Shoemaker to the stars has humble origins
06/05/2010
Artisan footwear specialist Mauricio Osorio is now a Hollywood star in his own right, fulfilling as he does the role of creating shoes for the leading actors in big budget films, but he has told Spanish language news agency EFE that he owes his big break to a neighbour.
Mr Osorio followed his father and grandfather into the shoemaking trade in his native El Salvador, but in his early 20s he decided to try his luck in the US, arriving in Los Angeles in 1973. Word quickly went round his neighbourhood that anyone requiring shoes or shoe repairs should pay him a visit. One of the neighbours worked at Paramount studios and, thanks to his recommendation, Mauricio Osorio started working there in 1977.
The organisation he works for, now called Western Costume, was spun off from Paramount in 1988 and now makes and hires out clothing and costumes to a number of studios. Mr Osorio's department takes care of shoes, boots, bags, belts and "everything relating to leather", he told the news agency.
Among his most famour creations so far are the red slippers Kate Winslet wore in Titanic. New projects include full-length boots made from a single piece of leather for the stars of the 2010 re-make of True Grit, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin.
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