This is how I make the patterns. Let the pictures talk instead of me.
Year of…
the ox. At least this is the official English translation, but originally the Chinese version only says: cattle or buffalo. So bull is also fine.. but anyway: nothing special with cox leather, but bull is something special. Here is a close up photo about it. You will see very soon what can we make from it in… Read More
Rebirth of an old boot
I got an order, approx a year ago to reproduce an old Swedish boot. The job was interesting, not because I didn’t have any space for creativity (what is actually not what you call “interesting”), but concur with old masters – that is something. They were so precise. Sometimes when I take their work in my… Read More
ICON No. 3 is booked – 9 to go
I just get an order from a dear customer for the 3rd pair of ICON. As I decided to make only 12 pairs per year, most probably this quantity will be enough only for the first few month. Anyway I don’t change my mind. This shoe means real exclusivity, a belonging to a really small… Read More
The second ICON this year. 10 left.
I finshed a new ICON. As I promised to keep this beauty exclusivity, I only intend to make 12 pairs per year. This is the second one. It goes to Swiss to a real shoe fan.
Birth of a shoe I.
Well I could use this title a lot, but I didn’t until now. The explanation is simple: I didn’t intend to make step-by-step photos from the beginning to the end about any of my creation. Now I have an order for a pair of a very simple shoe – 5 eyelets brown open laced shoe.… Read More
My Second Christmas
I win a bid in ebay recently. It wasn’t so easy, because there are some people who doesn’t want to give any chance to you for winning. They licit in the very last moment, so you practically get two mails in the same time: you have been outbid… the you lost. Sh*t. I don’t understand… Read More
Around the workshop
Do you think you have a thick soled shoe? Then look at this. This customer wanted to have the thickes mterials built in. Instead of 4-5 mm thick insole I used 8 mm thick, I just hardly skived the welt and used 4,5 mm thick midsole.. and very thick Vibram sole. Transparent finished sole edge,… Read More
Shoe Laboratory Visit
… or I could write: playing field for big kids, like me. Yes, finally here is the report about my visit in shoe lab. Shoe-finishing tricks are the best kept secrets in shoe industry. The finishing can be your brand identity, and at the same time, the best advertising. By finishing I don’t mean only… Read More
Sneak Peek from a Shoemaker Workshop
A prototype of the RTW serie. I plan to make some small changes in them – pattern and sole finish as well. Custom made orders, ready to send away. The cognac goes to Asia, black to NYC. Good travel boys! Also a bespoke order. Very durable, double spinned goyser stitch, and a Vibram sole. I… Read More
Shoes, shoes, shoes
I had a very active day since my last post. – I found an old tool maker, and I could consider him to make me and my friends some more tools, the exact copies of my old tools. I can hardly wait to see the result. This would be a really big thing in my… Read More
Year of the BULL
Well, not from now, but the next Chinese new year – starting at the end of January – will be the Bull’s year. So I decided to make a collection from bull leather, which is just beautiful. I found a good seller, offering wide range (colours I mean) of bull, and I really like them.… Read More
Stingray
Stingray is really divides people, especially if you make a shoes from it. Once I posted a stingray shoe to Styleforum, but I wouldn’t say that I achieved a great succes. Most of the visitors didn’t like it. As I remember the worst attribute was “pimpish”.. if they would know who has this… Read More
A new customer/a new idea
I created a shoe – approx. a year ago. Nothing pecial, just my favourite last, a nice leather and some cool staff to make high gloss and antique look. I realised, that nmy customers like it. I have an old customer, who just got his pair and he called me today, telling me that the… Read More
Shoemaking DVD
I gladly announce that I finished the cutting work of my first DVD. The film is a bit longer than one hour, without still frames and titles, and hopefully it will be very useful for beginners. I still need to put some voice explanation to it and it is ready. I show an easy way… Read More
New tools from ebay and… Shoemaking videos!
I registered a few months ago to ebay, but I didn’t buy or sell so many thing yet. I wanted to sell my old, redundant tools.. but I don’t have reduntant ones. I couldn’t force myself to sell any of them. They will stay. (just like Gollam in Lord of the Rings.. 🙂 – my… Read More
Déjà vu 2.
The story continues.. I hope a long long way. I bought all the furnitures, sewing and other machines and use them. I work on the same table what 20 years ago – funny, isn’t it? 🙂 I still using old sewing machines, and 100 year tools.. actually those 20 years old things are quite new.
Every shoe has a story..
..even this chocolate beauty (sorry for the photo quality – could be better). Approximately a year ago I was searching for new leather in a leather wholesaler’s shop, and found something nice. The leather wasn’t that good at the first look, but I realized, that it is a pull-up, light brown, perfectly antique-able skin, so gives space to creativity. The… Read More