About RED

I grew up on the Hafod Estate, Mid Wales - around 18 miles inland from Aberystwyth, a picturesque landscape often called Wales best kept secret. Bound to nature by nature, outside all hours with my four siblings, inquisitive, proudly exploring, we were almost always barefooted. This wilderness in my early years helped lay the path that I walk today. This gift has drawn me to work with my hands.

After 3 years in Art college, I happened to meet Alan James Raddon - shoemaker and friend of the family. He was in his early 60’s at the time and didn’t have any children to pass on his skills/life’s work to. 

He spoke about wanting to take on an apprentice. We decided right there and then on a Saturday job and the rest was a sort of history in the making. I was 18 at the time, and I spent the next five years at his side, learning his craft, his techniques and his philosophy. 

Alan has been successfully trading for over 45 years. His deep rooted philosophy of shoemaking stems from his belief in making shoes that are designed around the natural shape of your feet. 

Alan also began training as a reflexologist under the tutelage of Doreen Bayly, founder of the first reflexology training school to be established in the UK.

Learning about the feet reinforced his belief of strengthening and healing of the feet through wearing comfortable, well fitting footwear, made to the natural shape of your feet, designed to last for many years and to be repairable. His first shoes were called ‘Nature Form’ shoes. 

Al had gone to art college himself and went on to be a successful art director in London, working for the advertising agencies SH Benson, Garland Compton, Richard Cope and CDP. In 1971 he took a year-long sabbatical to study macrobiotic cooking in the US, then returning to become an art director with the BBDO agency.

Whilst working freelance, he decided to explore his interests in alternative therapies and lifestyles by moving to Aberystwyth, West Wales. There he was a founding member of ‘The Friendly Stores’, the first Wholefood shop in Wales.

In 1976 Alan started to make rope soled footwear with vegetarians in mind, and with the mission of creating what he called “feet-shaped shoes”. Later he moved on to using leather. In 1992 he created ‘Shandals’ a style of footwear designed to guide a bunion straight and help strengthen the toes.

His varied clientele now included Billy Connolly, Sir Alec Guinness, Diana Athill and Emma Thompson. Working from his quaint workshop at home by the sea in Aberarth, he advertised his shoes in magazines such as the Oldie, gathering clients far and wide.

I have now been making shoes for over 16 years. The knowledge Al passed on has helped me to set up two shoe shops in Machynlleth, where I have trained apprentices of my own. My first, Mariko Kato, has returned to Japan where she has set up shop on her own - MARIKOK, making our designs.

In 2019 Al and I discovered that our Shandals were copied and manufactured without our consent - this made us rethink our work. We set up The Original Shandals Co as a joint project, making off the shelf versions of our Shandals for those who wish to buy them.

On 1 February 2021 Alan passed away - taking his legacy forward is deeply integral to my work more than ever before. Agile to the end, Alan practised tai chi, danced at every opportunity, and lived and loved life to the full. Never interested in retirement, he was still making shoes until the day before he died.

Alan’s 40+ years making shoes is now archived and documented into our shop in Machynlleth and for sale on our Original Shandals co. site.