hide capable of developing a genuine patina rather than simply coating the surface with pigment. It begins firm and close-fitting, then progressively softens and stretches to the contours of the wearer's foot, creating a fit that improves the longer the shoe is worn.

• Each pair is hand-woven by a single artisan from start to finish — no mechanical substitutes at any stage

• Vegetable-tanned leather molds to the shape of your foot over time, developing a custom fit that improves with every wear

• The huarache lattice construction allows natural airflow through the upper, making it comfortable across warmer months

• Natural leather develops a patina particular to the wearer rather than uniformly fading or cracking

• Upper: hand-cut and hand-woven vegetable-tanned leather

• Sole: leather with rubber tread

• Construction: traditional Mexican huarache (interlaced leather lattice)

• Remove surface dirt after each wear with a soft brush or dry cloth

• Apply a leather cream or conditioner periodically to keep the upper supple and prevent cracking

• Allow to dry naturally away from direct heat sources — never force-dry near a radiator

• Use cedar shoe trees to maintain the shape during storage

• For water or salt marks, clean gently with a damp cloth and re-condition once dry