Imagine a pair of shoes that just gets better with age! With feeling and respect for material and craftsmanship, Kero creates durable and trendy products that just look better with use.
In the early 2000s the craft company Kero was half an hour from bankruptcy, just as cousins Emma and Erik Kero were about to take over as the third generation in the family business. 15 years later it’s been proven a true Torne Valley success.
Photo courtesy of Kero.
– It’s amazing to live and work in our part of the country. All the seasons of the year are important to us. The silence on a cold winter morning, or the sound of the ice breaking on the lake on a sunny spring-winter day; it’s absolutely delightful.
– Of course the region carries a legacy. People here know what good-quality items look like, and feel like.
Photo courtesy of Kero.
Kero, in Sattajärvi in Swedish Lapland, designs leather goods like Sámi shoes and bags made of naturally tanned reindeer and cow hides, produced in the shoemaker’s workshop in Sattajärvi. The tanning process has been known since ancient times and is the most environmentally friendly method, using only natural substances.
Designs are based on creating classic, durable products that can be used for a long time. The tradition goes back a long way. Kero has made the same basic products since 1929.
– It’s not about mass production. Every Kero product is unique, born from a craft tradition handed from generation to generation.
Photo courtesy of Kero.
Durability and tradition are are important to Emma and Erik as individuals, but also to the company. The reindeer skins come from the Sámi reindeer husbandry industry. An industry that’s of central importance to Sámi society.
– Living according to existing conditions is imperative. Nothing more, nothing less. Using raw materials found in our immediate environment is also very important to us.
Photo courtesy of Kero.
The classic Sámi shoes are part of a cultural heritage dating as far back as the 16th century – and probably even further. They are now finding homes with the modern generation.
– We always try to listen to new trends and keep up with our product development, while maintaining our important main products.
– We take great pride in our heritage and we hope to be able to manage it and pass it on to coming generations.
For the collection FW22, Acne Studios has collaborated with Kero to create its own take on the Beak, as slip-ons, boots, and pairs attached to chaps that belt at the waist.
Learn more
Kero
Sattajärvi 320, Sattajärvi
Visit kero.se for more information.
Text: Emma Forsberg
Watch the story about the handmade leather boots from Swedish Lapland.
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