> [!NOTE]+ Meta > Author:: Stephanie Convery > Reference:: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/01/heart-and-sole-the-salvadorian-shoemaker-catering-to-melbournes-well-heeled > Date:: 2025 > Tags:: #warp #shoes #refugees > WeftLinks:: [[Environmental value of craft]] > Claim:: [[Claim - Craft promotes local development]] > [!SUMMARY] Summary > José Rodríguez makes shoes for the satisfaction of his craft. José Rodríguez is a Salvadorian shoemaker in Melbourne who creates bespoke shoes by hand, finding joy in making unique footwear for his clients. After leaving El Salvador due to civil war, he pursued shoemaking later in life, turning his passion into a successful business. Rodríguez values the happiness his creations bring and is driven by the satisfaction of his craft rather than money. ### Highlights >Then in 2014, he signed up to a 13-week night course in shoemaking. “It was only one day, one day a week, three hours, and it was just to make one pair of shoes for fun. But I loved it so much,” he says. From his teacher, [Jess Wootten](https://wootten.com.au/heritage/), he learned that there was a full-time, year-long certificate IV course in custom shoemaking at RMIT. >‘I’m not driven by money. I’m driven by the satisfaction that I still get making shoes, making people smile.’