How is handmade footwear manufactured?

LEARN THE STEPS FOR MAKING SHOES Before beginning the manufacturing process, it must be said that a prior process is essential: the design and pattern-making of the shoe, which in turn consists of several steps that we analyze in another article. To manufacture footwear, it must be done through a series of steps, which we will list for you here: The first thing done is a mold of iron, plastic, or another material for each piece of the shoe. In the past, this was done by hand, in an artisanal way, following patterns that experience provided to the manufacturer; through trial and error, molds for the shoe's interior last were obtained that provided more or less comfort. Today, in shoe manufacturing, thanks in part to technological and scientific advancement and design tools like CAD/CAM programs, we obtain last prototypes that can be tested with reverse engineering, adjusting them to the ergonomics of foot movement, studying in depth the most suitable shapes and materials for each component of the footwear's lining. shoe lasts Lasts for shoe manufacturing Once the mold is ready, we proceed to cut the material with which the pieces will be made; these can be canvas, leather, among others. In the past, the master shoemaker would manually cut each piece that made up the shoe, meticulously choosing the part of the leather hide that was most suitable for each piece. Even the best-tanned leather has better and worse areas, so this process was of great importance and was what could contribute the most value to the finished shoe. The direction in which the leather stretches is another factor to consider; due to its pattern, it should be cut longitudinally or transversely, otherwise, the shoe could lose its solidity. The piece cutters are those who often achieve the true magic of artisanal footwear, contributing substantially to the beauty and solidity of the shoe, since their job is to choose and cut the pieces of leather, a position only suitable for expert hands regarding the tones, weight, moisture, and flexibility of the leather. Leather for footwear Sheets of tanned leather before cutting Once the pieces are cut, they are prepared for the sewing process. The pieces that will make up the shoe must be prepared before sewing. Once all pieces are cut and grouped by size—let's not forget the sizes—guides are painted to indicate where the seams should be made. Leather is a harder material than fabric, so sewing it by hand is much more laborious. When sewing the leather pieces that will make up the vamp, two needles are usually used to make the process a bit easier. Sometimes the pieces are pre-sewn by machine so that the hand-sewing pattern is more fluid, resulting in a perfect finish. Cutting templates for shoe pieces Marking and checking footwear pieces The time has come to join the shoe pieces—a true art! The most common leather pieces in all shoes are usually the vamp, the tongue, the heel, the quarters, and the interior lining; these parts must be firmly sewn to provide durability and must be done in a refined manner to provide beauty to the whole. There is a great variety of footwear construction: conventional lasting, Blake stitching, San Crispino, glove stitching, Strobel, Goodyear, Kiowa, vulcanized, and direct-to-sole injection. The process of joining the pieces is usually done with special leather-sewing machines that can offer different sewing patterns, leaving a uniform finish. Sewing footwear pieces Sewing the shoe pieces At this level, we proceed to place the eyelets, perform decorative stitching, mount linings, and assemble the footwear. We could understand the assembly of the footwear as the mounting of all the pieces that make up the upper part of the shoe. The assemblers shape the shoe by joining all the pieces, sewing or gluing them as needed. When we wonder how shoes are made, perhaps the person who could best answer that would be a footwear assembler, as they are the ones who give three-dimensional shape to the design and the leather cuts through a totally artisanal process. Often, thanks to the experience acquired, a good assembler is capable of creating true works of art in each shoe. Eyelets for shoe laces An assembler doing their job Preparation of the shoe for joining to the sole Here, the footwear is assembled, mounted, and finished, joining the insoles or findings. Once this is done, we proceed to place the toe of the shoe on the last to sew the sides and mount the heel. Once all this is ready, there may always be excess leather left after the process, so it is important to perform a final review to locate these flaws and fix them, either by thinning with a blade or sanding, so that no defect can affect the comfort of the shoe. Gluing soles Thinning leather edges before joining the sole Stabilizing the material using heat. It goes through ovens, which are responsible for stabilizing the lasts, then all the leather that must adhere to the sole is sanded (carded) to apply glue. This process has its importance, as it is largely responsible for ensuring that the bond between two pieces of different materials remains joined throughout the useful life of the footwear. Adhesives or glues for footwear have three differentiating characteristics: viscosity, open time (this is the maximum time during which the two pieces to be glued can properly interpenetrate), and finally the evaporation speed of the component. With ovens, it is possible to optimally manage the temperatures that affect these characteristics of the adhesives. Shoe oven Shoes inside a stabilizing oven Process of gluing the sole to the shoe body In shoe manufacturing, different types of adhesive are used, fundamentally depending on the material of the sole, one or another will be used. Generally, the adhesive is applied to the two surfaces to be joined, left to dry for an estimated time, and then the union of the two pieces is performed, always within the glue's open time; some adhesives allow for reactivation of the adhesive by reaching a certain temperature. Both surfaces are joined and pressed. Gluing footwear soles Operator applying glue The sole is pressed. Normally after the gluing process, which is usually carried out in two steps—first a simple gluing and then one with heat that causes a reactivation of the adhesive—we proceed to pressing with a press machine that, usually with a hydraulic mechanism, applies pressure to the areas where the union has been made to achieve a long-lasting gluing result. Pressing soles Machine applying pressure to the joint Proceso de cosido de la suela. In certain shoes, with the gluing and pressing process, the pair would be ready, but in this post, we are talking about artisanal shoes, and the final stitching of the shoe body to the sole is fundamental in this type of footwear. We must say that the most common types of stitching are the "Blake welt" and "Goodyear welt" based on their English terminology. In the Blake welt process, the stitching is done inside the shoe, making it impossible to perform by hand; it is done with a machine for that purpose. The upper part of the shoe is joined under the insole and sewn to the sole. A single stitch joins all the pieces. The Goodyear welt process is the oldest and can be performed both by hand and with machines designed for that purpose. This sewing process is carried out using a midsole that is sewn to the insole and then to the sole. All these types of stitching have their pros and cons; for example, because it uses extra layers, it is usually more durable, but for the same reason, it is also less flexible than a Blake welt. Finally, add another sewing process carried out in Spain by the brand Fluchos; this is totally artisanal and would be the intermediate between a Blake welt and a Goodyear welt. The shoe body is joined to the sole by means of a double external hand-stitch that dissipates the disadvantages of the two previous types of stitching, maintaining the flexibility of the sole by not incorporating more components and providing the durability of an artisanal stitch. Hand-stitching of a shoe sole Hand-stitching of the sole on Fluchos shoes Review of the shoes before their final finish. The pieces are placed in pairs and sizes in rows or batches to be reviewed in detail. In this step, if any defect is observed in a shoe, it is discarded if the problem is serious or repaired if possible. We have two feet, so we need two shoes that form a pair; therefore, they must be matched—one shoe for a right foot and another for the left. Being an artisanal product made shoe by shoe, they have to be as similar as possible, since as we explained previously, in the same piece of leather, the texture, pattern, or even the color tone of the leather can vary. Shoes prepared to be reviewed Shoes in batches after being reviewed They are cleaned and products are applied to revitalize the material they were made with. When most of the work is already done, it remains to polish the details, and in this article about step-by-step shoe manufacturing, we explain how they do it. The time has come to clean the shoes well, remove residue from the adhesive used, sand the edges well; in some cases of artisanal shoes, special dyes are even applied to form very artistic patterns. Final cleaning of the shoe Polishing process of the shoe. Last step, the shoes are made to shine (if the material is leather). When we refer to the finishing of the leather, we generally refer to the processes that the previously tanned leather goes through to achieve a specific type of texture; this was achieved in the step where we chose the type of leather. Now it's time to give it shine, bringing out the full potential of the material using wax-based creams or other products that, for example, can provide waterproofing capabilities. Final result Artisanal shoes showing all their splendor.