A Shoemaker's Blog — bespoke RSS



Shoemaking: Last Making For Flat Feet

I took in an order for a customer with flat feet and here are some photos of the last that I had made. Normally, I prefer to work with wooden lasts but because of the climate in Singapore and logistical issues, I find myself using more plastic lasts here. Before and After Here is a before and after shot of the last. The left shows the unmodified side while the right has been completed. Another angle While the lasts are built to the customer's measurements, there are usually 2 main points that I pay attention to on flat feet, namely adding volume to the arch and reducing volume from the instep. Here are some photos to illustrate. Big piece of leather...

Continue reading




Shoemaking: Toe Puff Preparation

I've got some enquiries on what leather I use for our toe puffs so here's a short post. Our toe puffs come from Baker, a tannery in Devon UK which specialises in oak bark tanning. Baker's pit tanning process takes about 14months with fantastic end results  Toe puffs from Baker come pre-cut in about 2/2.5mm thickness.  Before and After The edges need to be skived down, with the straight edge paper thin. The round sides are skived to slightly less than 1mm so that they are still strong enough to be lasted. Skived Edge On fitting shoes, I use different toe puffs. On the left is a split leather toe puff from Japan, it comes pre-skived and already thinned but still requires...

Continue reading



Photo Special

Photo special for some recent works All our shoes are proudly handmade in Singapore, including handwelting and handstitched outsoles. A black wholecut oxford with medallion with full-paint black soles, black linings and completed with antique black shoe trees.   A dark brown adelaide oxfords with a half-paint sole and custom initial, completed with vintage cherry shoe trees.   In other news, Fumu socks are now 15% off with min. purchase of 2 pairs till the end of Feb. We also now offer free worldwide shipping for orders above $50 SGD. Explore our range of socks here.  

Continue reading



Shoe Making: Heel Finishing

The finishing stage is arguably the most important step to get a beautiful looking shoe. A well-constructed shoe with poor finishing just looks awkward or cheap. Finishing shoes properly takes a lot of patience and takes up a disproportionate amount of time.

Continue reading