Black Friday up towards Cyber Monday, and nowadays also the week(s) that has passed, are the biggest sales period of the year. Also in the quality shoe world, where there’s a bunch of great bargains to be made. Here’s a few of them.
A very common issue on shoes, both new and used ones, is that the half sock lining that is placed inside the shoe is coming loose so you get a flap that can be annoying. Here I explain why you have half sock linings to begin with, the reason that they often come loose, and how you easily can solve it.
One of the best things of working with various shoemakers and order shoes in person with them, is the actual order process. Where you try on potential test shoes, maybe have your feet measured and decide model, leather, sole and other details. Together with the shoemaker you go through things to get it just right for you.
The ways to become a shoemaker has changed through the years, as education moved from the shoemaking firms who hunted for talents, to talents who are hunting for the possibility to learn shoemaking. Sort of. Hear bespoke shoemaker Sebastian Tarek with years of experience in teaching shoemaking at colleges and other places talk about the past, present and future of shoemaking education.
On January 31 2026 it’s time for the first Singapore Super Trunk Show ever, and with that we also introduce the Asian Championships of Shoe Shining. Organised by Shoegazing, The Shoe Snob and Kirby Allison in collaboration with sponsors Saphir shoe care and Bridlen shoes. In 20 minutes three finalists will shine a shoe as lovely as possible, in the prize pool we have medals, shoes, shoe care products as well as 800 USD, given by Saphir.
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Third edition of the American edition of the super trunk shows took place the weekend before the last, a great day that gathered hundreds of shoe enthusiasts on Manhattan that browsed the offerings of shoe and menswear companies from around the globe. There were also a bunch of stage sessions on shoe care and shoemaking, the final of the U.S. champs of shoe shining, and more. Here’s a report with loads of photos from the day.
I’ve written before about the fact that we’ve see seen better polished shoes coming straight out of the factory to a larger degree in recent years. This has continued to be pushed, and nowadays you can get a properly mirror polished pair when you open the shoe box, as with these oxfords from the Chinese brand Twinkima G.
The British shoe manufacturer Tricker’s recently had a new majority owner in James Fayed of the Fayed family, and now they are heading in a new direction as a company by taking home more and more of their sales themselves, with more focus on direct-to-consumer business.
For those who can’t make it to New York today for the super trunk we will livestream here from the final of the U.S. Championships of Shoe Shining, which kicks off at 3pm EDT. We’ll also try to squeeze in a tour of the venue with all the exhibitors after the shine contest is finished.
It’s time for the third New York Super Trunk Show this Saturday. Same great venue on Manhattan, on Upper East Side between Madison Ave and Central Park, where we gather a bunch of great shoe and menswear exhibitors from around the world, have a free shoe shining service, stage sessions on various shoe topics, and the U.S. Championships of Shoe Shining. Here’s some practical info ahead of the event for visitors, and on the live streaming fro those who can’t attend.
