Travel through 130 years of history
of a family-owned artisanal business
Since 1889, 4 generations have succeeded each other.
From wooden clogs to luxury shoes,
this traditional craftmanship has been passionately passed down from father to son.
1889
Clog-maker,
The beginning
Born in 1859, our great-grand father was trained at a clog makerís in the Cholet region.
This region is particularly renowned for its textile and shoemaking industries.
Falling in love with the clog makerís daughter, Joseph Malinge ultimately married her.
In 1889, he took over the workshop which saw the start of a passionate vocation.
To produce his clogs, he hand-picked trees in the forests in order to ensure the highest quality wood. After carefully choosing them, he would hollow out and carve the wood until he made the perfect space for a foot to slide into.
1924
From clogs,
to shoes
He passed on his craftmanship secrets to his son, Joseph, which after time specialized in shoe repairing and handmade shoe making.
Gaining recognition in the region for the finish and great fit of his shoes, he started to sell his creations at markets and through retailers.
1954
A new era,
High End Luxury Shoes
Trained by an artisan renowned for his custom-made boots, Joseph Malinge became the 3rd generation of shoemakers.
He took over the family business in 1954 and specialized in custom-made mens shoes.
1986
Tradition,
at the heart of modernity and innovation
The company « Chaussures Cuir Michigan » was created in 1986 at Chanteloup-des-Bois.
When only 24 years old, Joseph and his twin sister Chantal took over the family workshop in the Cholet region, with its traditional craftmanship, heritage and know-how.
Representing the 4th generation of Joseph Malinge Shoes, the models are today naturally commercialised under that name.
Craftmanship and know-how
for quality shoes
Making shoes of great quality requires rare skills and know-how.
Like our ancestor did with trees, we carefully select our leathers.
This respect for traditional processes gives our shoes a unique character and robustness.
The machines used for making our shoes have been around for centuries, these are rare and a few can only be found in our workshop in the Tourlandy. Finding replacement parts for these traditional machines is an almost impossible task.
Each machine is unique and requires accurate adjustments to guarantee the best shoe quality. A luxury shoe requires more than 300 different steps from start to finish. Thus, an expert knowledge of shoe-making is critical.