Batsanis

Batsanis is a family business that was founded in 1956, from humble beginnings in a small shoe factory in Johnston St Collingwood. Building a reputation for quality shoes with traditional construction techniques, the Batsanis name quickly became synonymous with well-crafted footwear. Arthur Batsanis acquired a high level of skill to manufacture and repair shoes whilst serving for the army in Europe. After receiving an overwhelming amount of positive feedback for his repairing skills, Arthur also started to produce children’s shoes as well as men’s boots to order. Arthur’s production attracted a lot of support and appreciation which encouraged him to recognise the niche producing well handcrafted quality shoes for men. Arthur’s eldest son Jim Batsanis shared the same passion as his father and in 1980 Jim officially joined Arthur’s business. Jim’s hard work in finding securing business from big department stores and men’s fashion boutiques saw orders became abundant and production was officially moved to a newly built factory in Thomastown in 1989. The factory was manufacturing and branding shoes for large department stores throughout Australia. In 1994 the company opened its first retail store in Chapel St South Yarra. Expansion into retail across Melbourne and Sydney continued steadily as fashion conscious men caught onto the stylish shoes Batsanis created. Trends in the Australian fashion market saw us in 2003 end manufacturing in Australia and open two manufacturing arms, one in Italy and one China. This was an important strategic move as we would not lose the manufacturing knowledge we had gained over the preceding 40 years of manufacturing experience in Australia. We quickly moved to secure great quality leathers and other shoe related materials from Italian tanneries, who are the leaders in this industry. Batsanis has managed to sustain its business for six decades by following and adapting to global and economic trends. We are proud of our rich heritage.