The Custom Shoe Process
What to expect when you buy a pair of custom shoes from me
The custom shoe process is iterative – a process of constant revision – working toward the final shoe, which should not be a surprise in the end.
Footprints
The custom process starts with a print of your foot. This is a weight-bearing impression on an ink mat. An outline of each foot is drawn as well. About 6 landmarks are measured with a flexible tape. The prints with measurements will tell me the length and width of your feet, as well as their circumference and how your feet carry your weight.
Last Selection
I will select a last that I believe will be a good starting point for customization. We will work together to fine tune the fit, but first a new last is ordered for you, and/or modeled in CAD. While many aspects of the fit can be customized, some dimensions of the last are fixed and can only be changed by starting with a different last. Heel height is one of those dimensions that can’t be changed significantly after the fact. For example, a shoe built on a last with a 1″ heel can not become a 2″ heel by simply adding a higher heel. The higher heel will throw off the balance for the rest of the last.
Vacuum Form
I usually make a vacuum form of the last in clear plastic to help validate our starting point. With your foot inside this clear mold, I will be able to see if your feet press the borders of the lasts and if so, how much. We mark this up together with a sharpie and modifications are made accordingly.
Last Modification
The wooden lasts are sanded down or built up, or sometimes a combination of both. Once the fit is as you like, more shoes can be made with exactly the same fit each time. Different colors and styles of shoes and even ankle boots can all be made from the same last. I keep these lasts exclusively for you.
Design and the Upper
Each unique last needs an upper that fits, so a new design and pattern are created for it. Upper design sets out the lines of the pieces — from toe cap to back strap — and how they fit together.
The shoe upper is literally the upper part of the shoe. The upper is typically in two main parts: the outer leather (also called the upper leather) and the liner. Most of the shoes I make have leather uppers and leather liners.
A design can be drawn directly on the last. Another method is to create a profile of the last from paper and draw designs on that. The profile with the design becomes the template for the pieces of the shoe upper in flat space. Below is a template and pattern that I drew first by hand, then scanned and recreated using the open source vector drawing program Inkscape.
Trial Shoes
Fit modifications and the design of the upper are tested with trial shoes. Trial shoes are made of less expensive, and often differently colored material than the final shoes. They are primarily to give you the opportunity to test the fit. You will wear them for two weeks or so and also mark them up as needed to indicate where they are too tight, too loose or whatever. It takes some time to get a feel for them and only you can judge how they feel. There is no rushing this phase. Depending on what modifications are required as a result of testing the trial shoes, a second pair, or more, of trial shoes may be made. We work hard together to get the fit right.
Construction
Your shoes can be made using a “traditional” technique like hand sewn construction, or glued using “cement” construction, or possibly even Strobel sewn. I like to incorporate methods that work, are appropriate to my client’s requests, and contribute to a first quality shoe – traditional or not.
Below is an example of hand sewing the upper to a leather insole using English welted construction.
Final Shoes
Once the fit is to your liking, the final leather can be chosen, and the design style finalized. The thread color, sole, heel and other details are all confirmed with you, and the shoe is made for you!
You can find more pictures of completed shoes in the Gallery. Find more information about the materials that make up a pair of shoes on the Materials page.
