A Romanian settled in Austria has been selling custom made shoes in Vienna since 1996, Romanian daily Gandul writes. Romanian shoemaker Alexandru Maftei, who has been living abroad for the last 22 years, has been selling custom made shoes in Vienna under the brand Shoemaker Maftei. The shoemaker has also opened a store in Bucharest, but the business has not enjoyed the same success as it does abroad.

Maftei shoes come in different types of leather- alligator, ostrich, shark, crocodile or piton, hand made, and prices range from several hundreds of euros to several thousands, writes Gandul daily. The bespoke shoes sold in the Romanian store start with taking measures, which are sent to Vienna, where the shoes last is created. Finally, the shoes are produced in the Piatra Neamt workshop, north of Romania. All in all, the process can take three to six weeks.

In 1996 Alexandru Maftei opened his own workshop at Kühnplatz 6 in Vienna's 4th district. His footwear is also available in the shop at Postgasse 11 in the 1st district. In keeping with the family tradition, Alexandru and his wife Lucia still work in the business, as do both their sons Alexandru Jr. and Lucian – and daughter Roxana.

The Maftei family, originally from Romania, has been dedicated to the tradition of custom shoemaking since the 19th century. The Mafteis owned and ran a workshop that employed 40 craftsmen to make bespoke footwear.

Shoesmaker Maftei runs two stores in Vienna, five in Germany, one in Bucharest and the workshop in Piatra Neamt.

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: CPP Luxury)