The cutarra is a type of sandal handcrafted from leather. The traditional cutarras are composed of 100% raw beef leather and are made by the live craftsman directly on the foot and this is called Cutarra Folklorica.

It has not been documented exactly how cutarras arise; However, oral tradition tells us that cutarras appeared for the first time in Panama with the arrival of the Spanish, who introduced livestock farming to the lands of the Azuero peninsula. The farmers of that time—probably all indigenous—took advantage of the new abundance of leather to make comfortable, durable footwear that would withstand the difficulty of field work. It is believed that the word "cutarra" was inspired by a chief named Antataura (whose other name was Cutatara or Cutara), who upon the arrival of the Spanish ruled indigenous tribes in Parita.

As the centuries passed, the cutarras changed according to the needs of the people and availability of materials. However, as there were no major modifications in their design and shape, they became the most traditional footwear in Panama, predominantly male. The cutarras are part of the male folklore clothing of Panama.

Evolution with respect

We talk about "evolution with respect" because our cutarras are made by the hands of Panamanian artisans; They maintain the traditional design of the Panama cutarra, but at the same time we innovate it in some of its characteristics, such as better quality of raw materials, different colors and collections of our own designs that we use for the fabrics.

Our cutarras are made by the hands of Panamanian artisans , NOT by large factories that produce in mass sequence, on the contrary we produce on demand and our artisan handcrafts each Cutarra with love maintaining the traditional design of the cutarras of Panama; while at the same time we have innovated in some of its characteristics, such as the type of material, colors and patterns of the original design.

There are fewer and fewer artisans who make cutarras in Panama and the same story is repeated with other elements of our folklore. For this reason, we want to achieve with Santé Cutarras that this art is appreciated again, so that artisans feel valued and young people want to learn it. We believe that every artisan deserves the opportunity to dedicate himself to the art he loves, to be able to live with dignity and provide the necessary support for his family.