That Portuguese footwear has fame and profit, we all know. What you may not imagine is that, in Portugal, as in the rest of the world, the trend is for it to be increasingly respectful. Tem-Tem is one of the recent examples of what is done here. The project was created by four friends - Hugo Cruz, João Ferreira, Nuno Vieira and Ricardo Simões - who faced the challenges that arise when looking for suitable footwear for children taking their first steps. Some because they are parents, others because they are specialists in physiotherapy and child osteopathy. From the health area, Hugo and João joined the brand, the head of the medical department of Sarpsborg08 FF, a team in the Norwegian first football division. Nuno and Ricardo founded, 10 years ago, a digital marketing agency called Triciclo. They met in the entertainment area, both being linked to the beginning of the promoter Everything is New and the creation of the NOS Alive festival. Also read: The incentive you needed to start playing padel is called Piiiton (Portuguese version) Coming from totally different areas, they combined their experience and knowledge in biomechanics, anatomy, motor control and typical child development to produce respectful footwear. Together, they assumed the mission of "developing shoes that are not only beautiful, but that allow children to take their first steps safely", summarizes Hugo to Lifestyle ao Minuto, within the scope of the 'Made in Portugal' section. Thus was born Tem-Tem, after a process of almost two years of development and testing. About the brand name, João explains: "We learned about the existence of the word through Cristina, Ricardo's wife, who saw it in a report from their daughter's school that said she had started Tem-Tem". "As soon as we learned about the existence of this word, the decision was unanimous". As the name implies, a respectful shoe is a shoe designed and produced in such a way as to interfere as little as possible with the normal movement of the gait. As such, it gives the wearer the feeling of walking practically barefoot.

© Tem-Tem

Produced in São João da Madeira, by artisans with decades of knowledge, Tem-Tem shoes "are very different from conventional footwear", says Nuno. It is, in his own words, "an extremely flexible shoe, light as a feather, with a thin and slope-free sole, a wide toe box, where the toes can move freely, without a heel counter or any other reinforcement and with a thin insole and without anatomical elements". Also read: Pópria, the new Portuguese brand made by two friends (Portuguese version) The founders of the brand also emphasize the reduced environmental footprint. The footwear is made of reused or synthetic cowhide and phthalate-free PVC. "We had a product with a flaw in the order that made the skin tone not what was expected. Instead of making the batch unusable, which is the most common practice in the industry, we chose to make a special launch, which we called 'Nemo Pirata', at a reduced price. In this way we avoided waste", says Ricardo, another of the founders of the brand. All models are on sale for 57 euros (except for 'Nemo Pirata', at 42 euros). For now, you can find them in the online store. Soon, the brand will be available at some points of sale. In the photo gallery above, you can take a peek at Tem-Tem's offer. Also read: Panacota. It is a Portuguese jewelry brand and is worth gold, for sure (Portuguese version)