Feature in Square Mile
Tobias Cox, MULO
“My career in the City spanned management consultancy at Accenture, private equity and marketing strategy. Focusing on FMCG and Retail sectors, I enjoyed the variety of roles and learning about consumer businesses across different disciplines. However, I always knew I wanted to set up a business creating beautiful products and footwear is a personal passion.
During summer holidays I had loved the simple charm of espadrilles but believed there was an opportunity to develop an elevated, more durable version of the summer staple. I took a few months out to explore the idea culminating in a sailing trip across the Atlantic during which a pair of traditional Espadrilles I had packed fell apart, confirming my conviction. On my return I attended a shoe design course at Central St Martins to create the initial prototype and the vision for MULO was born in 2012.
Using the DNA of a traditional Oxford ‘last’ (the slim silhouette of a classic Oxford dress shoe underpins all our designs) we’ve now reimagined three additional key styles – the Loafer (with or without a foldable back heel), the Sneaker and the Slipper (traditional or backless) – as hard-working, go-anywhere slip-ons with a streamlined core shape. The goal was to reimagine these essentials to fit the modern man’s wardrobe – shoes that understand smart no longer means buttoned-up and that in downtime it’s good to still feel dressed up.
Designed in London and expertly handmade in our Portuguese workshops with the very finest materials sourced from Italian tanners and Japanese mills, each pair is crafted in 100 individual stages including sports industry engineering that adds maximum comfort to the premium fit.
Today, seven years on, MULO shoes are available from our own website and 50 premium retailers worldwide and we launch two new collections each year, as well as joint collaborations and next year will be unveiling another new style.
