Krunoslav Paun

Shoemaker

©Ivan Mijić

Scarce peasant shoes

Krunoslav inherited love for shoemaking from his grandfather
He is specialised in leather folk costume shoes
His work is deeply rooted in local Croatian culture

Krunoslav Paun comes from Donji Andrijevci in Slavonia, one of the four historic regions of Croatia. He is one of the last traditional peasant shoemakers in Croatia. Although he graduated as a lawyer, he did not feel himself in the profession, so continued the family tradition of making folk costume shoes, which are called opanak in Croatian. Today, few people wear this type of footwear, so he mostly makes them for domestic and foreign folklore associations and as souvenirs. The whole story with his craft, he says, is coincidental, but for him, it had a happy outcome. He makes interesting, creative, traditional shoes, sandals, bags and boots of leather according to the personal wishes of clients, which then – given the specifics – very often end up as unique.

Interview

©Ivan Mijić

©Ivan Mijić

How did you become familiar with the craft of making peasant shoes?: In Croatia, it is impossible to learn this craft at school. Although it may seem very close to shoemaking, it is in some aspects quite different. My grandfather was a master of crafts, so I started doing it with him, purely as a hobby. When he died, I inherited his tools and continued his techniques.
How is your craft related to the context in which you live?: I live in a rural area of Croatia, in the region of Slavonia where there are still many heritage guardians – people who love folklore and tradition. My craft is in a way inseparable from this region, as well as from the people who live here.
Which type of shoes are your specialty?: The so-called fastened Slavonian sandals with a traditional metal buckle, which are called baga or buba, along with the women's knitted sandals with high heels are the most sought-after models. I have orders for those models from all over the world.
What do you consider a well made product?: It means that it is made of quality material, in accordance with the original motifs, and of course that I am satisfied with it. It happened many times that I redid the same shoes over and over again before they reached the final client.

Krunoslav Paun is a master artisan: he began his career in 2013 and he started teaching in 2013