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History - The true story of Nicolaus Tuczek

History – The true story of Nikolaus Tuczek

2025-01-18

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Nikolaus Tuczek is one of the most acclaimed shoemakers in history, with an almost mythical gloria around him. Wrongly so. The Tuczek story is not about one brilliant man, it’s about several generations of a hard working family who had to fight and overcome many challenges, until a pair of slippers finally took them down. Bespoke shoemaker and shoe historian at his leisure William Efe Laborde is here to unveil the truth in an ambitious attempt at documenting a history of that great and misunderstood firm, in this guest article that also includes some unique photos.

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History

History – The 1950’s shoe shine contests in North Carolina

2024-08-26

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

During the 1950’s an amazing shoe shining contest was organised in Wilson, North Carolina, peaking with 12,000 visitors one year. In what was almost like a rock concert the shoe shiners performed their shine work on shoes of people from the audience, where both the final shine and the entertainment they gave was awarded. Read the lovely history of these contests.

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History

History – The devaluation of “handmade”

2024-02-18

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Jesper Ingevaldsson

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.

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History

History – Shoe upper making

2023-12-17

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Jesper Ingevaldsson

It’s one of the most intricate processes in shoemaking, it’s the one where machines has taken over even on the finest bespoke shoes, and it’s the part of shoemaking which most clearly has developed into its own profession. Here’s the history of how upper making of shoes has developed.

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History

History – The evolution of RTW lasts

2023-01-25

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

Shoes have gone from something that most ordered from a local cordwainer in versions of relatively standard styles, past a segment where styles were perhaps more limited but Ready to Wear shoes were kept in loads of different lasts and widths that customers could try on, up to today’s situation where there is a huge selection of styles but fit-wise more and more streamlined to fit the most common feet “ok”, instead of fitting some feet great. Here’s how it all evolved.

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History

History – The golden age of leather tanning

2022-04-29

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

The upper leathers available in the first half of the 1900’s was in many ways far superior to what was around before that, and to what we have today, in terms of quality. Learn the complex reasons for this, in an odyssey through the history of leather tanning, with the main focus on the golden age.

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The latest American military service boot introduced in 1943.

History

History – Functional reasons shoes look the way they do today

2022-01-30

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

Most rarely think about it, but in many cases there are practical, utilitarian reasons that shoes look the way they do nowadays, and we’ve been used to it and think it’s the right and beautiful way. Learn the historic functional reasons why we have derby shoes, a lot of brown shoes, built-up bevelled waists, natural sole edges on workwear boots and why rugged boots have high toe spring and sleek dress shoes low toe spring.

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Historic factory making Blake stitched shoes

History

History – The Blake construction

2022-01-16

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Jesper Ingevaldsson

The Blake-stitched construction, or McKay as it’s also called, is the first construction method that seriously made it possible to industrialise shoe manufacturing. Here is the story of its emergence and development.

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History

History – The Goodyear welted shoe construction

2021-09-03

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

When the Goodyear welted construction method became established in the later part of the 19th century, it revolutionised the manufacture of welted shoes and brought welted construction into the era of industrialism. Here’s a look at the birth and rise of the construction.

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History

History – The seamless wholecut

2021-08-08

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

The seamless wholecut is a model that spent decades in oblivion before a rather unknown British freelance bespoke shoemaker revived the model a bit over a decade ago, causing a boom in manufacturers who set out to make the model. Shoegazing tells the story of one of the most difficult shoe models to make.

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History

History – The true story of Nikolaus Tuczek

History – The 1950’s shoe shine contests in North Carolina

History – The devaluation of “handmade”

History – Shoe upper making

History – The evolution of RTW lasts

From the archive

Guide – My shoe collection 5

The web tip – Centipede

The web tip – 24 months leather conditioner test

In depth – Different types of adhesives

History – The golden age of leather tanning

History – Functional reasons shoes look the way they do today

History – The Blake construction

History – The Goodyear welted shoe construction

History – The seamless wholecut

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