Made in Italy

Market Research 

It is important to find a niche market or field that you are interested in when designing your own shoe collection. In this course I was overwhelmed by the different styles of footwear in Italy, from the vintage stores to the high end brands. There was one style I fell in love with in the Celíne window one morning. It is simple yet classy and very comfortable. I wanted to see if I could create my own version. 

Céline

Design

Sketching a pair of shoes is a lot more difficult than first thought. Having an idea in your head and putting that to paper are two very different things. The most important part of the design is getting the proportions right, and this comes with a lot of practice! In this course I spent hours drawing lasts. What is a Last!? It’s an approximate shape of a human foot, made of wood or plastic. Shoemakers and repairers use these to manufacture their shoes.

Pattern Making

This step is crucial in handmade footwear; measured to precise width, depth, height, length and style of the design. In short, the last is taped and the design is outlined on the last. This is then transferred on to paper, creating an upper and lining pattern.

Constructing the Shoe

The first step in making a pair of shoes is the insole. This is shaped and hammered to the last. In this case I used leather, but manufacturers commonly use pre-made texon insoles. Leather insoles are known to be more breathable for the foot over other materials. Once the insole is done, the upper (the material that covers the shoe from above the sole) and lining leathers are selected and sewn. Then the lasting begins!

The Wedge-Heel

This was my favourite part of the process. I chose to use cork because it is a light material yet stable, and can be easily shaped by grinding it on the machines. The most challenging part was getting the pair symmetrical. Salvatore, a teacher at Polimoda, as well as a very talented shoe maker, helped me so much in this department. With the language barrier it made it very challenging to communicate, however through a bit of English and Italian as well as a lot of hand actions, Salvatore taught me so much of what I know today.