PART 1

We’re back with a bumper issue as we cover the first Craft of Shoemaking Award, which we proudly helped to bring to fruition and sponsored.

The award was presented at the much-anticipated Worshipful Company of Cordwainers annual Footwear Awards last month (June 12).

Heartfelt congratulations to award winner Caleb Smyth.

and to second prize winner Elizabeth Dugmore and to Zachariah Webb who took third place.

THE FINALISTS

For this, the first Craft of Shoemaking Award, eight intrepid makers took the plunge to create a pair of shoes or boots, and to develop a portfolio which described their making process.

We’re excited to say that their entries are a great showcase for the versatility of the craft - from hand sewn moccasins to Wellington boots - and demonstrate an exceptionally high level of craftsmanship, creativity and making.

They are true testament to the hard work that went into them, setting a very high bar for next year.

JUDGING

Charged with the almost impossible task of choosing a winner, plus second and third, was our esteemed judging panel. We owe them a huge debt of thanks for their time, deliberations and enthusiasm.

CRAFT OF SHOEMAKING AWARD WINNER - CALEB SMYTH

Caleb is something of a polymath, a former blacksmith and Dr Martens apprentice, currently studying Aerospace Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University.

The year-long apprenticeship at Dr Martens helped Caleb to understand why their work boots fell apart so quickly and gave them a new hobby and a deep appreciation for shoemaking.

That was three years ago. Caleb has been making boots ever since, drawing from the deep ties to tradition in blacksmithing and shoemaking, to build boots that are just as at home in the blacksmith's forge as they are in the mountains of Scotland, without looking out of place in the dive bars of Sheffield.

This mix of influences creates robust, yet refined designs with punchy detailing and as much grit as their wearers.

Caleb is a prolific maker and mender exploring all aspects of leatherwork evidenced @Skin_Stitches. Their eclectic collection of leatherwork is formed from the clash of heavy-duty work wear and alternative subcultures. Finding inspiration everywhere from the trends of the 60s to the boots of the Pacific Northwest,

The Making Process

Elizabeth Dugmore - 2nd Place

Lizzy’s (Elizabeth) own experience of having a difference in leg length, combined with a passion for vintage fashion, is what drives her interest in shoemaking. For the last 12 years she has worn a shoe raise which drastically limited her choice of shoes.

Lizzy is a skilled needlewoman, making her own dresses from vintage patterns. She particularly loves the bright colours and bold patterns of mid-century fashion, but the shoes available to her don’t match either her retro styling or her personality.

When she had the opportunity to study shoemaking at Capel Manor College, she grabbed it with both hands. She wants to make stand out orthopaedic shoes that are comfortable AND beautiful. The boots that she made for the competition illustrate that intent perfectly. By making a pair of boots for herself, she had the added complexity of patterning different left and right uppers in response to her leg lengths, foot position and heel heights.

Her long-term goal is to train as a bespoke orthopaedic shoemaker so that she can transform the face of orthopaedic footwear, bringing style, colour and comfort together for clients of all ages.

The Making Process

Zachariah (Zach) Webb - 3rd Place

Zach is a shoemaker for Horace Batten Bootmakers. His childhood spent in rural communities in Ireland and Devon gave him a deep respect for tradition and craftsmanship and an appreciation for the transmission of skills from one generation to the next: a heritage that Horace Batten has in spades.

Surrounded by landscapes steeped in history and a way of life that valued self-sufficiency, he found early inspiration in the quiet beauty of older methods and ways. This upbringing instilled in him both a love for history and a hands-on approach to making - elements that now define his work as a shoemaker.

Zach is drawn to the idea that the past still has something to teach us. In his work, he explores how traditional shoemaking techniques can be thoughtfully reimagined using modern approaches. It's not just about replicating the old but about allowing it to inform and enrich the new - creating pieces that are grounded, meaningful, and built to last.

Each pair of shoes he makes is a dialogue between time periods - an effort to carry forward the sensibilities of the past while meeting the needs of the present. Through careful design and craftsmanship, he aims to create work that speaks to heritage, while also feeling alive, relevant, and ready to be worn into the future."

FRUITION

We’ve long wanted to create an award for shoe MAKERS to sit alongside the many design competitions, building on our 20+ years of teaching handsewn shoemaking.

That seed of an idea really started to grow in the determined hands of Freeman, Line Hansen (pictured below centre) who developed an outline proposal for the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers, bringing James and bespoke shoemaker, Sebastian Tarek into the initial conversations.

I think we can safely say, it has been a long-held ambition of all of ours, but it’s naturally taken time to work that initial proposal into a fully-fledged award. Much like shoemaking it’s involved a little blood, sweat and tears and no little patience.

We’re so proud to have helped to bring that seed to fruition this year with the first CoSA (Craft of Shoemaking Award), presented last month (June 12th) at the annual Cordwainers’ Footwear Awards.

FOOTWEAR AWARDS

The Cordwainers are one of the original City of London livery companies, founded in 1272; (when the Company received Royal Ordinance to oversee the production of footwear within the City of London).

They founded the Footwear Awards over 10 years ago (2014) to inspire and support students. The awards embody the Company’s core purpose and ongoing commitment to supporting both the footwear industry and aspiring footwear designers …. and now, aspiring makers.

SUE SAUNDERS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

The recipient of the 2025 Sue Saunders Award for Excellence is Jimmy Choo. Jimmy’s daughter, Emily, proudly accepted the award on his behalf.

Sue Saunders was an inspiring teacher and mentor and this special award honours her memory. The award recognises an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the footwear trade, fittingly, Jimmy studied under Sue at London College of Fashion.

FOOTWEAR DESIGN AWARDS

Today the footwear design awards are open to footwear students along with those from other disciplines like product design. This year’s entries were from De Montfort University, the University of Northampton, UAL:London College of Fashion, UAL:Central St Martins and the Royal College of Art.

JOINT WINNERS

The joint winners of the Cordwainers Footwear Awards were Meriem el Ouarrad from UAL:london college of fashion and Len Yuen (Dexter) Liang from De Montfort University.

SNEAKER AWARD

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

STUART WEITZMAN BEST MA AWARD

The keynote speaker, celebrity shoe designer, Patrick Cox, was an inspiration to many students back in the 90s including me! His message to the next generation… have fun and do your own thing, couldn’t be more fitting!

It was wonderful to see the Craft of Shoemaking Award given such a promiment platform at the ceremony and we were thrilled to see this talented bunch of shoemakers and designers sharing the spotlight together.

SPONSORS

The Craft of Shoemaking Award wouldn’t exist without the encouragement and support of the Cordwainers, our fellow Freemen Line and Michael, Fiona Campbell who is helping to deliver specialist pattern and closing training as part of the prize, and materials and leather funding from The Leathersellers’ Foundation, A&A Crack & Son and Bakers of Colyton.

We hope that that that support and the ‘energy in the room’ from the awards carries forward, attracting even more financial, practical and marketing support to grow the competition in the coming years.

Craft of Shoemaking Award 2026

With that very much at the forefront of our minds over the summer, we’ll be reviewing, revising and planning with the Cordwainers for next year.

So, if you would like to get involved please get in touch. Especially if you are interested in

• Sponsoring the award

• Donating your time as a maker or manufacturer to mentor or to train an award winner - we will continue to give our time as part of the award, but it would be amazing to be able to offer finalists a much wider choice of training based on their skills and interests

• Entering the 2026 Award

Please email us at [email protected] so that we can follow up. We plan to send out details of next year’s award in the early autumn.

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Deborah & James