Nov 09, 2023
Handgrade Shoe Last Guides
Hand-welted shoes are an excellent choice for those seeking high-quality and well-crafted footwear.
Take your wardrobe to the next level with our carefully curated selection of handcrafted shoes. Our shoes are made to order, tailored exclusively to your preferences and specifications.
At the heart of our shoemaking process is the last - the foundation that determines both the style and fit of a well-made shoe. We offer a diverse collection of lasts to help you create stunning shoes that fit perfectly, while still being short of bespoke.
To create our shoes, we use only the finest aniline, semi-aniline, crust, and other leathers sourced from top tanneries such as Tannerie d'Annonay in France, Ilcea Conceria in Italy, C.F. Stead in the UK, and Horween Leather Co. in the USA.Our end-to-end shoemaking process involves more than 100 operations, including leather selection, clicking, upper closing, handwelted stitching to connect the upper, welt, and insole, beveled waist, and final finishing. While many of these steps are performed by hand to ensure the highest level of quality, we also use some machine-assisted operations, such as outsole stitching, to reduce costs while still maintaining our high standards.
All of our custom handcrafted shoes (save for a few models where other construction methods are used such as Norvegese) are made to order using handwelted construction, ensuring maximum durability of the key connections of the shoe joints. We also pay special attention to choosing ancillary materials, such as inner lining, toe puffs, and heel counter stiffeners, to create a high-quality product that will last decades with proper care.
- Hand-welted construction, 4-5mm leather insole
- Finest leathers from top tanneries
- Hand lasted
- Corksheet footbed
- Leather board and/or celastic stiffeners
- Vegetable-tanned calf lining
- Closed channel Italian leather outsole (not applicable for Dainite)
- High SPI stitched outsole
- Layer stacked leather heel (not applicable for Dainite)
Our Shoe Lasts
YC3
Last YC3 is a contemporary last with a soft square toe and narrow waist. Aesthetically it is a softer version of the SG65 last, with smoother contoured curves and a classic toe box.
This last fits slightly large with generous volume under the vamp with a moderately elevated instep and sculpted, close-fitting heel.
This last is available in both E and F fittings. Last YC3 fits indistinguishable to BN7.
SG65
One of our most popular lasts, SG65 is a square toe last with straight contours and slightly elevated toe box. Aesthetically it is a sleeker version of the YC3 last with accentuated lines.
This last fits slightly narrower with an average instep and sculpted, close fitting heel.
This last is available in both E and F fittings.Last SG65 fits similarly to DR70.
BN7
Last BN7 is identical in every aspect to the YC3 but with a soft round toe shape. Aesthetically it is a softer version of the DR70 last, with smoother contoured curves and a classic toe box.
This last fits slightly large with generous volume under the vamp with a moderately elevated instep and sculpted, close-fitting heel.
This last is available in both E and F fittings. Last BN7 fits indistinguishable to YC3.
DR70
Last DR70 is the mirror of SG65 with a round toe shape. Aesthetically it is a sleeker version of the BN7 last with accentuated lines.
This last fits slightly narrower with an average instep and sculpted, close-fitting heel.
This last is available in both E and F fittings.Last DR70 fits similarly to SG65.
YSQ
Last YSQ is a classic last with soft chiselled toe shape with slightly higher instep. This last fits true to size, with generous volume in width and under the vamp. We recommend taking this last in your usual size. This last is available in both E and F fittings.
JCY
Last JCY is an evolution from the classic YSQ last with sharp chiselled side profile and front drop.
Similarly to YSQ this last has a slightly elevated instep.
This last is available in both E and F fittings.
GQ06
GQ06 is our classic British round toe shape last. It has generous fitting all round.
This last is available in both E and F fittings.
YRB
YRB is a slightly elongated last with 'Almond' toe shape.
Please note that this particular last is narrow and slightly longer in length. Thus, you may find that there is a quarter to half an inch of extra space at the front of the toe box. However, this elongation does not affect the fitting of the heel to ball.
This last is available in both E and F fittings.