Our story: how we make our shoes

Babylon is a family-run shoe factory that has been making leather footwear by hand since 1997. We design the models, develop our own lasts, cut the leather and sew every pair ourselves — and we sell them directly, without distributors or shops in between. This is how a Babylon pair is made, and what it is made of.

Babylon at a glance

From a small workshop to direct sales

Babylon was founded in 1997 by Oleh Nikitskyi and Nataliia Nikitska. For many years the factory made shoes for wholesale buyers. In 2015 Nataliia opened the brand's own retail and online business, and since then every pair goes from our workbench straight to the person who wears it. Our factory is in Kharkiv, Ukraine; today it has two lines — Babylon for men and Miss Babylon for women.

Selling factory-direct is the reason our prices stay fair for genuine leather and handwork: there is no importer, wholesaler or department-store margin on top of the cost of making the shoe.

How a pair is made, step by step

1. The last. Every model is built on its own last — the foot-shaped form that defines the fit. Our lasts are anatomical, and each model has its own size chart based on foot length.
2. Cutting. The upper is cut from smooth leather, nubuck or suede (winter models from double-face sheepskin, wool felt or leather with fur) on an automated cutting table; the parts are then sorted by hand.
3. Stitching. Craftspeople stitch the upper and the lining on industrial sewing machines, guiding every seam through the needle by hand.
4. Lasting and the sole. The upper is pulled over the last and joined to a sole chosen for the season: rubber, TPE or light EVA. Soles are made to order for us.
5. Quality check. Quality is checked at every stage, and every finished pair is inspected again before it ships.

The team is 25 craftspeople and 2 shoe technologists, led by our head of production technology, Yevhenii. Depending on the season, the factory makes 5,000 to 10,000 pairs a month. If your size is not in stock, we make it to order within 3 business days.

The materials we work with

• Genuine leather and nubuck. Most uppers are smooth leather, nubuck or a mix of both. Leather and fur come mainly from Spain and Turkey.
• Suede. Soft, velvety and lighter-looking; used in sneakers, loafers and boots.
• Double-face sheepskin (shearling). One skin with the wool left on the inside — warm, breathable and soft. Our sheepskin boots are rated down to −20 °C on their product pages.
• Natural fur. Lining for winter boots and fur-lined sneakers.
• Wool felt. Italian felt for the Cloud boots and the Alen-V sneakers — light and warm for autumn, winter and spring.
• Respira lining. An Italian lining leather that lets the foot breathe; it is the standard lining in most of our sneakers and boots.
• Winterfrost 500. An insulation layer between the upper and the lining, offered as an option on some boots and high-tops; rated from +5 to −15 °C.

The full composition of every pair — upper, lining, insole, sole — is listed on its product page. How to tell real materials from imitations: genuine vs faux leather, nubuck vs suede and real vs fake sheepskin.

The people behind the shoes

Oleh Nikitskyi, director and co-founder, records video reviews of our models; Yevhenii writes on our blog about materials, care and sizing. You can read their articles and see real customer photos in our reviews. More facts about the company — address, team, seller details — are on the About Babylon page.

Where to start

• For the cold season: sheepskin and shearling boots, men's leather boots, women's winter boots and fur-lined winter sneakers.
• For every day: men's sneakers, women's sneakers and high-top leather sneakers.
• Before you order: size guide (EU, UK, US), shipping & duties and international returns.