#rutz

Rutz: Saving (one of) the Absolute Best for Last

Cork! Who knew you could do so much with it? Bags, shoes, wallets, tea pots, jewelry, egg cups—all made from the bark of the Cork Oak. Throw a rock in Lisbon, and you’ll hit a store selling cork bags and pouches. Look a little deeper on a quiet street in the city center, and you’ll find Rutz. 

I think the men’s shoes are their real strength. For the gentlemen, the cork is featured with fabric and leather details that infuse the shoe with Mediterranean masculinity. Translation: your gay friends will ask your boyfriend where he got his mocs. 

In comparison, most of the women’s designs feel a bit too on-trend. White rubber soles on square-toed sandals abound, as do pull-on sneakers and trainers. I did find a lovely pair of pointed-toe flats with a tropical fern print that came home with me. And my boyfriend—who does not wear denim. ever.—brought back a lace-up derby in cork and blue denim.