The Do's and Don'ts of dress shoes are not as easily realized as one might think. And it greatly depends on your idea of the rules. Rules from 100 years ago are
What Makes A Shoe Its Price?
Achieving a shoe's price is not a science. At the end of the day, you can price your footwear how you want. There are suggested markups and ideologies about a
What Is A Mirror Shine?
What is a mirror shine? It might seem like a trivial question but the reality is that it is often misused. And if you really want to be snobby about it, even
Spats vs Button Boots
We often mix up terminology in the shoe world and one of the biggest mix-ups is the idea of spats vs button boots, where often spats are referred to as a button
The Podcast – Episode 6 – The Decline of European Shoemaking
Here I discuss the decline of European welted shoemaking, what's led up to that, and the potential future of it. An interesting discussion is to
How to Tell a Cheap Shoe
How to tell a cheap shoe is not always easy. There are a lot of posers in the industry that try to pass off as a good quality product but is really just a cheap
Drew Altizer Interview – Schola Academy
Learning how to make a pair of bespoke shoes has always been a craft people sought after. Something about it is magical and there is no better feeling than
Elevator Shoes
In all honesty, I never thought I would be writing about elevator shoes. Mainly because I would never wear them myself. And the main reason is that while being
What Is A Shoe Flaw?
Working 5 years at Nordstrom and fitting thousands of people, not once did someone inspect the shoe and ask for another one due to a "flaw." And believe
1-Star Reviews
The more we buy online the more we rely on honest reviews to help us make a decision not only on a product but also on a company. You want to know if you
How Covid Affected The Shoe Industry Part 1
Disclaimer: This is an opinion piece based on my own experience and those close to me in the shoe industry that share a similar experience or have shared
The 2022 World Championship in Patina
Here is a short video to highlight the World Championship Patina Contest in 2022. This contest takes place each year at the London Super Trunk
World Championships in Shoemaking 2022 – A Review Of All Competition Shoes Part 1
****Warning: Super Heavy Picture Post**** This post was put together and written entirely by Jesper Ingevaldsson of Shoegazing.com 30 longwing
Handwelted Resoling With Fiddleback By Bedo’s Leatherworks
Dear Readers, Sorry that I was gone for so long without posting. I was away in London for the London Super Trunk Show 2022 and was busy from
Schola Academy – Learn A Craft, Become An Artisan
All images courtesy of Stefano Casati In a day and age where we are ruled by technology, many art forms have been lost simply due to the natural progression
What Is A Shoe Review?
Here is a little rant against the bad information of the industry, whereby people spew their opinions as facts in the hopes to build a following of
The Delusion of the Uncreased Leather
Assuming leather doesn't and/or shouldn't crease is like believing in unicorns. It's incredible how many people believe in unicorns these days. The question is
Video: “Why I Promote My Competition?”
A common question asked to me is "How can you promote other shoe brands when you have one yourself?" While I have answered this many times in various
Get Ready For Shoe Industry Price Increases
Mark my words, next year will be the year of price increases and a shortage of goods which will end up in delayed goods. I have been dealing already with it and
Grayle – Your Aggregate Online Size Guide
The hardest thing about buying online is getting your size right. In a world where US10 can mean whatever it wants, as well as the concept of "medium", one is
Are Toe Taps Necessary?
As little as ten years ago, few people used toe taps. Like most myths created by people who do not know any better, the naive always shouted "they make so much
Video Series – Rant – Do Not Condition Your Brand New Shoes
Time again, people have ruined their brand new shoes by being overzealous with their shoe care regimen when it was not necessary to even
Why Wear Dress Shoes?
When you are young, the thought of wearing dress shoes probably does not enter your mind too often, not at least in the sense that you will be
The Differences in Suede
Like most leathers, suede can be complex, inconsistent, and vary greatly from hide to hide. Let us take look at a very simple example of this with two pairs of
