THE ART OF THE HANDMADE SNEAKER

MASTERING THE CRAFT: WHAT HANDMADE MEANS IN ENGLISH LUXURY SNEAKERS AND WHY IT MATTERS

THE WORD HANDMADE IS USED SO LOOSELY IN THE INDUSTRY THAT IT HAS BECOME ALMOST MEANINGLESS. UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT ACTUALLY DESCRIBES, AND WHAT IT DOES NOT, IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARD MAKING AN INFORMED DECISION ABOUT WHERE TO SPEND SERIOUSLY ON SNEAKERS.

HANDMADE DOES NOT MEAN MADE WITHOUT TOOLS. IT DOES NOT MEAN MADE WITHOUT MACHINES. IT MEANS THAT THE CRITICAL DECISIONS IN THE MAKING PROCESS, THE SELECTION OF THE HIDE, THE CUTTING OF THE PANELS, THE LASTING, THE FINISHING, ARE CONTROLLED BY HUMAN JUDGEMENT RATHER THAN AUTOMATED SPECIFICATION. THAT THE HAND IS PRESENT IN THE PLACES WHERE ONLY A HAND CAN PRODUCE THE REQUIRED RESULT.

WHAT THE HAND DOES THAT THE MACHINE CANNOT

LEATHER IS NOT UNIFORM. EVERY HIDE HAS AREAS OF DIFFERENT THICKNESS, DIFFERENT GRAIN CHARACTER, DIFFERENT STRUCTURAL DENSITY. A MACHINE CUTTING PANELS FROM A HIDE CANNOT ASSESS THESE VARIATIONS AND ADJUST. A SKILLED CUTTER CAN. THE RESULT IS THAT MACHINE CUT PANELS WILL INCLUDE AREAS OF LEATHER THAT A SKILLED HAND WOULD HAVE MARKED AND AVOIDED. THE SNEAKER PERFORMS ACCORDINGLY.

LASTING, THE PROCESS OF PULLING THE UPPER OVER THE LAST TO CREATE THE SNEAKER'S THREE DIMENSIONAL FORM, REQUIRES TENSION THAT VARIES ACROSS THE SNEAKER. TOO MUCH AT ONE POINT AND THE LEATHER DISTORTS. TOO LITTLE AND IT DOES NOT FORM CORRECTLY TO THE LAST. A LASTING MACHINE APPLIES UNIFORM TENSION. A SKILLED HAND APPLIES THE RIGHT TENSION AT EACH POINT. THESE ARE NOT THE SAME THING.

THE ENGLISH TRADITION

ENGLAND'S TRADITION OF HANDMADE SHOEMAKING IS ROOTED IN NORTHAMPTON AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTY, WHERE THE ACCUMULATED KNOWLEDGE OF GENERATIONS OF CORDWAINERS HAS PRODUCED A STANDARD THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD MEASURES ITSELF AGAINST. THIS TRADITION IS NOT MAINTAINED BY SENTIMENT. IT IS MAINTAINED BECAUSE THE PRODUCT IT PRODUCES IS OBJECTIVELY BETTER.

THE HANDMADE ENGLISH SNEAKER IS A DIRECT APPLICATION OF THIS TRADITION TO A CONTEMPORARY SILHOUETTE. THE SAME LEATHER SELECTION STANDARDS. THE SAME LASTING DISCIPLINE. THE SAME FINISHING ATTENTION. APPLIED TO A SNEAKER THAT IS WORN DIFFERENTLY FROM A BROGUE OR AN OXFORD, BUT BUILT WITH THE SAME LOGIC.

AT 1812, HANDMADE IS A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS. NOT A MARKETING CLAIM. THE DIFFERENCE IS VISIBLE IN THE SNEAKER AND FELT IN THE WEARING.