Category: Shoes
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Mentoring Students from the University of Oregon
Before I even finished having Owen van den Berg as my first intern ever, I was approached by two students from the University of Oregon’s Sports Product Design program. They wanted internships as well. Honestly, I told them I was kind of overloaded and didn’t have time for them. I was looking forward to a…
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Full Metal Brace Shoe
Full metal braces drive these shoes. I never thought I would make shoes like this, but the guy who needed them rather charmed me. He had Polio when he was 4 and has been getting around on braces ever since. Now over 80, any of his contemporaries, or older shoemakers with experience with these kinds…
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Green Platform Boots
These boots are made with a green chrome free Italian leather uppers and orange vegetable tan Italian leather liners, basalt fiber shank, walnut heels and Vibram Montana soles. No seams on the front or rear of the upper. I used almost every shoemaking, pattern and part making technique I know to make these, and learned…
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Safety Toe Shoes
These red and black oxfords were made for a woman who works in an amazon warehouse and is required to wear safety toe shoes. She has some issues with her feet which made the wearing of off the shelf shoes impractical and uncomfortable. These are made with La Ruota vegetable tan red and black suede.…
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Orthopedic Boots
My first pair of 100% orthopedic shoes. I’m not an orthopedic shoemaker, but many of the shoemakers I studied from in the Netherlands are. Why call these orthopedic? I’ve made lots of shoes for people who wear “orthotic inserts.” These boots different. They are a textbook case of how to handle hallux valgus – your…
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Green and Brown Medium Hiker
It’s been a few years since I made myself a hiking boot. (I gave the last pair to a lifelong friend with the same size feet.) It’s been even longer since I first got the pig suede I wanted to use for them. I really liked the sage green color when I saw it at…
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Cordovan Oxfords
These cordovan full brogue oxfords are made with Horween Color 8 cordovan uppers sewn with rust colored A&E Tex 70 thread. They are lined with undyed vegetable tanned calf. The soles are J.R. Rendenbach covered with Vibram cat’s paw. The leather heels are topped with Vibram heel caps. It’s all put together with welted construction…
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Color 8 Cordovan Derby Boots
The client requesting these boots wanted a roomy fit in the front, but also needed room for an orthotic insert that takes a fair amount of room in the back. I really like the quality of this particular orthotic. It is better than most I have seen. At the last minute, he requested a bit…
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Red Cordovan Derby Boots
These custom boots, made for winter use, feature a basalt fiber shank which covers the entire heel and arch area, giving very solid support. I have recently started making shanks and reinforcing components using basalt fiber because it’s much safer to work with than carbon fiber. I assembled this pair using welted construction. The welt…
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Lis Royal – Rocinante – Cordovan Derby
I was given a sample cordovan shell from a tannery in Argentina called Lis Royal. The line of cordovan leather is called Rocinante the color is “Dark Brown.” It is a lovely dark brown. I’ve written about cordovan before, but this sample was my first opportunity to make a pair of cordovan shoes for myself.