Welted
A welt stitched to the upper and insole, then the sole stitched to the welt. Resoleable, and the most demanding thing we build.
Line 03
Leather footwear.
The slowest, most skilled work in the factory — and the shoes that last longest.
The line
Most of a leather shoe is decided before it is cut.
A hide is not uniform. The back is firm and tight, the belly is loose, and a vamp cut from the wrong part of the skin will bag out across the forefoot within a season however well the rest of the shoe is made.
Cutting is the most skilled job on this line and the one we train longest for.
Construction
Four ways to build a shoe.
Blake
The sole stitched straight through to the insole, giving a slimmer and more flexible shoe.
Cemented
Bonded construction on a lasted upper — lighter and quicker than welted work.
Boots
Lace-up, chukka and pull-on, in smooth and water-repellent leathers.
The bench
Sixty-odd operations in a welted pair, and a maker behind each one.
Leather
We know where every hide comes from.
We buy from tanneries we can name, and we keep the record against the order. It costs a little more on material and it means we can answer the question when a buyer asks it.
Full-grain calfFull-grain bovineSuedeNubuckPull-up and waxedWater-repellentVegetable-tanned linings
Detail
Where it shows.
Construction detail
Storm welt, closed channel, bevelled edge, brogueing, medallions and hand-burnished finishes.
Soles
Leather, rubber, commando lug, crepe and our own compounded units.
Branding
Debossed and foil-blocked socks, branded heel strips, custom eyelets and engraved buckles.
Finishing
Hand antiquing, burnished toe and heel, and edge dressing matched to the upper.
Start here
Send us a shoe you would like to make better.
We will take it apart and tell you what changing the build would do.