Novesta

Novesta's sneakers come out of the factory the Bata shoe company built in Partizánske, Slovakia, in 1939; the Novesta brand itself was launched there in 1992. Around 90 per cent of the work is still done by hand, with natural rubber and canvas vulcanised the traditional way, and the Star Master, a 1960s design with a chunky rubber sole, remains the model everyone knows.