Peterson Stoop was founded by Jelske Peterson and Jarah Stoop. This year we are celebrating our 10 year anniversary. We are proud to be the largest footwear re-design company to date. Peterson Stoop Footwear gives shoes a new soul, by offering custom re-designs and limited edition drops.

Left: Jelske Peterson, 1983. Born in Groningen, The Netherlands, into a family where political engagement and doing good for the world was centered. Right: Jarah Stoop, 1982. Born in Nelson, New Zealand, into an adventurous family of entrepreneurs and artists.

The duo met during their studies at the well renowned art school ArtEZ, in The Netherlands. Where they both studied Product Design. The biggest takeaway from their studies there was learning how to design and produce a product from start to finish in an artisanal way. Peterson and Stoop started sharing a studio in 2010 after Stoop graduated from the Royal College of Art where she studied Fashion Menswear Accessories. That is where Stoop gained more knowledge about sustainability and building collections. 

The duo searched for a way of doing business that would fulfill their need to create, but at the same time do good in the world. 

After several years of sharing a studio Peterson and Stoop decided to merge both of their companies into one. In 2013 Peterson Stoop was founded. In the past years the duo has collaborated with many designers and companies such as, Iris van Herpen, ByBorre, Hardeman, Heineken, Antoine Peters, Jan Taminiau, Timberland and Jeff Staple. 

Jarah Stoop, Jelske Peterson and Jeff Staple at the Timberland factory in the Dominican Republic.

In the years after founding Peterson Stoop the duo searched for a way of doing business that would fulfill their need to create, but at the same time do good in the world. 

After experimenting with different business models, and designing different types of products they started focussing on footwear. Peterson had worked for the well known cobbler Nils Kalf in Amsterdam. That is where she learnt that sneakers were essentially a disposable product, because they were not designed for repair. Unlike the other shoes they were repairing, such as Church’s, Alden and Santoni. Those traditional footwear brands are truly producing shoes that can be resoled time and again. 

Through their determination, continued experimentation and critical thinking they invented a unique technique.

Through their determination, continued experimentation and critical thinking they invented a unique technique to give unrepairable shoes a new sole, thus a new soul. Their trademarked technique is called a Circle Welt ™, where a strip of leather (a welt) is wrapped (in a circle) around  the upper of the shoe and attached by sewing it to the midsole.

This invention did not go unnoticed in 2016 when they launched their first product. They received requests from clients all over the world to have their shoes Peterson Stoop’ed, by adding the Circle Welt ™. Retail partners from Japan to London were asking if they could also buy full size runs of their re-designed footwear. Everything they had been working towards in the previous years was falling into place. Coincidentally both entrepreneurs were pregnant when the world discovered them. This circumstance gave them the luxury of time. They started working with a few great retail partners who really understood their ethos and product, such as Matches Fashion. 

Currently Peterson Stoop not only re-designs existing shoes with a Circle Welt ™, they also deconstruct worn shoes and rebuild them. This is their Patchwork collection, where they also use a Circle Welt ™. They also make patchwork mules, using the iconic footbed developed by Birkenstock. 

After producing thousands of shoes with their signature Leather Circle Welt ™. Peterson Stoop discovered another application of their original idea. Peterson Stoop will be researching the further possibilities of the Circle Welt ™. They can do so by the support of The Stimuleringsfonds, a Dutch cultural fund, supporting artists and designers. Peterson Stoop is a fully independent company completely owned by the founders.

The coming year the duo will research how to become a measurably sustainable company.

While in the process of designing and producing footwear their sustainability and social goals are ever evolving. The coming year the duo will research how to become a measurably sustainable company. They will be doing so by sharing articles about how their products affect people and planet, and why accountability, traceability and collaboration are important when you are steering the industry to a more sustainable future. While at the same time designing desirable footwear. Read more about our sustainability here.

Sustainability is a journey, this is where we are now. We would love to hear your thoughts, feel free to contact us at info@petersonstoop.com with your feedback.