CEMENTED SHOES Shoe glue, or "cement", is the most common form of construction in both dress and casual shoes. Like band-aids, they're cheap, easily procured, and effective in the short term. However, glue is vastly inferior to constructed methods for three reasons: They're rarely waterproof: Adhesives may clam water resistance, but very few live up to that. Water not only seeps in to your shoes (making it quite unpleasant to walk!), but also eats away at the cement. This leads to faster deterioration and quicker replacement. The glue wears off: With wear, tear, and water damage, the adhesion loses it tack and wears off entirely in a relatively short period of time. They're not re-soleable: While, conceivably, one could just re-glue...
A Blake stitched sole is a common sole construction that is used to finish high-end leather shoes. It has become one of the most recognised sole constructions, even though most of its work is hidden underfoot. To shed a light on the Blake stitched construction, take a look below for some information around this artisanal process of shoe making. Blake Stitched Sole The key difference between a Blake stitched sole and other (lesser) means of sole construction is that less glue and fewer layers are required in the construction and finishing process, which results in a far simpler, far superior shoe that's lighter and more durable than a regular cemented (glued) method. Unlike cement construction, where adhesive alone is...
Goodyear Welted construction get its strength, durability and repair qualities by stitching the upper leather, lining leather and welt (a specially prepared piece of leather) to the ribbing that has already been bonded to the insole. The welt is then stitched to the leather or rubber sole. It is this final stitch, holding the sole in place, which we can cut through enabling complete removal of the sole without causing damaging the upper. The Goodyear Welted construction is expensive, time consuming and requires highly skilled craftsmanship. Invented hundreds of years ago, it is still considered one of the finest method of shoe construction today. A brief history All Goodyear shoes are made by using the traditional Goodyear Welted construction synonymous...
