Alongside our regulars, Bespoke Shoe of the month, In the Workshop and Tool of the month, in this issue we’re

• Visiting WOW House at Chelsea Design Centre for inspiration

• Looking back at our wonderful VAWAA guest Heather’s visit

• Giving an overview of how we prep for a fitting

  Enjoy!

  Deborah & James

We think it’s really important to get away from the workbench, to get fresh ideas, take a breath, decompress, basically do anything other than think about shoes or the business.

We’re not very good at it, so we’ve agreed that it has to be something we think that we will both enjoy, that might inspire us, and that doesn’t take longer than a couple of hours.

One of the experiences that has become an annual outing, is WOW House at DCCH, effectively a pop-up show house in the middle of the Design Avenue. This year’s house covered some 500 sqm and featured 19 full-size rooms and outdoor spaces, each uniquely designed by world-class interior designers, working in collaboration with globally recognised design brands and incredible suppliers.

“Our goal is to pioneer a sense of wonder; to amaze and inspire by showing the world what extraordinary achievements can be made when our talented industry comes together in such an ambitious and exceptional way”, says Claire German, CEO of Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour.

We both love interior design and find it interesting to see how designers combine colours and textures on an entirely different scale to the one that we work on.

Interiors trends also usually make there way through to fashion trends and so it was interesting to note a few things about WOW….

We spent a great couple of hours and you’ll just have to watch this space to see if any of these ideas make their way into our work!

We’re delighted to offer bespoke experiences via VAWAA or Vacation with an Artist. It’s a great platform, with wonderful makers around the world sharing not just their craft, but their neighbourhoods, favourite hangouts and often their homes with inquisitive travellers.

Where a VAWAA differs from our regular courses is that it’s a truly bespoke experience, challenging us to think on our feet and to tailor what we know to each guest…to create a completely unique experience.

Since lockdown has lifted, we’ve had two wonderful guests visit us in London both from the US. Jaki from Monterey…

and Heather from San Diego.

For both of them, learning shoe making was just one aspect of their trip and so we were mindful of that, to make recommendationsabout what to see and do when they got here and to keep what we were doing together interesting, but also not to overdo the making side of things.

Jaki had a favourite pair of shoes that she wanted to recreate. Before she joined us she sent us a picture so that we could make a pair of uppers.

After a slight interruption due to covid, we first did a fitting with Jaki to find a well-fitting last before getting to work squaring off the toe.

Then it was time to get stuck into the making.

We had great talks about stitching, vintage, materials, the environment and coffee

whilst we built shoes, including a cool square heel!

and Jaki left with a beautiful pair of shoes.

She also made the most of her trip across the Atlantic by combining her London visit with a textile / jacket making workshop in Rye and a visit to friends in Gloucestershire.

Heather was excited to discover our VAWAA as she has always struggled to find shoes and boots that fitted her slim feet. So a pair of bespoke boots was her main objective, with a lot of shoemaking know-how thrown in along the way.

Early-on we did a Zoom call with Heather to oversee taking measurements, a new part of our bespoke service which we introduced during lockdown. With the help of her friend April, Heather’s foot drawings and measurements were captured and shipped to us for Spring Line to work from.

Once we had the lasts, Heather approved the sketched up boot design and leather colour before the uppers were made.

So, by the time Heather joined us we had her bespoke lasts and a beautiful pair of bespoke blue boot uppers ready to make.

After a fitting and slight last adjustments we were all set to get under way.

Heather got involved in all aspects of the making, from prepping insoles and welting to sole stitching and finishing,

but was very clear about which bits she wasn’t keen to do in case she messed up. So heel building was left to James to execute as it was such a key part of the build.

At the end Heather slipped on her new boots with a genuine wow! The remote measuring, Spring Line last making, fitting and adjustments had paid off and Heather has a great fitting pair of boots in her favourite petrol blue.

Like Jaki, Heather also made the most of her visit. An early riser, she would explore her local neighbourhood first thing, before taking the Uber boat from Wandsworth to Blackfriars every day. After a day of shoemaking and chat, she’d join friends to eat out or to go see a show. There was enough time at the end for Heather to put pencil to paper and indulge in some designing,

before heading off to join her close walking buddy Debbie for a guided walk through the Cotswolds.

I think that it’s fair to say that we love hosting our VAWAA guests and we hope to welcome more here to Oxo in the future.

This month we’re doing a deep dive into…

THE ENDSLEIGH ADELAIDE

This a pair of Bespoke Handsewn Adelaide Oxfords, hand lasted; hand stitched and hand finished in house.

LASTS

The lasts are an updated version of a pair of 1930s Cesare Paciotti lasts we found in a flea market in Spain. They have the classic narrow joint and elongated toe typical of older lasts.

STYLE

The style is an Adelaide which is a wholecut Oxford, characterised by the distinctive cut out facings.

We added a wingcap and an unusually straight counter. Most shoes have curved style lines which harmonise with the contours of the last. So it was our challenge to incorporate a straight counter and to balance that with the toe cap. We were really pleased with the results and the Endsleigh remains a favourite of ours.

UPPERS

The leather is a chocolate brown Italian calf which we coupled with a light French navy waxed canvas woven in Lancashire. Two tone shoes have long been a favourite of ours and we love this combination.

We added a row of fine 2:1 brogue punching on the cap and counter

Canvas needs eyelets to prevent fraying so we chose a matching colour and matching laces

The lining is our classic straw veg tanned calf.

MAKING

The Endsleigh is made with the following features:

• 1” heel height

• Regular welt

• 1/4” sole thickness

• 10 SPI

• Dark natural polished finish throughout

Bespoke shoemaking involves many stages and the fitting process is a very important one.

Once we receive the bespoke lasts from our last maker, we make the uppers in the chosen leather. We last them as we normally would, but at this point we brace the uppers to the insole.

Once the shoes are braced, we cement a temporary sole and heel unit using rubber solution.

We then secure the heel with four nails using a specialist heel hammer.

The shoes are now ready for the first fitting with the customer. We ask questions about how they feel; feel the feet through the shoes; and take copious notes.

Afterwards, we dismantle fitters, adjust the lasts according to the results of the fitting and do it again. We average two fittings but this can vary depending on the complexity of the foot.

New In The Toolshed

Offer

To enjoy a 10% discount on Carreducker shoe covers and shanks, hit the Buy Now button below and enter the code COVERSSHANKS10 at checkout

Reading: William Gibson

Watching: The Boys and Supercell…

Listening to: Material Matters … readying ourselves for September’s event at Barge House

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Many thanks

Deborah & James