I wanted to pop in and agree with everything you’re saying and also give a shout-out to leather shoes made in Portugal. I specifically have heels, heeled boots and shoes from the brand COS that have lasted 5-10 years. I’m not sure if all their shoes are still made in Portugal (I stopped buying their clothes new because the quality was going the way of their sister-company H&M), but I can’t recommend their shoes enough, especially when they’re on sale. They use EU sizes (same sizing as French brands, not Italian sizing, which I have to size down in).