When it comes to workwear, there are a few brands that we return to time and again for reliable, hard-wearing and trend-transcending gear – products that fulfil their function and look good at the same time. One such label is KLEMAN, a French footwear label whose functional worker shoes have become world-renowned for their timeless style and uncompromising durability.
The brand was officially founded in 1988 but its heritage dates back to 1945, when a French shoemaker by the name of René Cléon formed a team of apprentices and bought his first stitching and assembly machines. He slowly grew his business and opened a factory before his sons Jacques and Louis-Marie took up the torch in the 1970s.
Finally, in 1988, KLEMAN (a contraction of Cléon Manufacture) was established. The brand quickly became the go-to shoemaker for everyone from the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer (the French national railway company), to the French army. All these decades later, KLEMAN endures as the footwear label of choice for a new generation of urban dwellers. Its iconic Padror leather moc-toe shoe and other styles of boots and Derbies have remained unchanged since the 1980s, surviving fleeting trends and the fast fashion economy.
Manufactured exclusively in its factory in Anjou, France, all of KLEMAN's shoes make use of the highest quality leathers, whilst boasting anti-slip properties and abrasion resistance. While KLEMAN's style remains consistent and timeless, its approach to manufacturing is innovative and boundary-pushing. An eco-friendly collection features a selection of shoes crafted using carefully selected European bovine leathers and tanned in Portugal using an ecological chrome-free process with no heavy metals. It's a positive step in the right direction for a brand so heavily engrained in our collective style psyches.
For an everyday shoe that will prove its worth time and again, it's hard to go past KLEMAN. Reliable, robust and above all perennially stylish – it's a no-brainer.
Shop the KLEMAN collection at OPUMO.
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