Holy Feet

Pope Benedict Still Inspiring Shoe Trends

Thank God: Pope Benedict is still making footwear waves three months after the end of his papacy. The lavish papa, whose wardrobe was famous because of those red shoes (which for a long time were rumored to be Prada), has settled on a pair of brown loafers in the three months since he left the throne. The new shoes, which Benedict received on a 2012 trip to Mexico, were custommade by Armando Martín Dueñas—a third-generation cobbler in Léon, Mexico’s leather capital. The New York Times reports that the strong post-papacy endorsement has helped Dueñas’s business grow by nearly 30 percent. “It’s strengthened our entire industry,” he told the paper. “It shows that Mexico has been doing its homework. Our products are now being accepted around the world.” [NYT]

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Misty White Sidell

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