Mains d'avenir — The artisan's path: Clément, last maker at Massaro

Through a series of portraits and stories, the series "Mains d'avenir, the artisan’s path" showcases the career path, passions, and ideas of those who "make" French craftsmanship. Today, we meet Clément, last maker for Massaro, bespoke shoemaker since 1894.

For the past year, Clément has been sculpting the wooden lasts that bring about Maison Massaro's bespoke shoes.

He is an essential piece of the puzzle in this workshop in northern Paris, where craftsmanship is combined with the future, between tradition and new technology.

At the age of 15, Clément had no idea he would become a craftsman, he just had an affinity for shoes.

"At first, I was really interested in trainers. Then I discovered dress shoes and realised there was real savoir-faire behind them."

To learn the techniques and understand the materials, he first turned to the Compagnons du Devoir. With his CAP professional qualification in shoemaking and bootmaking in hand, he then specialised in orthopaedics, a paramedical shift that allowed him to provide patients in need with custom-made shoes. He quickly realised that he preferred creating to repairing.

"I've always preferred making things. Repairing shoes is good. But making them is even better."

At Massaro, Clément now has a key role: last maker. His role is to transform the measurements taken from the customer into a real, three-dimensional object.

"We start with the measurements to sculpt a wooden last, which is then used to make the shoe. It's a kind of sculpture," he smiles.

To do this, he uses traditional tools—rasps, sanders—but also cutting-edge technology such as 3D scanners and digitally-controlled machines.

The workshop skilfully combines traditional expertise with innovation:

"3D scanning reduces our wood waste and improves our use of the material. 3D printing may also be useful for manufacturing platforms."

While the work remains artisanal, the process is collective.

"At Massaro, everyone has a specific task," he emphasises. "I'm at the very beginning of the chain. Afterwards, others take over, so if we don't communicate well and work together, it won't work."

Clément experienced this culture of teamwork from the moment he joined the company.

"I came to help with a collection. At the time, I was still working at my old company during the day, and I would come to Massaro in the late afternoon to lend a hand. It was intense, but exciting," he recalls.

His love for his job is also driven by making things for others:

"I've never made shoes for myself. I prefer to make them for my friends and family."

He is supported by his loved ones, even though there was some concern at first.

"These are rare trades. But today, they are very happy," he insists. "They are definitely proud to tell their friends where I work and what I do."

His favourite project to date remains a pair he designed for a customer with a very specific request:

"It was a heeled shoe... without a heel. We had to make sure that with the 15 cm platform, the customer was able to stand up and walk . It was a real technical challenge."