Atelier Content

Nele Content designs the shoes in Belgium and has them made in two different family ateliers in Italy, in the ​‘Marche’ region. 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 guarantees good working conditions in the shoe factories.

In addition, the brand is also a member of ​‘Ik Koop Belgisch’, which shows that the creative design process takes place entirely in Belgium.

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. According to Atelier Content’s website, goat leather’s CO2 emissions would be about 3 times lower than those of cow leather.
Nevertheless, a lot of water is still needed to feed the goats and deforestation takes place to produce the animal feed. 

Goat and sheep leather is ideal for sandals because it feels soft and supple, while still being strong. In the winter collection, the brand also uses 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 is very different, they decided to continue with chromal tanned leather.
Due to lack of certificates, it is not clear from when leather is considered low chromium. Nor do we know whether the production process is monitored for the use of chromium salts, or whether certain limits are imposed here.

The heels usually consist of a combination of plastic and wood. The shoe is therefore not recyclable, 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. The winter shoes also have an outer sole made of rubber.

Atelier Content shoes are not easy to recycle, because many different materials are combined in one shoe. This unfortunately 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 could also have them repaired to extend their life. Regretfully, Atelier Content itself does not offer a repair or take-back service for your worn-out shoes.

Atelier Content pays close attention to their supply chain, and deliberately built a personal relationship with the two ateliers in Italy. Through regular visits and direct contact with the production workshops, the brand has more control over production and working conditions. By basing production in Italy, the brand also shortens the distances the shoes travel to get to Belgium.

Unfortunately, the origin of the leather is not known, so it is possible that the material still travels longer distances before being processed in Italy.

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. There is little information available on the origin of the leather, so we cannot find out what conditions the animals live in. This is detrimental to the animal welfare aspect of Atelier Content. 

Every year there is a summer and a winter collection. The minimalist design and high quality make the shoes timeless and ensures they last for years.

In addition to the winter and summer collection, Nele Content also has a wedding collection with festive shoes in white and light colours with gold and rose gold accents. These wedding shoes are sold under the name ​‘Moments by Content’. Besides your wedding, these shoes are perfect to wear to other special occasions!

In terms of the production of the shoes, Atelier Content is very transparent. Through their website, you can get to know the people who make your shoes. Unfortunately, this transparency does not (yet) extend to the materials.

The leather industry has very little traceability, making it often very difficult for small-scale brands like Atelier Content to trace the exact origin of the leather.