Cork Platform

Florence was last week and we now have plenty to do. It was a fantastic experience; so many people; such a good reception for our lines. We now have to deliver those shoes! But it's over, Ducker, and now it's nose to the grindstone time again. Quite pleased really.










So, tools in hand, I have started a pair of rather special bespoke shoes for a good client with a biomechanical problem - one leg is 1.5cm longer than the other. This means that we have to compensate for this in his shoes. What we do is make a 1cm through cork platform inside the shoe (known in the trade as a Sarkozy) and add 0.5cm to the heel. It works very well and the shoes do not look different, which he is very pleased about. From the joint to the toe, we file the cork down to nothing so that there is not any unnecessary thickness. This makes the shoe look more natural.



The insole will now be blocked as normal and the shoe made. The platform is then loose inside the shoe and can be replaced when it gets worn out.



This insole is significant in that is has an arch support called "insole up in waist". This is a curved section of the insole that is skived away, covered in the lining leather and nailed back on. It's like those foam supports you see in trainers, but handmade and beautiful and expensive.



I will show shots of the insole up in waist when the insole is dry and I have made it. More next week.

Pitti 2

This place is amazing! The Other One is here now so I have slipped away to have peek round. So many people and so much colour. I love the fact that Italian men wear colours, bold, wonderful, uplifting colours. The flashes on our Half-cuts are in good company.

Now, I may not like individual items or outfits, but I celebrate the diversity; the general interest in style; and the underlying peacockishness of the men here. It's great and worth celebrating.

The Winkers are a big hit again. The next louche classics? Quite possibly.

Lots of leads to follow up.

Pictures next week of the stand. If I tell you it's pebbles and bald tree trunks, you wouldn't believe me. Not our design I hasten to inform you. Ciao belli

Pitti Uomo 1

Very exciting. I am in Florence at Pitti Uomo. Masses of people and a good response to our shoes. Met lots of buyers, agents and the British consul yesterday. Just about to start today and have sneaked into the Press Room to use their computers.

The Other One arrives today. And I leave Friday, so not sure if I will be able to blog, but I will fill you all in next week. Wish us luck...

Extreme Brogues

The Other One is on one. As we speak. A cleaning bender. Furious dusting, scrubbing and polishing. However, don't think that I have stood by idle while she does it. I too have done my bit.

We are getting ready for Open Studios here at Cockpit, which start today. The public's chance to see over 90 designer/makers in their studios; buy/commission work; and generally see how we do it. It's a great visit and well worth the effort. Let's hope the sun does not shine this weekend, so that the discerning folk of London come out in their droves.

There is jewellery, ceramics, glass, weaving, fashion, printing, homeware. And, of course, London's premier bespoke shoes.

We took delivery of our new Extreme Brogue Limited Edition shoes from the factory. They look fantastic. We were a bit concerned as the previous sample did not look as we had hoped for. But we made a few tweaks, smaller punching holes, new toe pattern, and the results are great. It is incredible how a few minor changes to a design can make a huge difference. Be that colour, line, stitching, punching, etc. It all adds up. In addition, seeing a style on the last can make a massive difference. We draw styles on paper; throw ideas around; make changes; and then make the upper. But that moment when you put on the last is a crucial one. We have had to give up on designs at this point many times. It's that change from a 2D design to a 3D object.



On the bespoke shoe front, I have been making a pair of white loafers for an old client. They illustrate two aspects of the craft. Firstly, that my taste is irrelevant when it comes to choosing a style. The customer gets what they want. Secondly, that bespoke shoes give you the comfort of well fitting shoes. This client has problems with the knuckles of his toes and finds shop bought shoes very tricky. But we can cater for it. See the bumps on the lakes.




And finally I am off to Florence on Monday (The Other One arrives on Wednesday). To Pitti Uomo. Wish us luck!

Into The Groove

Believe me when I say that taking time off any craft or trade is a dangerous beast. In the week since I since I last posted, I have struggled so much with getting back into the rhythm of making our beloved bespoke shoes. And it really is a question of rhythm.

I was talking to my good friend Paul in New York, who trained me in shoemaking at Lobb, but who is now working in the shop there, and does no making. He wants to get back to it, but we agreed that it would take a few months to recover his speed and accuracy. I was off for 3 weeks and it has taken me nearly 2 to get back up to speed. The first pair I made took me nearly a week, and then the next pair I ruined. I lasted the wrong uppers onto the wrong lasts, resulting in us having to remake the uppers. Oh dear! The Other One was not pleased. What a chump I am.

But it would never have happened if I had been in the groove. So much of any skilled manual work is repetition and regularity. It is really true about muscle memory. Half the skill of making bespoke shoes is switching off your mind and letting your hands do the work. It is a strange, disconnected space. The Zone.

On the making front, that lengthy first pair was a tricky little 1/8" sole with a dress welt. Now this requires about 18 to 20 stitches to the inch on the welt. If you actually stitch this, the welt and sole is weakened by the density of the threads so close together. The options are to channel the welt, exactly as you would the sole; stitch at 4 to the inch; close down the welt; and then run a fudge wheel around the welt, thus creating the apperance of stitching.


I tried an alternative with this pair, which involved stitching 4 to the inch over the welt (no channel) and then simply fudging over the top to give the appearance of tiny stitches. It worked fairly well but does not result in such a clean line as the previos method. Sorry there are no pictures, but the client wanted his shoes. Hope you like the fudge wheel though.

One last thing. Any of you who live in London, we have Open Studios here at Cockpit Arts. This is an opportunity to see our and another 90 designer/makers' studios. Not only that, there is the chance to buy work or commission pieces. It is a very interesting visit, so come along, all welcome.

The times are Saturday 13/Sunday 14 from 11am till 6pm
Address Cockpit Arts, cockpit Yard, Northington St, London WC1N 2NP

Follow this link for more information

http://www.cockpitarts.com/makerdifference/events.php

Thinking about another photo essay on some aspect of bespoke shoemaking. Any suggestions or requests? Bevelled waists? Skiving (always popular)? Let me know.

Ho hum, back in Blighty. Bit of a shock to the system, actually. Now, while I was working in the States and only had some time off right at the end, it still felt new and exciting. Being back at work here has a mundane sheen. Coupled with a bad dose of jet lag; a house full of dust; and fumbling fingers, it has not been a good week.

However, it is sunny today, warm and clear. How could I not be cheered by a beautiful cycle into work along the canal with all the ducklings and goslings to coo over.

And we have Pitti to prepare for. Starts in 2 weeks, gulp! We have the transport sorted out, tick. We are doing a mail out to potential buyers today, tick. All our marketing materials are here, tick. New samples are here and the rest in hand, tick. Flights and hotels booked, tick. What else could go wrong? Who knows? But we are very excited about it.

We are exhibiting in a section called New Beats, where the organisers invite new companies to participate for the first time. So it is quite an honour to be there, and we hope the start of many visits. We will not be taking any bespoke shoes, just the Limited Editions and the Winkers. The object being to meet potential buyers from retailers and take some orders.

We will of course keep you posted on our progress towards and during the show. After such a great reaction to the Winkers in the US, it will be interesting to see how people from other countries respond to our work. The feedback was that they would work well in warm climates where they could be worn casually with shorts and no socks, but also more formally to evening functions. We shall see.

A great thing happened in America. We were visited at the course by a Mr Bruce Pask of the New York Times. He was fascinated by what we were teaching and by our work. He does a very influential blog called The Moment, specifically Feeling For.... where he muses on his own particular views on style, fashion etc. Hence the name. You can read it at the link below.

http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/feeling-for-carreducker/#more-13027

The curious thing is the response we have had from it. It has been read by so many people, some of whom have fedback to us about it. Seeing the power of the internet as a marketing tool, I signed carréducker up for Twitter last night. I am flummoxed as to what to do next but I will ask the Other One, who is more savvy than I...

And so, another Friday, another blog post. Onwards and upwards.

San Francisco Trunk Show

Good times! San Francisco has been good to us. The show at the Clift was great. The suite was wonderful, thank you Mr Starke. Specially liked the orange glass-topped table (our bespoke shoes looked amazing on it) and the orange perspex cubes. People say orange is such a difficult colour, but I say be bold and throw some in. Half-cut? Almost definitely. Or should that be constantly?



We had Carolyne Zinko from the SF Chronicle come with a photographer. They are doing a glossy supplement (San Francisco Is) in July, so look out for that. Again, the Winkers were the stars of the show. It is funny how certain things work better in one territory or another. Obviously delighted about it. I have the hope that Leffot in New York will stock them too, so watch out America!




Thank you so much Paul and Antoine for all the help and support. Looks like you are stuck with regular visits from us now.

And now what? Well, I am in Calistoga, Napa Valley, waiting for the fog to burn off before going wine tasting; eating a hog sized lunch; then sleeping it off by the pool with occasional dips into the limpid water. Yes, bespoke shoemakers sometimes relax too.

Napa really is wonderful, it has a very Mediterranean look; great climate; and is only an hour from the city. Hello!

And so my US trip comes to an end. Home on Saturday, in time for the Bank Holiday. Really can't wait to see my little elves again. It's been a lot of fun. The bespoke shoe making course was great, as was New York and our lovely host Jesse. The trunk show at Leffot was equally great. And the California leg was pure pleasure (apart from the pre-show nerves). Can't wait to come back in November.

By the way, my hands are like 2 lumps of soft putty. My nails have never been cleaner and I am gagging to get back to my table; pick up my knife; and make some beautiful handmade shoes. Or boots. Or pumps. It's been way too long.

I am having an IT malfunction, so I am going to publish this as text only with pics to follow. I have them, but cannot upload right now. Watch this space.