Le Soulor 1925

Hand-sewn Norwegian and Goodyear welted, French leathers, fewer than ten people. No offshoring, no compromise. The Pyrenean shepherd's boot turned urban.

Pontacq, Bearn, 17th century: a major tanning and shoemaking center. In 1925, the Paradis-Pommies workshop makes shoes for military and regional workers. Ankle boots, safety shoes, anything that needs to endure. In the 1960s, the workshop thrives: nailed boots, aviator boots, and rugby cleats with famous square toes - Pierre 'Papillon' Lacaze, international rugby player, is a noted customer. The specialty: ground grip.

When the footwear industry relocates in the 1970s-80s, Joseph Paradis, known as Aldo, third generation, refuses to follow. Trained artisanally at the Jurancon college, he chooses resistance: French materials, made-to-order, Norwegian and Goodyear welted. No concession to mass production. Reputation built through word of mouth. The workshop moves from Pontacq to Nay, into a former fire station at the foot of the Pyrenees. Stephane Bajenoff and Philippe Carrouche take over and give it its current identity, Le Soulor 1925, named after the Soulor peak and the founding date. EPV.

Le Soulor is one of those word-of-mouth discoveries. On the De Pied en Cap forum, a member describes wearing his Villette boots since 2018 'for gardening, splitting wood, forest walks, and at the office under jeans'. Montres de Luxe calls the Vignemale 'the pinnacle of hiking footwear'. Fewer than ten people, French leathers, 300-500 euros - you pay for genuine French hand-sewn construction, not Portuguese or Spanish private label.

The only drawback noted on forums: a factory resoling that narrowed a pair's width, with a 'disgusted' customer. But the very fact that you can send shoes back to the workshop for repair says a lot. The brand changed hands in 2024. Worth watching.