“Made in Italy” is synonym of good quality and prestige. Of course, all companies want that label on their goods. But does reading “Made in Italy” on the shoes you buy ensure you (the final consumer) that the shoes were really made in Italy? That materials used were really Italian and that the shoes were made by hand by Italian artisans with a long tradition in shoe craftsmanship? It may be surprising to you but the answer to these questions is “NO.” To have the “Made in Italy” label, all that’s required is that only two of the phases of the shoe production occur in Italy. What happens is that some Italian companies gather leathers, outsoles, heels, buckles, glues from all over the world to assemble the shoes in Italy. Other companies ship the Italian materials to other countries where labor is not necessarily competent but cheap; the shoes are assembled and then shipped back to Italy for the finishing. For those shoes you will pay a price that may seem like a bargain, but the shortcuts don’t come without a cost in terms of quality. That being said, there are still companies that do things the good, old way. At TangoTana we care about quality. We care about your feet’s happiness. Long-term. No shortcuts. We hope you will appreciate. Come see us at the following Tango Festivals and milongas: Austin Spring Tango Festival (March 24-26, 2017) Milonga in San Antonio by Angela Avila & Roy Montejano (May 6, 2017) New Orleans Tango Festival (June 8-11, 2017) Chicago Tango Week+Marathon (June 30-July 4, 2017)