{"id":1190,"date":"2026-07-13T16:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/souelasstories.com\/iteration1\/?page_id=1190"},"modified":"2026-07-31T18:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T18:04:15","slug":"history-of-marikina-shoemaking","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/souelasstories.com\/iteration1\/history-of-marikina-shoemaking\/","title":{"rendered":"History of Marikina Shoemaking"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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History of Marikina Shoemaking<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Written By: Angel Zulueta<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Known for its title \u201cShoe Capital of the Philippines\u201d, Marikina is well-known as the pioneer of the Shoemaking industry here in the Philippines. From then on, the legacy of the industry continues to pave its way towards the 20th century\u2013where the fashion trends are constantly rising, such as the craftsmanship and artistry of the design and hands behind the pair of shoes you see in Marikina.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0With that, how did Marikina actually build the name that they have up to this day? In the late 19th century in 1887, a man named Don Laureano Guevara, also known as \u201cKapitan Moy\u201d established the community of the industry. It all started when he bought himself an imported pair of shoes where these pairs are used by his workers to study and duplicate the pieces, enhancing the parts of the shoe that are needed to provide quality as per his instruction. With the assistance of Tiburcio Eustaquio, Ambrocio Sta. Ines and Gervacio Carlos, <\/span>Kapitan Moy was <\/span>able to manufacture the first pair of shoes in the area. By deconstructing each parts of the shoes, they were able to produce a cheap yet high-quality product that evolved to leather tanned footwear made of imports from Europe. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00a0 \u00a0 Eventually, as Kapitan Moy and his shoemakers further developed this craft, other witnesses also learned the artistry of making shoes that piqued the interests of Marike\u00f1os. As stated by Tatler Asia, when Kapitan Moy opened up his own shoe store, others had also joined in the community as it became their source of livelihood. Kapitan Moy then earned the title as the \u201cFather of the Shoe Industry.\u201d According to Dant PH, as Marikina\u2019s and the industry\u2019s golden era came, so did the heights and reputation of the craftsmanship of their products. Families then passed down the skills from one generation to another that then made millions in numbers of pairs produced every year, not just in the local but also in the global market. In the year 1935, almost 140 shops were available in the city, m<\/span>aking Marikina<\/span> as the key source<\/span> for\u00a0 shoes marketed and sold in Manila<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 By the late 20th century, imported shoes from China, Taiwan, and Korea suddenly took the<\/span> mass market<\/span> that caused a decline i<\/span>n Marikina\u2019s shoe industry. <\/span>By then, Marikena shoemakers<\/span> were facing a struggle in selling their products as the influx of imported shoes continuously affected them. Additionally, the World Trade Organization (WTO) established rules regarding tax reduction resulting in a drop on the number of local producers. Nevertheless, Marikina still made their way through the adversities as the local shoemakers rebuilt and redesigned their approach in producing their products. From large-scale manufacturing to a more specified and small-scale manufacturing that preserved the legacy and essence of the craft, this gave them the opportunity for innovation in design and materials of their craft.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0To this day, others continue to operate and sell their crafts amidst the operational challenges brought by the pandemic as well as the continued technological advancements of the contemporary times. <\/span>\u00a0Insights found from our research also revealed that besides the natural calamities, the fast-fashion trend created a shift in consumer preferences to which the local industry of Marikina struggles to catch up with<\/span>. To this day, the shoe industry of Marikina is thriving to revitalize the craft again,<\/span> especially by appealing <\/span>to the new generation by leveraging craftsmanship of handmade shoes.\u00a0 Despite these challenges, the spirit of Marikina\u2019s shoemakers endures as they adapt and find new ways to share their craft and keep the city\u2019s legacy alive.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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References:<\/p>

Caparas, C. (2026, February 18). Beyond the sole: 58 years of mastery in the hands of Tatay Oly. Philstar.Com. <\/span>https:\/\/www.philstar.com\/business\/2026\/02\/18\/2508660\/beyond-sole-58-years-mastery-hands-tatay-oly<\/span><\/a><\/p>

G, H. (2023, May 13). Marikina shoemaking industry\u2019s journey of resilience and revival. RAPPLER. <\/span>https:\/\/www.rappler.com\/philippines\/metro-manila\/marikina-shoemaking-industrys-journey-of-resilience-and-revival\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>

Ketchup, F. (2019, January 14). The renaissance of Marikina shoes. Flying Ketchup. <\/span>https:\/\/flyingketchup.ph\/the-renaissance-of-marikina-shoes\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>

Moya, J. (2021, October 15). The ascent and decline of the marikina shoe-making industry. Tatler Asia. <\/span>https:\/\/www.tatlerasia.com\/power-purpose\/ideas-education\/marikina-philippine-shoe-capital?listId=178<\/span><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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History of Marikina Shoemaking Written By: Angel Zulueta \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Known for its title \u201cShoe Capital of the Philippines\u201d, Marikina […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1190","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/souelasstories.com\/iteration1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/souelasstories.com\/iteration1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/souelasstories.com\/iteration1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/souelasstories.com\/iteration1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/souelasstories.com\/iteration1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1190"}],"version-history":[{"count":184,"href":"https:\/\/souelasstories.com\/iteration1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7029,"href":"https:\/\/souelasstories.com\/iteration1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1190\/revisions\/7029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/souelasstories.com\/iteration1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}