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Footwear Symposium: Shoemakers Guild in Ashland

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In early day’s different kinds of economic activity led to distinctly different kinds of guilds. These Guilds were and are associations of artisans or merchants who control the practice of their craft in a particular town. Unlikely in modern days Guilds are hard to find. And when it comes to particular shoe/footwear maker guilds it’s really hard to find one to join. Shoemaking profession is now become popular day by day. Number of personnel being involve to this profession. For example Keith Poh, a Singaporean banker quit his job and become shoemaker.  Vast numbers of shoemaker are quite professional and some others are hobbyist. According to history First shoemakers’ guild is recorded in 1202. Europe was flourish land for any kind of Guild. Europe North America also famous for Guild. “Footwear Symposium” is one of Guild for shoemaker which...

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Edwin Neo: From Cobbler to Master Shoemaker

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Five years ago, Mr Edwin Neo was a cobbler repairing shoes and handbags at a Master Fix outlet in Raffles City. But he had a big dream. He wanted to be a master shoemaker, crafting not only bespoke shoes but also designing and producing his own line of footwear for discerning Singapore men. He read books on the subject, watched YouTube videos and, after scrimping and saving, hightailed it to Budapest, where he honed his skills under an accredited master shoemaker. Later, armed with just a piece of paper with the address of a shoemaking workshop he found on the Internet, he headed for Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Today, Mr Neo, 35, is a shareholder in that workshop. It has helped him produce six collections of Oxfords, Monk Straps, Dress Boots, Penny Loafers and Derbys in different...

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Singaporean Banker Quit His Job & Become Shoemaker

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A bespoke shoe made in the old tradition can take two to three weeks of constant labour by an experienced shoemaker. In Asia, where more and more products are going the way of mass manufacturing, a handmade shoe is rare and less appreciated by a people who aren’t as exposed to them, says Keith Poh, a young Singaporean who just spent the last five years travelling the world trying to learn the craft. The making of leather shoes dates back to the 1600s, and remained a handicraft till the 19th century, where mechanisation gradually took over the entire construction process. Handmade shoes are expensive, too, admits Poh. It’s not hard to imagine why they would be pricey, if a shoemaker can only make one or two a month. “They’d have to be at least a couple of thousand (dollars)...

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Cowboy Boot Maker: Paul Krause

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Paul Krause from Prescott, Arizona making handmade boot for more than 40 years. Established PK Bootmaker that  has been committed to handcrafting the finest quality custom leather cowboy boots and gear. With skilled design and craft, PK Bootmaker is able to offer limitless choices that before could only be imagined.  Dedicated to old-fashioned, traditional cowboy boot making techniques, each distinctive piece is created individually, ensuring that you receive exactly what you envisioned. Paul is a Bespoke maker.  Bespoke is 19th Century word denoting the ritual of pattern making specifically from the measurements of the person for whom the boot, or clothing item was intended. He take about 20 measurements of feet and legs to create your custom fitted boot. It’s very old world and very...

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What Means Bespoke and Bespoke Shoe

Posted in BOOT, OXFORD-DERBY, SHOE ARTIST, SHOE MAKING TUTORIAL | 0 comments

Bespoke is an adjective for anything commissioned to a particular specification. It may be altered or tailored to the customs, tastes or usage of an individual purchaser. Synonyms are “custom-made”, “made to order”, and “made to measure”. Antonyms are “off-the-shelf” and “ready-to-wear”. Modding is a slang term that is different but somewhat related. It refers to personalization of an item after manufacture. Bespoke Shoes Bespoke shoes are shoes made especially for a certain customer by a shoemaker. The feet are measured and a last for each foot is created. Some people have different sizes of their feet. Bespoke shoes is a way to come around that problem. The customer can often choose between a wide variety of styles, soles, leather types and colors. When a customer orders bespoke shoes, the shoemaker does not finish them before the fitting. This...

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Leave your job, become a… shoemaker

Posted in SHOE ARTIST, SHOE MAKING TUTORIAL | 0 comments

You could’ve been anything with a beard like that, why become a shoemaker?  ‘Unbeknownst to me when I was growing up, I’m actually the eighteenth in a very long line of shoemakers – though it skipped the last three generations. So it’s in the blood. I was watching crap Christmas television in high school and the Danny Kaye film ‘Hans Christian Andersen’ [about a cobbler] came on. I thought: That looks like a nice life. So I did a couple of years of vocational training back in Australia, went to college and then apprenticed. But if you’re going to learn how to make shoes properly you need to go to one of the great cities for shoemaking, one of which is London.’ So what do you do all day? A load of old cobblers? ‘I do preparation work in the morning, like stitching the soles on. They take about 45 minutes each, so I do it while listening to...

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