The shoes of Gracac

In Gracac, a town of just over 4000 inhabitants in the Zadar hinterland, an all-women initiative produces high quality handmade shoes. As the H-Alter  portal writes, “the mere fact that someone in Gracac starts the production of something is news in itself”. The shoes are marketed under the Kalliopi brand.

"Some of us were unemployed for a long time, we even thought about moving to Germany. In the end we got this job and we stayed", say Ana Milicic and Tina Antunovic.

The project was started by the Prospero cooperative, which works to empower vulnerable groups, including unemployed women. Among other things, this cooperative used to produce felt slippers. A part of the Kalliopi brand products – among its most popular – is still made of felt.

The manufacturing process takes time. For example, it takes one working day to make a pair of shoes. Slippers take even longer: they must be dried, so the production takes three to four days. Loafers are made faster, which is why their price is lower.

Production has now started, machinery has been purchased, and salaries are currently paid through the European project "Sustainable society for community improvement and development", financed with approximately 132,000 Euros from the European Social Fund. "We are not yet sustainable without European projects, but we hope to become so soon", Tina Antunovic told H-Alter.

Kalliopi products can be purchased through the webshop  and in a shop in Gracac. They can also be ordered via Facebook  and Instagram .