In this Sartorial Talks episode, Hugo and I discuss what we feel is the truth behind luxury shoes by answering many of the questions both he and his readers had about the shoe industry.
00:00 Introduction
01:38 Why are so many brands offering MTO shoes nowadays?
08:54 How long does it take to receive a custom pair of shoes?
14:14 What is going on with the quality of leather?
19:45 What are the pros and cons of narrow waists on shoes?
22:45 How long does it take to break in a pair of Goodyear welted shoe?
29:35 What is a fiddleback? A beveled waist? A shank?
31:18 Are tassel loafers coming back in style in our casual era?
32:53 Three tips to make your shoes last longer!
Why are so many brands offering MTO shoes nowadays?
Here we discuss the rise of Bespoke Factory, a company founded by some intelligent IT guys pooling together the resources of a shoemaking town: Almansa, Spain. They created a platform whereby anyone can make a profile and start selling shoes under their own custom brand. On one side, this idea is great as it really breaks the barriers to entry of creating your own shoe line and helps grow Spanish shoemaking. Which I am very much in favor of.
However, on a negative level, it creates an easy way for people with no intention of honoring the tradition of shoemaking to buy the exact same design, give it any price they want while utilizing catchphrases like ‘bespoke’ and ‘handmade’ etc. While anyone can do that with their own shoe brand anyway, this makes it all too easy by being able to do so from your couch with the low investment of the cost of one shoe. Thus, a great idea has turned into an industry full of ‘Made to Order’ shoe brands from people with no real background or passion in footwear but just a desire to have their ‘own label.’
I think that Bespoke Factory is one of the most intelligent companies to exist, sadly at the same time I think it produced a plague of monotonous brands all selling the same exact shoe under a different label with absolutely no intention of creating their own ideas. At the end of the day, I feel this hurts the end consumer and their education on proper shoes.
But make no mistake, not every brand that utilizes their production does what I describe above. Some brands actually create a real brand with their own ideas and those ones I respect and am thankful that Bespoke Factory gives them a way to easily start that up. Truth be told, I am currently in talks with them to make a sneaker that my regular production has failed to be able to achieve.
How long does it take to receive a custom pair of shoes?
Here we discuss the realities of the process of shoemaking in search of the truth behind luxury shoes. You have companies that can turnover something in 2 weeks. Others quote 8 weeks. And a lot of European makers are often closer to 4-6 months. So why are they all different? Well, the reality is that if you really wanted to make a pair of shoes without interruption and had all of the materials available it would take 48 hrs. But that is assuming the shoes stay on the last only 1-2 nights. Ideally, you want more than that.
But the fact of the matter is that when you place an order, your shoes simply do not get started right away. Your order goes into a queue of orders and how long it takes to get made is directly in proportion to how big that factory’s production and backlog is. And maybe, if they have a dedicated team for MTO. But if it just gets looped into their standard production, those are the factories that take longer.
What is going on with the quality of leather?
The leather industry has changed drastically in the last 5-10 years. Leather used to be flawless, and more often than not. But sadly this is no longer the case. Many factors have led to this and no one factor is more relevant than the other. Some of those factors are:
- The rise of vegetarianism – simple supply and demand issues
- More cars utilize leather in their interiors – a larger industry than shoes that take precedent
- The rise of injecting cows with hormones/additives to make them ‘bigger’ so to speak. Hence the rise in stretchmarks and veins
- The rise in lack of care for cows. Stressful environments lead to subpar leather.
- Fashion conglomerates buying up European tanneries and utilizing the best for themselves and their ‘friends’
Sadly, this truth behind luxury shoes is one that does not have a happy ending and I only fear for the future of the leather industry as all of those points above will continue to rise.
What are the pros and cons of narrow waists on shoes? What is a fiddleback? A beveled waist? A shank?
The narrow waist and/or fiddleback on a pair of shoes is a sign of ‘luxury’ and/or craftsmanship. It often shows that extra handwork was done on the sole to create this unique-looking feature known as the ‘fiddleback or viola’. See the photo attached to understand its look.
There really are no pros to its existence other than prestige. The only con that I know of is simply a potential lack of support for someone who is quite heavy-set as there is potentially less stability simply from a lack of sole.
The shank is a support through the waist of the shoe to keep that region taut. It is often made in metal, plastic, or even stiff sole leather. Its intention is to provide support.
How long does it take to break in a pair of Goodyear welted shoe?
This question is like asking how long a piece of string is. There is no one, real answer. For some, it can be in one day of use. In others, it can be in 1 month of use. Paolo Scafora stated 24 hrs of walking, which sounds like a reasonable time and a good base for a general statement. Although his shoes take about 24 seconds to break in as they are super comfortable. The reality is there simply is no right or wrong answer here. It depends on many things, such as the leather used, the making style, the quality of the materials, the last shape, and the person wearing the shoes.
Are tassel loafers coming back in style in our casual era?
I spoke about this topic in depth here. I believe the classic model is making a resurgence in a more modern way and is being worn in a different way than our fathers and grandfathers wore them.
Three tips to make your shoes last longer!
- Buy good shoes
- Use good shoe trees
- Regular shoe care regimes
- Be aware of your surroundings and observant of your actions with your feet.
We hope that you enjoyed our 3rd and final episode together. While there are many more truths behind luxury shoes unfortunately there is not enough time to start them all. But if you read my blog and watch his youtube channel you will soon discover them.
See more videos from Hugo Jacomet of Sartorial Talks: https://www.youtube.com/@SARTORIALTALKS
—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob