The process of custom made shoes
Consultation
- We’ll work together over a few sessions, right through the process of design, to ensure you'll get a well-crafted pair of shoes that you love, and that last. You’ll want to have a fairly good idea of what you want, and an open mind to where that inspiration leads us.
- During the consultation, we’ll talk through what you’d like in a pair of shoes or boots, what’s possible using different materials, and take some initial measurements and photos of your feet. We’ll finish with a rough specification and sketch of your footwear.
Measurement
- Depending on the type of shoe/boot we’re making, I’ll take somewhere between five and eight measurements per foot, both sitting and standing, in order to ensure we get a perfectly fitting pair of shoes. Your feet will swell and shrink again throughout the day, and depending on other factors, so we’re taking all of that that into account when taking measurements. No-one wants you to end up with shoes that are too tight or too loose.
- Measuring is a more involved process than you’re used to down at the shoe shop. It’s an unobtrusive, but hands-on process. It’s quite normal for people to say something like “I kind of have this thing about my feet” – whether that’s flat feet, bunions, or just a “I don’t like my feet being touched” thing – it’s all quite normal and no big deal, and quick to get through.
Last matching and design
- Your shoes are built on a pair of shoe lasts – they’re plastic or wooden shoe forms. I use all of your foot measurements to make sure we’re using the best fitting last for your feet. At this stage, I may also make some modifications to the shoe last to accommodate any specific measurements.
- I’ll draw a preliminary design up on the shoe last, and we’ll talk through the design of your shoe together, and make any changes. At this stage, if we haven’t already, we’ll lock-in the design of the shoe and confirm all the details such as materials and colours, finishing details, and detailing (stitching and broguing).
Patternmaking and constructing the uppers.
- I’ll go through a two or three step process to transfer the design from the three dimensional model on the shoe last onto a set of two-dimensional patterns, to then be cut out of leather.
- All of the patterns have seam allowances and positioning marks added before we move onto getting everything ready to assemble the uppers.
- In the shoemaking world, we use fancy terms such as clicking (cutting out all of the pieces), skiving (thinning out the edges of leather so they overlap smoothly) and closing (sewing them all together). Regardless of what we call them – that’s what I’m doing here.
Lasting the shoe
Soling and finishing
- This is commonly the first thing that people associate with shoemaking – where we gradually pull the upper down over the insole, using tacks to make sure we eliminate any wrinkles in the shoe. We then glue, and in some cases stitch, the upper down to the insole.
Soling and finishing
- All of the tacks are removed and the insole is trimmed and filled with cork for a little bit of spring, before gluing an outsole on. In some cases, depending on the shoe, the outsole is also sewn on.
- A heel is added, and the shoe is finished by burnishing any leather edges, polishing, and adding a sock liner.
