Introduction

The word "bespoke" when applied to shoemaking implies that the footwear is made to a client's exact measurements and specifications. Bespoke footwear is invariably handmade. However not all handmade footwear is bespoke.

The craft of bespoke shoemaking goes back centuries and the techniques and secrets discovered are passed from master to student through lengthy periods of apprenticeship. Despite this, years of further practise are necessary before the craft can really be mastered.

This legacy of knowledge bequeath by the many generations of craftsmen before manifests itself in footwear that goes beyond the purely functional. Bespoke footwear should feel like a natural extension of the feet. They should have the structural strength to last for a considerable period of time. They should define the wearer's personality and compliment his or her appearance. Lastly they should possess an aesthetic refinement which easily distinguishes them from the ordinary.

Bespoke footwear are unavoidably more expensive than most factory made ones due to the time needed to make them (in excess of 40 man hours per pair) and the usage of only the very best materials (which greatly exceeds in cost, by itself, the price of many factory made footwear). It would be a shame however to be deterred just on this basis. The value of the attributes that make bespoke footwear what they are - that of comfort, longevity, distinction, individuality and beauty - cannot be translated into monetary terms and it is really only through direct experience that their true worth can be appreciated and their cost defined.