José Rodríguez is a teacher at RMIT and owner and creative designer at his business, Rodríguez and Rose bespoke handmade shoes. He comes from a family of artisans and is passionate about life and all things shoes.
Experienced in shoemaking, construction and design, José has a ‘Certificate IV in Custom Footwear’, RMIT, which he was inspired to undertake after completing the 13 week short course ‘Designing and Making Footwear by Hand’. Located at Trades Hall Carlton, Australia, José works in his studio making bespoke handmade leather shoes, boots, sandals and tote bags using hand tools and shoe making machinery. The bespoke shoemaking process includes carefully and lovingly hand selecting the best quality materials from local suppliers, one-to-one shoe design consultation, foot measurements, development of a prototype, construction and final fitting of a pair of shoes. Combining his artisan heritage and Latin passion, his unique one-off designs are proudly made in Melbourne blending traditional shoemaking skills with contemporary process and design innovation. With no pair ever the same, his local and interstate customers appreciate that Rodríguez and Rose shoes are an expression of their personality.