It all started with a gift... the most gorgeous handmade sheepskin slippers, given to my little girl Amelie when she was just 18 months old. They were perfect in every way and I immediately found myself wanting my own pair… I had slipper envy!
When I started The Small Home I realised that these slippers captured what I valued most: authenticity, uniqueness, and soul.
I looked to source the very same slippers, but I soon realised that this was not a straightforward process. The ones available in the markets did fit with The Small Home quality standards or aesthetic.
Fortunately, this is where my prior experience as a fashion buyer kicked in. What if I could source the best quality materials and then find some excellent traditional makers to work their magic?
And that is exactly what we decided to do...
Today we produce four styles of moccasin slippers, all inspired by the original mountain moccasins. We have a number of families of makers in the beautiful Tatra Mountains who make our slippers by hand. The craft is done using traditional techniques passed down through generations. Every season, we refine our products, adding new styling details and updating our materials and colours.
We are an ethically-minded small business and we go to great lengths to make our moccasin slippers as sustainable as possible. Our traditional manufacturing methods do not involve any chemicals and have a very low environmental impact.
We source our skins from one of the very best British sheepskin suppliers, who meets the highest animal welfare standards and only uses by-products from the meat industry. We also use sheepskins that are the off-cuts of skins provided to Rolls Royce to furnish the interiors of their luxury cars. Not only does this guarantee the highest grade of soft sheepskin, but we also love that we can make use of waste from another industry.
We now make thousands of slippers a year and send them all over the world. As The Small Home expands, we hold dear our high standards of craftsmanship. A sustainable manufacturing path is more important to us than speed or scale. We remain committed to our original vision of working with makers and protecting traditional techniques.
Both of my little girls, Amelie and Maggie, have now owned several pairs of The Small Home moccasin slippers. As they grow out of one pair and into another, we pass the slippers down to cousins and friends. These slippers were made to last and it warms our hearts (and our toes), to know that each pair’s story continues on with our loved ones.
All but that very first pair, which is safely tucked away in Amelie’s memory box with the beautiful marks of her first steps, forever holding the memory of how our magical slipper madness began. ♥️
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