History – The devaluation of “handmade”

The word “handmade” and what it means when it comes to footwear has been through quite a journey the past hundred years or so. From referring only to expensive often hand welted shoes that are built more or less without any machines involved back in the days, to now be used for relatively cheap shoes that have all main parts made by large machines, hands solely guide the shoes through them. Here’s the history of how handmade has been devaluated through the years.

According to Cambridge Dictionary, the meaning of devaluation is: “the action of causing someone or something to be considered less valuable or important”. The word handmade is a good example of something that has seen this development take place as decades has passed by, and in the world of shoes it’s extra evident.
Note that the brands I use as examples in this article are just that, examples, for language reasons they are British or American and they are often famous brands since it’s easier to find old ads etc from these, but many many others do the same thing.

First, we have two words that for most means more or less the same thing: handmade and handcrafted. It’s interesting that if you research the terms, some descriptions define handmade as “more made by hand” than handcrafted, while some do it the other way around, but most commonly, they are equated. Here, we go by the latter. To continue to use Cambridge Dictionary’s definition: “handmade (also hand-crafted) – made by a person using just hands or tools, not by a machine”. Now note, this is the latest, current edition.

Say 200+ years ago, all shoes were completely handmade, always. But no one talked about “handmade shoes”, only the various construction methods were highlighted, if anything. But mainly, you set yourself apart by design, how the shoes looked (not much has changed in this regard). When machine-made shoes were introduced, during the second industrial revolution in the 1800’s, this was new and exciting, and in the beginning this was used in marketing as something positive. It was innovative and special – something that one strived for in this era.

Technical innovations was what one tended to highlight in ads in the 19th century. Here’s an ad from 1880-1890 that focus on how a modern construction is as good as the handmade but cheaper. Picture: Ebay Top picture: Period Paper

An ad from the end of 1800’s, where one gladly showcased ones big factory. Picture: Media Storehouse

Another example where innovation is the special thing, combined with health benefits. Picture: Ebay

Around the 1900’s there was sort of a transition phase, when both hand welted and Goodyear welted shoes, and hand stitched and machine stitched soles, were commonly offered. In ads and catalogues the words handmade and Goodyear stitched etc. was often used intertwined, it’s sometimes hard to know what was what. At the same time, many local cobblers still made simple hand pegged shoes for the poorer community. All was a bit more up in the air, so to speak.

From a shoe catalogue in the beginning of the 20th century, where the oxymoron term “Goodyear welt hand sewed” and other sometimes conflicting terms are used. Picture: Dandy Shoe Care

An ad from 1912, for som exclusive men’s shoes. Here only the terms “welt sewed” and “Goodyear sewed” are used. Picture: Pinimg

Now we’re in the first half and middle of the 20th century, and it’s from this time that it’s easier to read books on the topic of shoemaking, find catalogues and advertisements to see how things were promoted back then, etc. Through the years I’ve read many old books, looked through loads of vintage catalogues and seen hundreds of historic ads, and for this article I’ve spent a lot of time researching to find examples. Although there are exceptions, as there always are, what one can say for certain is that the term “handmade” was generally used differently back then.

An interesting Regal ad from 1946, where one compare a $62 handmade shoe with one of theirs $7,20 machine-made, and how they look just the same but the machine-made is much cheaper. (click the images to see larger pictures, some can be a bit hard to read but should be doable). Picture: Vintage Ads and Stuff

From a Bostonian 1962 catalogue, where the hand stitched apron seam is highlighted. Only for this one talked about handmade though.

This is from a Hanover catalogue in the 1970’s, where one proudly talk about their hand stitch line, but again, it’s only there where one do actual hand stitch that one use this terminology, albeit loads of fine words. Pictures: Vcleat

When you look at how brands and manufacturers marketed their shoes during the vast part of the 1900’s, there sure were a lot of fluffy, fine words and hyping ones products, of course. One also surely liked to talk about handmade, it was without a doubt a strong selling point again. But, one normally only used handmade when one talked about cutting leathers by hand, or stitching parts of the uppers by hand, and things like that. Or, if one actually did hand welted footwear, which also some bigger brands still offered along Goodyear welted shoes. The parts made by machine, like the lasting, Goodyear welt stitching, outsole stitching and so on, one promoted as “highly skilled craftsmanship” and other nice sounding things, but one wouldn’t talk about these steps as handmade or handcrafted.

A classic style ad both in terms of look and content for how they commonly looked in the 1930’s. Florsheim was one of the biggest American shoe brands for large parts of the 1900’s, this ad is from 1937.

An 1940’s Florsheim ad. Similar style, similar content. Quality, durability and a lot of shoes for the money are in focus. No talk about handmade.

A Florsheim ad from 1963, with a lot of fluffy words, and where one highlight how “Florsheim craftsmen add by hand an exclusive antique stain that mellows the finish”.

An ad from 1977 where Florsheim focus on design, and talk about “hand-detailing”, but still no talk on handmade or handcrafted shoes. Pictures: Vintage Ads and Stuff

Although seen occasionally before, it’s when we’ve reached the 90’s that it seems to be getting more common that makers of Goodyear welted shoes go over to call their shoes handmade. It’s hard to say why this route becomes more popular, but it seem to be just a classic case of feeling that one had to push further in the description of ones products to stand out against others. Maybe the term Goodyear welted had become less known for the common man, and it was harder to get the right associations for a wider audience, so one needed to go another step, even if the same companies had avoided to call the same products made the same way handmade a few decades earlier.

Let’s go through a journey of how Church’s shoes has been marketed. This ad is from the 1930’s, by a retailer selling Church’s “fine shoes” and the brand Alan McAfee’s “strictly all handmade” shoes. Picture: The Fedora Lounge

1950 Church’s ad. Welted constructions, some modern “micro-cellular” shoes, etc, and a forward looking copy one rarely see nowadays, now when it’s all about heritage etc. Picture: Alamy

Another 1950’s Church’s advertisement in a periodical where they flirt with handmade shoes with the tools in the top, but still no talk about it in the text. Picture: Pinimg

A couple of decades later, in 1975, a Church’s ad could look like this.

In the next decade, 1988, we have this ad paper from, sent out to customers ahead of a big sale. When I first looked through it I noted the same terms we’ve seen previous decades, like “full welted sole” and “genuine hand sewn uppers” for hand stitched apron styles. But, then I saw on the paper to the right where one just have the upper corner, that they stated “Handmade in England”. Seems like they were testing out new waters here. Pictures: Ebay

American Johnston & Murphy is one of the bigger brands that offered hand welted shoes all the way up to the 90’s. This meant that in their catalogues, here from 1992, they obviously talked about how the very expensive handmade line was “hand lasted, hand welted and hand finished”…

…while their finest Goodyear welted shoes were merely described with words like “long-lasting welt construction”, “superior workmanship” and so on. Pictures: Vcleat

The past couple of decades, it’s been very common that Goodyear welted shoes are called “handmade shoes” by those who manufacture or sell them, and hence also customers commonly use this term. One could argue that there’s no problem with that, why should one care? Well, the main issue is for those who actually make handmade shoes. Bespoke shoemakers can still call their shoes bespoke as a better distinction (although as mentioned in the comments, also this word is seeing a devaluation taking place), but all RTW and MTO brands offering hand lasted, hand welted and perhaps also hand stitched outsoles, what should they call their shoes? “Super mega handmade”? I’ve had talks with several frustrated people who work with this type of shoes who have a hard time to explain to customers who aren’t well-informed why their shoes cost much more than other supposedly handmade shoes.

Crockett & Jones sold shoes under the branding Health Brand during the 1900’s. This ad from 1954 highlight their “craftsmen”, but no talk about handmade or handcrafted here.

Quality, comfort and price in focus in this 1957 C&J ad. The lovely slogan “Very, very good shoes” was used for a long time by the company.

In this C&J ad from 1966 they talk about the “hand-cut” uppers. So as many others during this time, one liked to highlight the parts that were handmade to the original meaning of the word, but didn’t seem to use the term for the machine made parts or for the shoes as a whole.

Another decade later, here without the Health Brand, picturing the classic tools and using the “hand-cut” term together with the interesting “hand fashioned”.

A jump to the early 2000’s, inside a Crockett & Jones catalogue, where they used the same terminology as they do today, where they talk about making “hand-crafted” shoes. Pictures above: Alamy

Here’s from a Loake catalogue in 2013, where they talk about their “handmade shoes”.  As mentioned, this is very common nowadays for Goodyear welted shoes. Picture: Isuu

In recent years, we’ve seen the term handmade go even further. Blake stitched shoes are commonly called handmade, cemented sneakers that one want to add a premium touch to are referred to as handcrafted, and so on. It’s a bit ironic, that the makers of Goodyear welted shoes, a surely complicated shoe construction relative most others, who sort of begun the devaluation of the term, could soon have challenges explaining to their customers what makes their shoes superior in terms of workmanship going into them and durability to a cheaper Blake stitched or simply cemented shoe which is marketed with exactly the same words. Not least since everyone offering shoes from €100 and upwards also commonly claim using “the world’s finest leathers”, that it’s “100-200 steps” that “take eight weeks to complete” (read about the actual time it takes to make welted shoes in this article), and similar.

Blake stitched shoes with and without a so-called bond welt, a decorative fake sole stitch. Marketed as “handmade”. Picture: Leonardo

Hockerty’s “handmade” and “handcrafted” Made to Order shoes from €165… Picture: Hockerty

The devaluation of the word handmade has not only taken place within shoemaking though, it goes for many product segments. That said, one interesting analogy is clothing, where one haven’t talked about handmade in the same sense as in the shoe world, even if it’s a neighbouring industry and all clothing are – by todays measures in the footwear industry – just as “handmade”. One use machines, mainly sewing machines obviously, which people use their hands to run the product through, and plenty of steps are made by hand with various tools along the whole process (note that barely no clothing and no footwear, of any kind and in any price range, are made by big robots, where it starts on one end of a conveyor belt and run through machines and comes out as a finished product on the other end, or similar, also for the cheapest it’s human hands working together with machines). But in clothing, the word handmade is still today almost only used for hand knitted items or for example really exclusive jackets with many hand stitched processes.

A fashion or shoe historian might be able to answer why we see this difference better than me. And also answer better on why the devaluation of handmade and handcrafted has taken place within footwear. That this development is a fact is not up for discussion though. Words are losing its meaning.

Mengloria is another of many brands today who talk a lot about their “handmade” and “handcrafted” footwear.

Here’s one of them, “a masterful combination of handmade craftsmanship, sleek design and exceptional comfort”. Latest pictures: Mengloria