Pikolinos is one of my favorite brands we carry. They are beautiful, thoughtfully crafted, and so comfortable! This past September Rob and I took a trip to the Mediterranean, starting in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona is a highlight, but what a treat to head south to the beach town of Alicante, the home of the Pikolinos brand. It’s a quaint city along the Costa Brava… well worth a visit. The weather reminds me of home.
Through our partnership with Pikolinos , we have gotten to know the owner, Juanma, who is one of the nicest people you could hope to know. Juanma and his siblings are the second generation owners. Their father founded the company (love a family run business myself).
We were fortunate enough to be able to tour the Pikolinos shoe factory and watch the shoes being handmade. It was evident from our tour, the pride in a job well done,and the high standards for the product, from start to finish. Such an involved process and so interesting to see the genesis of the red boxed lovely shoes that are stacked in our stockrooms!
We also toured the Pikolinos’ own leather tannery, Pies Cuadrados and were guided through the factory by the foreman who explained every step in the process of preparing the hides for vegetable dying, and processing. Pikolinos strict quality standards and pride in the construction of its products are impressive to witness.
Seeing how many hands … from the vegetable dying of hides to the quality craftsmanship of each pair of shoes, you can understand the value in the product!
Beyond that, from the owners, to the sales team, to designers and fabricators, everyone was genuinely kind, and so proud to show off their fine wares.
I wore a pair of my favorite Pikolinos sandals nearly every day of our trip. So stylish with everything I wore, and an incredible walking sandal. More than one person stopped to ask what I was wearing, and wondered where to find them. Of course I told them to visit our website, www.birkenstocksd.com to see our comprehensive collection of Pikolinos styles for men and women. Or in San Diego, to visit any of our locations to try them on!
You cannot go wrong with Piko!