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Normally box calf leather is associated with a nice shiny finish, but one can also do box calf in an almost matte finish. This was more common back in the days, which this pair of bespoke Yohei Fukuda made in a vintage Ilcea leather is evident of.
The legendary British bespoke shoemaker Jim McCormack has worked five decades as an outworker for various big and small bespoke shoe companies in England. Hear him talk about life as an outworker and how this system works, about the development of the bespoke shoe scene in the UK the last 50 years, and much more.
To make a well-executed contrasting sole stitch is an artform. Normally, you either darken the entire sole edge and seam, or you leave all natural coloured. When one do it the middle way and darken the edge and part of the welt but leave the stitching light coloured, it’s tricky to make it neat looking – which makes it all the more lovely when achieved well.
Usually exotics aren’t really my thing, but this exquisite vintage lizard leather in a subtle dark brown really spoke to me. The pair is made by the Italian shoemaker Calzoleria Carlino, who currently runs a campaign with no upcharge on orders of lizard leather for their MTO, MTM or bespoke.
One of the oldest remaining shoe and bootmakers in the US are going for a renaissance under new ownership. Shoegazing has visited their store and workshop on central Manhattan, and got a glimpse into the high ambitions of the company to create a new American powerhouse for custom made shoes and boots.
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We now open up the fifth edition of the World Championships of Shoemaking, where the final takes place during the London Super Trunk Show on May 4 2024. We have £6,000 (€7,000 / $7,400) and handmade shoemaking awls in the prize pool, and a chance to be showcased in shoe stores around the world. This year a loafer is the competition shoe to be made. Here’s all the info about the competition.
I’m currently in Japan, and one of the highlights this far was picking up my fourth pair from the bespoke shoemaker Eiji Murata, alias Main d’Or. An exquisite pair of split toe derbies in a medium brown embossed grain leather, made to the same extremely high standard as he’s known for.
Yesterday the legendary Swedish bespoke shoe and bootmaker Janne Melkersson sadly passed away. After over 45 years in the trade there wasn’t much about shoemaking he didn’t know, and he spent the last decades passing this knowledge on to others. A beloved man that will be truly missed.
New podcast episode with the British-based bespoke shoemaker William Efe Laborde, in a talk where we focus on connecting historic shoemaking, materials and tools with today’s. Among many things you’ll learn which area of shoemaking that he thinks is at an all time high now in present time, why the tools never can be made as good as they were before the World War II again, and much more.
Here’s a substantial review of all the amazing competition shoes – 29 black balmoral boots – that entered the World Championships of Shoemaking 2023. Info about the makers and the shoes, comments, pictures of the shoes and in some cases also the manufacturing process. So much shoe greatness.
