Founder

Jorge Nel Giraldo

I have devoted 40 years to tango. My parents are excellent dancers of the Argentinian Melody. My father was a shoe manufacturer, and for that reason I keep the love for tango, and for shoemaking, deep inside.

The best memories of my tender childhood are always in my mind. When I was a small child, lying in a little cradle beside my dad's workshop, I watched my father make shoes as he listened to the best tangos of that time. The tango music, as well as the sound of the hammer attaching the shoe soles, are in my mind as a wonderful memory.

At one point in my career as a tango dancer, I got sick and realized, even more profoundly, the fact that my body was a tool for my work: If I was not physically healthy, I was not going to be able to make money out of my passion for Tango. That is when I thought of a way of being profitable without only depending on my body. My father suggested I started selling tango shoes. I thought very hard about it; selling shoes would take a lot of time, and what I really wanted to do was to dance. However, my dad made me realize that I would have to own a business in order to get an income without needing to depend on my body as a working tool. That is how I started the tango-shoe business in 1990. Today, I thank my father, who encouraged me to use the tools from my childhood. The Mr. Tango Shoes Company is now known throughout the tango world. Because of the latter, I am able to spend part of my time dancing tango, and dedicate the rest of my time to the shoe-manufacturing business.

Eight years ago, I was lucky to meet the woman who is my wife today: Sandra Milena Buitrago. She has been that feminine compliment that tango needs. She is my designer and right hand in the business. Thanks to her I have grown as a dancer, and my business is at its best.