The Maurice Arnoult Workshop (AMA), founded in 2005 in Belleville, aims to preserve shoemaking know-how and pass on the legacy of Maurice Arnoult.

Maurice, a shoemaker since 1922, worked until the age of 102. A remarkable figure, he was also a philosopher, public writer, and a witness to a century of Parisian life. He passed on his craft with an unprecedented open-mindedness by also training women.

In 2010, Michel Boudoux, a renowned shoemaker from couture houses, took over teaching and professionalized training. The following year, Jacques Aslanian joined the workshop to teach men's shoemaking.

Faced with growing demand, other master shoemakers joined the team. Today, the AMA is the only organization offering a complete range of training: women's assembly, pattern-making, hand-stitched men's shoes.

Becoming a meeting place between professionals and apprentices, the workshop continues its goal: to keep the shoemaking tradition alive and pass it on to enthusiasts from all backgrounds.

Copyright photos: AMA