Emory Alum Disrupting Fine Shoe Market

A few weeks ago we gave you the rundown of Cobbler Union, highlighting their work as a local ecommerce company.

Cobbler Union's Founder and CEO, Daniel Porcelli, was recently covered in an emorywire piece titled "Transforming Men" by Michelle Valigursky. Check out our favorite exerts below:

• Impeccable old-world craftsmanship from Spain, rich leather, sculpted lasts, and bespoke-inspired designs are the hallmarks of Cobbler Union.
• "To create each shoe, more than 200 separate processes occur. It’s labor-intensive and precise, but the resulting shoes are truly beautiful objects that men covet." - Porcelli
• Recent Bain and Company research cites that leather goods are consistently the fastest growing category in luxury products, with the men’s market leading with double-digit growth.
• The United States is the top country for growth in the personal luxury goods market. Porcelli and his colleagues operate on a lean business start-up model, bootstrapping funding through this initial phase of e-commerce.
• “By circumventing the traditional retail channel and engaging with customers directly through our website, Cobbler Union is able to provide the same meticulously handcrafted luxury footwear at a fraction of the price.”- Porcelli 
• “High-end retailers mark up luxury shoes up to three times before selling them to the end consumer. We quickly realized we had an opportunity to disrupt this dynamic. Cobbler Union’s direct-to-consumer model allows us to have a more efficient supply chain and to pass on important savings to our customers,” - Porcelli
• “We decided that building one of the world’s first e-commerce luxury brands was our best course. By doing so, we can offer a powerful value proposition to our customers while building a more scalable and profitable company.” - Porcelli

 Read the full story here.

[Photo Credit: http://www.alumni.emory.edu/emorywire/issues/2014/may/features/story_3/index.html#.U2KLgPldU9S]