Gucio Around the World

Gucio Around the World
For many years, Gucio shoes have reached children not only in Poland, but also in many places across Europe and beyond.

They have always been created in the same workshop near Kraków — calmly, by hand, and without haste.
Every pair has passed through my hands, from the first design to the final finishing touches.

I never wanted to build a large factory or mass production.
What mattered more to me was honest work and the awareness that somewhere far away, a child was wearing shoes made with care and heart.

Today, when I look at photographs sent from different parts of the world, I see more than just my shoes.
I see small stories, fragments of everyday life, places and people I would probably never have met if not for this work.

For me, these photographs are more than documentation.
They are traces of the journey Gucio has taken over the years — from a small workshop in my ancestors’ old sheepfold near Kraków to homes and children’s rooms in many parts of the world.

And perhaps that is what matters most to me.
That things made slowly and honestly can still find their place far away from where they were created.

—
Sławomir Piwowarczyk