Atelier Content is a Belgian shoe brand for women who are looking for elegant, minimalist shoes that last. Founder Nele Content studied at the fashion academy in Ghent and after her education, she worked for several shoe companies. In 2011, the Belgian designer founded her own brand. The collections reflect Nele’s own taste. The shoes are ultra-feminine, subtle yet striking. Are you looking for women’s dress shoes, sandals or boots that you can enjoy for years? Then you’ve come to the right place at Atelier Content.
Ethics
Nele Content designs the shoes in Belgium and has them made in two different family ateliers in Italy, in the ‘Marche’ region to be precise. There they are assembled by hand. There is a strong connection between the designer and the ateliers, on social media and on the website you can see how the production takes place. The exact location and name of the atelier are not shared. Nele Content visits the factories in Italy two to four times a year and has direct contact with the owners. In this way, Atelier Content can guarantee good working conditions in the shoe factories.
Materials
All shoes are made of leather. For the summer collections Atelier Content works a lot with nappa leather, which is a collective name for goat and sheep leather. Goat leather has CO2 emissions that are about 3 times lower than cow leather. Nevertheless, a lot of water is needed to feed the goats and deforestation takes place to produce the fodder. Atelier Content told us they like to use these leathers for sandals because they feel softer. The brand checks all leathers thoroughly for quality. For the winter collection they mainly use calfskin.
The leather is tanned with a low chrome content, the brand informed COSH! that they had experimented with vegetal tanned leather but because the quality and look of vegetal tanned leather are very different, they decided to continue with chrome tanned leather.
The heels usually consist of a combination of plastic and wood. The shoe is therefore not biodegradable, but if the heel were made entirely of wood, the shoe would become very heavy, which would compromise the comfort. The heels are often finished with a layer of wood veneer, which gives them a unique look. The buckles are made of metal and so are the screws to attach the heel. The sole consists of a mix of many different materials including compressed leather, cardboard, and metal. Underneath the winter shoes, there is a layer of rubber but we don’t know whether this is natural rubber or artificial rubber.
Animal Welfare
Goats, sheep, or cows have to be slaughtered for the leather; it is unclear whether the leather used for these shoes is a by-product of cattle farming. It is also unclear whether this is organic farming or not.
For a beautiful European and timeless pair of shoes, visit the shops indicated on the map below.
Circularity
Atelier Content shoes are not easy to recycle and are not biodegradable, but that applies to almost all shoe brands. After all, shoes consist of complex material compositions and wearing comfort is very important. Due to the high quality and craftsmanship that can be seen in the shoes of this brand, they can last a long time and that is wonderful to see. If the sole wears out, you can also have them repaired to extend their life.
