A sole searching journey

Society is falling into disrepair. Most things are designed to be mended, not discarded. After all, if it’s broke, fix it

- SEEMA GOSWAMI

I always look forward to this time of the year because I can finally pull out my winter wardrobe and give it an airing before I mothball it away in a couple of months. This year, though, I was dejected to find that my favourite pair of black suede boots had lost their soles. After my initial disappointment, I told myself not to be so silly. I could always find a good cobbler who would re-sole them and then I would get another few years’ wear out of them.

Well, easier said than done. I looked high and low in my neighbourhood, then extended the search further outward, but I couldn’t find a single cobbler who could repair my boots. I even ventured into slightly upmarket shoe stores to ask if they could do the repair – or at least suggest someone who could – but with no luck. Repairing soles, apparently, was now a lost art. Or at the very least, not worth the bother.