August 30, 2025
On Saturday, August 30 and Sunday, August 31, Okke's Grand Hotel is free to visit! Between noon and 5 p.m., step into a world of games, riddles and activities. From conjuring snakes to stacking shoeboxes and spinning your own spider web - there's something to do in every hotel room.
July 2, 2025
Starting in October: Okke the Spider, the cheerful mascot of the Shoe Quarter, shines in his own book! The Adventures of Okke the Spider in the Shoe Quarter is an imaginative children's book, written by Paul van Loon and Olaf Vugts, with beautiful drawings by Laila Fay
1 juli 2025
The Shoe Quarter welcomes Tommy Dawson as its new artist in residence. Tommy is a London-based designer and materials researcher, currently pursuing his master's degree in Material Futures at Central Saint Martins. He previously worked as a footwear designer in New York, where he also immersed himself in shoemaking.
June 19, 2025
Exactly 400 years ago, Frederick Henry - son of William of Orange - spent a short time in Waalwijk during the struggle for independence from Spain. Here he was appointed commander-in-chief of the army, and shortly thereafter also made stadholder of five provinces.
May 9, 2025
Okke the Spider is the cheerful children's mascot of the Schoenenkwartier in Waalwijk. This curious blue spider travels around the world, collecting the most beautiful and special shoes. This summer Okke is staying at the Grand Hotel.
May 9, 2025
The Shoe Quarter opens the doors of the Shoe Lab on May 24 and 25 during National Atelier Weekend. Visitors will have a unique opportunity to take a peek into the creative heart of the museum. Discover where innovation, craftsmanship and future-oriented design come together.
May 7, 2025
Het Schoenenkwartier was featured on the SBS6 program Nederland in Beeld in an episode about region South. Repeat: Saturday 11:30 a.m. on SBS6.
1 april 2025
With *(Re)vived & (Re)woven* Judith Sanders explores weaving as a repair technique. She transforms residual materials and discarded footwear into new life, giving repair a renewed meaning.
Feb. 20, 2025
The Waalwijk City Council visited the Shoe Quarter on Feb. 20 and discovered how heritage and innovation come together. Council members were introduced to educational programs, the Shoe Lab and collaborations within the shoe industry.
23 januari 2025
Marko Baković holds a master's degree in shoedesign from the London College of Fashion. After graduation, he founded Baković Studio, an innovative and research-oriented design studio.
3 januari 2025
In Anatomy 2025, Isabel Wolfs explores the hidden layers of athletic shoes. With surgical precision, she disassembles sneakers and reveals their technical, ecological and personal stories.
1 januari 2025
Brandon Chow exposes the soul of sneaker culture with his film What I Talk About When I Talk About Sneakers. Stories from collectors, designers and writers show sneakers as status symbols, cultural icons and craftsmanship.
December 31, 2024
December 30, 2024 Late in the day, a fire broke out at our former, striking location on Elzenweg. The Schoenenkwartier at the Raadhuisplein in the center of Waalwijk, is open normally.
Oct. 19, 2024
The Shoe Quarter will present at Dutch Design Week 2024 the Artists in Residence who stayed stayed and worked at the Bodehuisje.
October 14, 2024
The winning art play object behind eht Schoenenkwartier in Waalwijk is De Brug, designed by Gijs Assmann.
October 6, 2024
In two months, Fred de la Bretonière will turn eighty years old, but it certainly didn't show on Sunday, Oct. 6, at the Schoenenkwartier in Waalwijk. There he opened "Typically Fred," a retrospective exhibition that looks back on his successful career as a shoe and bag designer, amid great interest.
17 september 2024
Michel Gallus is a shoe designer who enjoys challenging the shoe industry by designing modular shoes. An undergraduate student at the Design Academy Eindhoven, he graduated in 2020 with his project HIDE - Sneakers made entirely of leather. His current work uses both digital and hands-on techniques to design and make shoes.
July 15, 2024
The history of the museum goes back to 1954. In that year, the "Ancient Museum for the Shoe and Leather Industry" was founded as a result of the successful exhibition SLEM (shoes, leather and fashion). Here, avid collector and teacher of shoemaking, Antoon Hendriks showed a part of his personal collection which garnered the support of local shoe manufacturers in founding a museum.
