Carmina - The Spanish Conquistadors

As some of you may remember, a little while back I had the pleasure of being involved in one of The Armoury's trunk shows, located here in London. At that trunk show, I had the first opportunity to truly appreciate the level of shoes that Carmina produces. Prior to this, I was always hearing about Carmina shoes but never really had the ability to judge them for myself, other than shining an old pair for a customer (but that doesn't really count!). As I had always heard positive things about them, you can imagine that I was quite curious to see what all the hype was about. Little did I know that I was going to be in for a big surprise.

Upon arriving at the trunk show, I was met with the display of shoes that you see at the top of this post. Being the 'little kid in the candy shop' that I can be, I was in awe of almost every pair and began touching, analyzing, smelling the leather and pretty much everything else that I could to take in (and mentally record) the shoes' quality. Not long after, the daughter of the present owner (and possibly founder) came in and we began discussing much about the brand, who I was, and my future shoe line (as I was no doubt wearing a pair of my own). She was a very kind woman (who handles much of the business side of things) and it was very nice to actually meet someone from the Albaladejo family, a family that I believe to be synonymous with high quality footwear.

Even though I was not in the market to buy anything (as I need another shoe like I need a hole in the head), I couldn't help but try them on just to see how they measured up to other brands. They had two lasts on hand, one being the Simpson (my favorite - shown here) and the other being the Robert (I believe?? - not found on the website), which was a bit more conservatively elegant and rounded. Both of them fit me surprisingly well. I say that because I have quite a narrow foot and many shoes seem to be a bit spacious on me, yet these were not in least. They were a very sturdy shoe, on the verge of being stiff, but also signifying, for me, a well-made shoe that could last a lifetime! Not only were they well made, but very comfortable in the fitting as well i.e. in the way that they hugged my arch. I felt supported properly, something that is quite important when buying leather soled dress shoes that you might spend a whole day in.

I have said this before, and I am going to say it again: shoes made in Spain are on their way up. They can make shoes that are just as good as their English counterparts, at least within the mid-range of high end footwear, think Crockett & Jones and comparable. Carminas, for me rival C&J Hangrade, but cost a whole lot less, significantly less, and I dare might say that while the leathers they use might be a bit stiffer, their level of making just might rival an entry level Edward Green. I know this is bold to say, but I can't help but tell you that it is true. As the Spanish continue to make footwear and climb the echelons of quality, I dare to say that one day you will find them rivaling the best of them, being able to produce handgrade footwear with all of the bells and whistles that separate the lates from the greats! Mark my word....

Carmina Shoes Available Online: Here or at
The Amoury

Hand-Stitching The Apron: By Enrile

Have you ever wondered why an apron-toe shoe might cost more than its cap-toe or wingtip counterpart? Well, more likely than not, it is because that 'apron' (as it is called - the stitching on the toe/vamp area), was put together by someone sewing it by hand. That handwork (as it is called) costs extra money. Now this might be slightly off the subject at hand but I must stress this importance --as I continue to hear incorrect usage of the term 'handmade'-- that this 'handwork' does not mean that the shoe was necessarily 'handmade.' There is a difference. The reason that I state this, is because not too long ago, I walked into a British designers' shoe shop, and upon entering (and looking at a pair of shoes), some doorman had the nerve to tell me that the shoes were 'handmade.' While I did not say anything in response (as the designer was there as well and I did not feel like having a dispute with my wife around), I was quite appalled by how this guy was just throwing this term around, especially since I have made a pair of shoes by hand. Needless to say, these shoes were not 'handmade' and were clearly made by Cheaney, easily recognizable by the insignia inside of the shoe. They don't make 'handmade' shoes (Cheaney), and at best they may do a 'handgrade' shoe. This one presented (by Enrile) might well be considered (as this one was welted by machine), for the amount of 'handwork' that was put into it.

This one presented (by Enrile) would also be considered 'handgrade' (as it was welted by machine), for the amount of 'handwork' that was put into it. But don't be fooled, they can also do a complete handmade shoe, so should desire the client.... Now, while I will say that, in reality, having the sole stitched by hand versus machine, really makes no difference when in comes to practicality. There is only bragging rights that separates the two. In fact, having a machine stitched sole (on the welt), will almost always look a lot cleaner than a hand-stitched one. But, when it comes to the apron, a hand-stitched one will almost always look better than its machine stitched counterpart, so long as the person doing the stitching is experienced. But, doing this is very difficult, as it is easy to mess up, and once you puncture that upper leather, it is very hard to conceal it should you have made a mistake. That being, your stitch marks have to be spot on, without any mistakes. This differs with sole stitching as you can make a mistake and hide it with the fudge wheel (the tool that makes the indented edging on the welt).




















Since as I have done this twice (while apprenticing), I will try to explain it as best as I can, as the pictures only give you so much. However, the way that I did it, was a bit more difficult than the way presented here as the leather was not already split, giving an indication of where the apron needed to be. When I did it, I had to last the upper as usual, but only hold it into place as opposed to completely last it over permanently. That's because, I had to stitch the apron directly onto the leather while fixated to the last, not while it was just floating about. So after lasting the upper and fastening it relatively taut to the last, you have to draw on the apron (as best as you can) directly to the upper with the magic silver pen (that erases off of leather). Once you feel that you have the apron (two lines - outside and inside) drawn to perfection, that is when you start making the punctures with the awl (needle-like tool) and thread the stitches through. But like I said, every step must be dead on or you end up with some dodgy stitches like the few that were on the shoes that I did (unfortunately I don't have any pictures....sorry). Nevertheless, stitching the apron by hand is one of those details that just really makes the shoe look nicer. Not that it makes a huge difference in whether or not the shoe holds up, but it will always be an added touch of luxury!

http://enrileshoes.blogspot.co.uk/

Globalization: The Rise & Fall of the Shoe Industry

As it quickly creeps up to the end of another 365 day chunk of my life, I thought that it would be nice to reflect on what has happened, what is happening and the possibility of great change to come, within the shoe world. Let me start off by saying that for most of my life, I had the feeling that 2012 (the year that I turn 28) was going to be a significant year for me. I don't why, but for some reason I always felt that age 28 was going to be a year of greatness, where many significant things happen. While I won't divulge into the personal things, this upcoming year will hopefully mark my official entrance into the shoe industry, not only as someone who has supplied the world with information, but more so, as someone who supplies the world with a product that they can truly appreciate. However, the more time that I spend in the shoe industry, observing everything around me, the more that I feel there is so much to work on, as I truly believe that for many, the idea of quality has been swiftly replaced by the idea of a high profit margin. This unfortunate idea has led to the demise of many brands.

I most likely would have never thought of these things one year ago, but as I try and work out the pricing of my own shoes to make a fair price for my customers, the more that I realize that so many shoes are insanely marked up, for what seems to be solely for the purpose of their name being etched on the shoe somewhere. This idea hit me quite hard when I was wondering around the shoe floor of Galleries Lafayette in Paris a little while back. Never before had I realized that so many brands charge incredibly high prices for such low-quality products. It simply boggled me. There were shoes that were in the same category of pricing as Edward Green but were about 1/100 of the quality. Go figure....It suddenly dawned on me that because of globalization, companies around the world were able to flourish internationally and take their business to levels never seen before, but also outsource cheaper labor while at the same time raising their prices. And in 2011, this is what we are left with. But I believe that I am not the only one who has noticed this and others, like me, are hoping to use globalization in a positive way to get more fair prices to the people.

There was a time when the US and the UK (more so) flourished as shoemaking industries and were known for making only high quality products. But once these companies became able to use factories across the world where laborers charged a significantly lower fraction of the cost in respects to their native workers, many of these factories dried up and disappeared, leaving only a memory of what used to be great. But now, as factories across the world are sprouting up in places that you would have never thought of, able to do good work for fair prices, there could be a change. This change may not occur next year, or in 5 years, but I am betting that many people (consumers) are becoming more conscious of what makes a shoe worth it's cost and companies will start wising up to the fact that people will not buy a £600 shoe when it is only worth £50.....

Photos Courtesy Of: Style Forum
They show a goodyear welted boot made to order from Vietnam

Shoes Of The Week - Alden Collaborations

While I have lots to write about for my trip to Paris, it needs to be organized and the posts are going to be longer ones, so bear with me on these things. For the meantime, I wanted to talk about Alden and how they seem to be such busy bees with their collaborations with other brands. As I have stated in many earlier posts, I believe that this idea of collaborating is the way of the future in the shoe industry. While it has always been about, it seems that it has really taken off, since 2010. Obviously, as most of the world went into recession a few years back, companies had to start thinking about alternative channels of distribution, and it seemed that collaboration gave the best of both worlds, for all parties involved. It gave the designers/shoe brands something new to create and an alternative way of making money, it gave the collaborating brand something different from their usual, and maybe stale collection and all-in-all the collaboration gave the customer another option, in case they were not liking anything at that present moment. That being, I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the new saddle shoe models that Alden has been producing for the likes of Unionmade (pictured above & below) as well as Blackbird (very bottom), which is a very popular boutique located in the neighborhood where I grew up, Ballard, Wa. And while I feel that Alden has done a good job of going relatively outside of the box with the likes of these color combo's, I am hoping that the next time I see this shoe, it might be in green or red or some other non-traditional color. We shall see...

Enjoy your Friday and check back soon for my trip to Paris posts....

-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

Shoes -- Part 1: Construction

The world of shoes is a vast one. There are many different terms to describe not only the shoe's style name, but also the manner in which it was made as well as the small details that you find on the shoe's surface and it's core. And while some of this knowledge might be trivial to many of you, I know that there still are many people who do not know (or confuse) the differences in construction of shoes, as well as their style names, such wing-tip vs. brogues vs. cap toes etc. So, to appease the request of others, I will go through them in a brief yet concise manner, but also leave you with detailed descriptions provided by other blogs & articles, that have explained more thoroughly the differences in shoe construction. For today's discussions, I will go through some of the different shoe constructions and what I think about them. Next week, I will go through each of the shoe's style names and will leave it open for commentary on what you would like to learn about in week 3.

Pictures are taken from various sources, including Rider Boot Co. and La Botte Web
Shoe Above By: Roberto Ugolini

Shoe Constructions:

 --Goodyear Welted: 

In my opinion, a Goodyear welted shoe, in terms of construction, is what separates the men from the boys. This is not to say that men who wear other constructions are boys, but in terms of a shoe's integrity, Goodyear welted shoes will last you longer than most and therefore are the bread & butter of the high-end shoe market. It is generally regarded as the best construction in terms of comfort and durability as well as ease in terms of reparation. It also holds the same theory as bespoke welting, yet the obvious difference being that in bespoke it is done by hand and does not have a canvas rib supporting the feather. It is highly regarded for several different reasons: 1, for being relatively waterproof, because of the welt/sole connection, not allowing for water to get into the insole; 2, for it's relative ease in replacing the sole, thus giving you a shoe that can truly last 20-30 years depending on how you treat the upper leather; and 3, for it's cork filling, which is known to create a nice mold of your foot, after a good amount of wear, providing an almost custom-like foot-bed. While Goodyear welted shoes, are used very much by the English shoe market, the term and machinery used to create such shoes, were actually invented by Charles Goodyear Jr., the son of American inventor, Charles Goodyear, whom invented vulcanized rubber.

-- Blake & Blake Rapid:

Blake and Blake Rapid are the constructions most used by the Italian shoe industry. The Blake construction is created by directly stitching the outer sole to the insole, providing maximum flexibility and a light weight to the shoe. The Blake Rapid construction is pretty much made in the same fashion, except that there is a mid-sole (as shown in the top picture) that is connected to the outer sole as well as the insole, providing a little bit more cushion to your foot. Some will say that a well made Blake Rapid, will be just as good as a Goodyear welted shoe, yet being the snob that I am, I prefer a Goodyear welted shoe. Not because I find it better, per se, but because that is what I have learned to make and appreciate. I do very much believe that a Goodyear welted shoe, will always out-trump a Blake constructed shoe on the other hand, as a Blake shoe is much easier to wear out and let water in. There are also far fewer cobblers who can repair a Blake constructed shoe, leaving you with a shorter life span of the shoe. Don't get me wrong though, they are not necessarily to be frowned upon, they are just different, and it depends on what you are looking for.

-- Norwegian AKA Norvegese (in Italian)

Boots By: Santoni (true Norwegian stitch)

Bespoke Shoe By: Stefano Bemer (aesthetic Norwegian stitch)

Norwegian construction, despite it's name, is a construction widely used, again, by the Italian shoe industry. While it was originally intended to create a shoe that was truly waterproofed, through and through, it is mostly used now to create an aesthetic appeal to those who appreciate it (i.e. picture of shoe by Stefano Bemer, above). That being, as you will notice in the two pictures, on a shoe that is intended for waterproof-like qualities, you will see that the welt is actually flush not only with the sole, but also with the upper, being completely on the outside, as opposed to halfway out and halfway in, as in Goodyear welt construction. But the bottom picture will show you, that there is no welt fully on the outside but rather just the stitching that represents the Norwegian look. This will give you the look of Norwegian construction, but won't give you the complete waterproof quality. This will be a construction that you would want to consider for a shoe that you will use for outdoor activities, leaving you open to get wet. It is a durable, yet stiff construction, but can stand the test of time.

There are many other constructions out there, such as Bologna construction, but they are the far and few between and to me, are less important. But IF YOU READ HERE, you will get a much more in-depth description of each of the constructions above, including Bologna.

Goodyear Welted Shoes Below By: Alden