Who are we?

JO BEAR is a small company based in Sines, Portugal, created by costume professional Jo and her Portuguese husband Jose, which produces beautiful, long-lasting footwear, consciously designed to replicate past styles.

When the couple relocated from London to Portugal in 2018, the opportunity arose to seek out local talent to re-create good-quality, authentic-looking shoes for the films Jo was working on in London. As time went by the demand, both from fellow costume professionals along with private customers, grew and grew!

The result of working with local artisans and small family factories to manufacture their designs, re-creations of footwear ranging from the medieval era to the mid-20th century, is a range of authentic, comfortable, and affordable hand-crafted vintage boots and shoes, and an honest relationship between consumer, designer and maker.

The company evolved to employing a small team and now has a little showroom in Sines, where you can get measured for a custom-made pair of boots and meet Jo and the team, who are usually busy packing up orders and chatting with customers online.

How we started

‘Jo Bear’ is the nickname of the company creator, who started her career working in costume departments on period films and TV series such as "Suffragette", "The King" and "The Crown” (see Jo Beart-Albrecht Costume Assistant IMDB link).

The shoe story started in 2018 while working on medieval films, shooting battles in the mud with period boots falling apart, and hundreds of modern combat boots being bought to ensure actors’, stunt and supporting artists’ safety. The need for a broader choice of historically accurate, good-quality, comfortable, weather-resistant, and affordable shoes became obvious. There had to be a better solution, both camera-friendly and comfortable!

Jo remembered the sturdy work boots of the Alentejo region of Portugal, which prompted the quest to drive around remote locations throughout the area, researching footwear manufacturers. This uncovered a whole world of artisans and craftsmanship.

Jo's costume background enables her to have a good understanding of making exact reproductions of original period footwear, that also deliver quality and comfort for everyday wear.

Nowadays, besides making products for the film industry, JO BEAR offers some styles for direct purchase to vintage enthusiasts, living historians, and re-enactors.

All shoes are ethically produced with natural materials by these same Portuguese artisans Jo first met in 2019, and all collaborators get fair wages.

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