July 8, 2020
There is a new bespoke maker in town, who is revolutionizing what it means to get ‘bespoke’ or better yet ‘semi-bespoke’ in a day and age where international travel might be difficult if at all permitted. That maker is Wayman Bespoke and they are coming out of Germany. Like many stories of success, theirs started with a need that was hard to fulfill so they decided to fulfill it. Or should I say, he, Simon […]
July 1, 2020
All of those videos you watch about there being 300 steps and shoes staying on lasts for 2 weeks to 30 days are not accurate. It’s like a fictional motion picture showing you something that could be real but is sensationalized to create theater. Frankly, I don’t know why they do it either? I always hated those videos that show you someone clicking by hand and then once the tape stops rolling they break out […]
June 29, 2020
Pictures in post represent what actual handmade shoes look like. The thing about me is that I believe lying is the most dangerous weaponry there is. It can fool millions, deceive entire groups of people, and lead many to have a perception that is built on falsehood. 90% of brands that claim their shoes are handmade are a part of that great deception. Your shoes are not handmade. Yet that is what they want […]
June 11, 2020
I have been posting a lot of the shoes from the new (relatively) brands coming out of China specifically Yim Shoemaker, Acme Shoemaker and the house line of Yeossal, as I have been thoroughly impressed with their work and have noticed a theme among some commenters that I wanted to address. I believe that the idea of their train of thought is ultimately a concept that hurts the shoe industry as a whole and actually […]
June 9, 2020
Shoe trees are becoming almost as cool as shoes. They have come a long way in the last 20 years ago when all I saw was crappy spring-loaded cedar shoe trees offered by all of the big shops. Of course, bespoke makers always made them for their own shoes and were always nice, but they were not nearly as prevalent as they are today and of course, thanks to social media outlets like Instagram and […]
June 5, 2020
Warning: Post is picture heavy There is a new brand on the block and their name is Petru & Claymoor, of Romania. They are a bespoke outfit, based out of Bucharest, making handmade bespoke footwear at a very reasonable price and what looks like a very standard of making. It is reminiscent of that Austro-Hungarian look that is found across many of the Central/Eastern countries of Europe (think Hungary, Austria, Romania as well as many […]
June 1, 2020
A seamless wholecut is like the holy grail of shoes for its difficulty in lasting and pattern making. But David Mckee of Dave’s Boots and Shoes, in England, took it to the next level by making a faux brogue out of the upper which I personally find so cool and appealing. It could be that I am quite partial to blue and this leather is one of the nicest shades of blue there is, not […]
May 28, 2020
Photo courtesy of ShoesinOslo I have been seeing a lot of shaft strap boots lately in the handmade shoemaker realm lately. At first, I didn’t pay so much attention to them but as more and more shoemakers started making them, I naturally became more intrigued. I think that the one that really grabbed my attention was the one that Bolero shoemaker of Japan did. So much in fact, that I decided to have a run […]
May 27, 2020
A lot of shoe greatness has been coming out of China and despite what you might feel about that country right now, setting aside personal biases, no one can take away the fact that they have some great shoemakers popping out of the woodworks. My favorite one, in such a short period of time, is the newest brand (at least by IG page status) is Acme Shoemaker of Beijing. I only recently discovered them (when […]
May 20, 2020
Francis Waplinger recently moved his workshop from deep-end Long Island to Brooklyn. A very smart powermove in my opinion and something that should ultimately be good for his brand and ability to grow it. Which I an pleased for as I really like Francis (we are both from Seattle) and I want to see him do well. The reason for this post, however, is this cool new adelaide that he made for himself and wanting […]
