Seventy years old Slobodan Popovic, the maker of peasant shoes (traditional footwear made from rubber that was worn in BiH in the last century) from Ljubinje, is a real master of his craft and one of only two or three cobblers left in BiH and his traditional peasant shoes, besides being almost indestructible, managed to make their way to America and Australia.
He recalled that all men and women in Ljubinje and the rest of Herzegovina used to wear peasant shoes, including those who went to school and respectable traders. He used to watch his late father while he was making him the first pair of his peasant shoes. Today, he said, it is a lot different time.
“I need two days of work for one pair, and they are usually ordered by cultural-artistic societies and individuals who want to recall their homeland, youth, or give them as a gift,” said Slobodan.
Peasant shoes, he said, are much more convenient for the Herzegovinian karst than modern shoes. Legs do not sweat in these, they are very lightweight, flexible and convenient for walking on the rocks. And finally, you cannot destroy them in a year, even if you wear them every single day.
He gave his peasant shoes as a gift to prime ministers, ministers, prominent doctors, and celebrities.
“My peasant shoes went to most of Europe, America, Russia, as well as Moscow, South Korea, Australia, and I do not know only for Africa,” he said.
“I’ve never had any complaints so far and that means a lot to me because money comes and goes, and this is not some money, just to earn something,” concluded Slobodan.
(Source: akta.ba)
