Brand stores and high-street chains have made many cities pretty samey in recent years, but Madrid still stands apart. Like few other capitals, this town prizes its artisans, its trained craftspeople, its heritage of specialised retailers. This walking tour of our favourite sidestreet boutiques and laneway workshops leads you first to Spain’s most storied cape-makers, whose wares have cloaked the likes of King Alfonso XIII, Catherine Deneuve and Federico Fellini – Pablo Picasso was even buried in a cape from this emporium. There gather round the cutting table of house tailor Carmen before moving on to meet lifelong leatherware merchant Luis, who demonstrates how and why his family ascended to the forefront of such a highly particular practice in Spain. Our next expert is renowned luthier Rubén, whose profoundly skilled hands shape acoustic guitars for the country’s finest flamenco and classical players. Watching these masters at work, hearing their techniques and traditions, you’ll gain insight that goes far beyond mere commerce, and deep into Spanish culture.