LukeVibertUK

As the thread title really...

I am seriously thinking about getting into making shoes both for male and female.  

Nothing mass scale, not to make money and will not be taking orders from any one other than my wife(!).  

I guess this has come out of the sheer frustration of my wife sat in shoe stores for years being unable to find any shoes that fit her properly...they are either too narrow or too large or small and whilst the options remain limited, they are also far from appropriate for daily work wear.

I dont anticipate this to be something that by next Sunday I'm a fully skilled and fledged Cordwainer with 6 pairs produced, this is something that I want to do as a hobby, something that I will enjoy doing to take my mind off life's troubles when I feel like it.

My background is engineering, I have craft knowledge and experience as well as carpentry skills and an eye for detail.  I also have a workshop...    

I understand the basic challenges and construction and no doubt will face many more challenges during the process of learning, however I guess the initial question is does anyone have any advice or pointers (looking at you Dr.Shoe?!   ), websites, tips or material suppliers etc?

Cheers...

Said it before...a commendable effort and keep up the good work!

Commendable effort As a thought regarding the use of aluminum as a material for the heel...by its nature aluminium is very difficult to achieve a sucessful bond unless using mechanical fixing. No matter how well you clean the surface of the aluminium or how quickly you work, the surface will oxidise and be very difficult to create any sucessful bond. Expoxy will struggle with Aluminium. A side note...you can get expoxy 'fillers' - essentially a dust that is added to the epoxy mix as a means of bulking out the mix but to also add strength... you can get the same for GRP to iliminate the use of fibres.

SWMBO has a couple of pairs from Shoes of Prey, the quality is very good and left in no doubt that you will see your shoes after parting with the hard earned! They even go as far as sending you a picture of the finished product prior to despatch, if they dont fit you can send them back (at your cost) and remade smaller or larger at no charge. They are not custom in the sense of Natacha Marro shoes, but they are very good quality and presentation is excellent. Sizing is generous.

www.di-marni.com - Di Marni www.marni.com - Marni

I've had stuff from them via ebay - its good quality stuff

Hayrünnisa Gül looks like an extra from Star Wars. Quite cool really.

"Sand People...or worse"

TBH I like the outfit...I've seen worse

I'm liking Jelske Peterson at the moment.

Not all of them. But some of them are stunning.

http://www.jelskepeterson.com/

I'd second that...her prices are eye watering though

Hi all Back in Feb 11 I was looking at purchasing a pair of shoes for my girlfriend from Burlesque Blue. As I was about to purchase I noticed that a "sold out" label had been applied to all of their 'Hand Made' shoe range apart from those from their ready to in stock range. Looking through the website I noticed they state "due to the volume of orders we currently have, we are unable to accept new orders for Made to Measure footwear at present". I have since inquired twice about about purchasing a pair of shoes from them and neither email has received a reply or acknowledgement. Before I ring them for info, has anyone else had any success buying anything from them, are they wallowing in the wealth of orders coming in, or have I missed something a bit more obvious? Not intending to create speculation, just wondered if they are now only taking volume orders only?

Try the Website there are loads of pics on there of their range...

http://www.di-marni.com/ru/home.html

Why not ask them yourself

http://www.di-marni.com/ru/home.html

...shop in bristol

Might see you in there one day!

High heels and sneakers are two styles that should never be mixed.

Agreed

Every year this style gets pushed out in a vain attempt that hopefully one year "everyone" will buy them. And yet every year they are the first styles to hit the Sales racks.

Not for me.

can't see why you have a problem with uk9(eu43) as many high street stores carry the size in a variety of modern styles. I have bought two pair, one from george@asda, the other from next clearance.

I take your point, only if it was that easy.

We can stand in one shop and try on many styles of size 9 to walk away empty handed. We can try another shop only to find a pair that fits...but are unsuitable for what she wants them for. We have also stood in Next trying on numerous pairs and again walked away empty handed. Although consistency of sizing is part of the issue, width and high instep of her foot is also a problem.

The likes of Barratts Tall and Small range although good for work and daily wear and avaliable in sizes arnt "special" enough for the ocassion.

Besides which the question I was posing in the OP was the experiences that anyone had, not for me to justify why .

My partner and I are off to a friends wedding and other important events in Sept/Nov and as always shoes are the sticking point. My GF has a wide UK9 and the choice/avaliabilty of shoes dictate what she wears...something to do with the colour apparently?! I realise there are many custom shoe makers avaliable out there on the www however the majority are not suitable for the occasion or what she wants to wear. So the hunt began and stumbled upon DiMarni...that illusive footwear desinger(?) that are pretty difficult to get hold of and arnt usually considered in the "everyday wear" price range. Throwing some suggestions to her, she caught her eye on these... I have made a few enquiries and the returns confirm avaliable in a multitude of colours, avaliable in UK9 and are of a "reasonable" price. So how are they size wise? Granted everyones perception of a UK size 5 is slightly different, but just curious to know if I get an UK9 they arnt a UK7... I'm investigating returns policies "just in case"... Greatful for any comments or input...

Anyone notice that one frame has red soles the other black? I wonder if its to do with a copyright issue?

The store I mentioned in the OP took less than 3wks to close, strip out and await a new occupiers.

Reffering to Topshop. They used to stock Faith's range but in the last few years they have really stepped up and now lead the high street in terms of design and construction. They actually react to high end designer directions and use them to create new trends.

I think also the thing with Topshop is that their range is fluid. Although its based on the seasons, new stuff arrives and stuff dissapears at the drop of a hat.

When I initially looked to see what was going on it appears they have had a couple or rocky moments in the past. I guess the Faith website will be the most reliable source.

The article I read suggested that Sainsburys were interested but pulled out at the last minute. The article highlighted the change in competition with the likes of the larger supermarkets killing trade.

The shop I was in was only offering 10% off and concession stores were "optional". My impressions of that were that they are holding out for as long as possible. I think its pertinent to mention that many stores have gone into administration and are still with us on the UK highstreet...

SOme detail here http://www.faith.co.uk/notice-of-administration-artlnotice_admin/

Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere... Just walked into a Faith store plastered in 'Closing Down Sale' posters and a quick check online confirms that they're in administration. Quite sad in one respect however couldn't help notice of late a dip in quality and styles going a bit left field....

Depends on the shop and style... she is a uk9, but can get away with an 8 if she is very lucky yet other places e.g. Faith there is usually very little in the uk9 range that fits. The length is ok, it's the width... The Carvella wedges were fine width wise and only needed abit of gentle easing around the toes...

Here is a selection of my GF's collection...she has them in their own boxes and apparently (I am told) every pair has to have at least two handbags to go with them... My GF suffers (?)/ has for a female, large wide feet, and therefore finds good quality, feminine and fashionable shoes very difficult to find. Some of the selection here you may not consider high, in the sense of this forum, however these are some of the few pairs that fit..with minimal or minor "tweaking"... Top to Bottom L-R Work Shoes - Dune, Nine West, Irregular Choice, Elite Heels (Not work shoes!) Weekend/ Party Shoes Caravela, Tribute Too copies (yet to be worn/trusted!), Bebe, Faith Summer / Weekend Shoes - Faith, Dune, Office, Dune Evening Wear Natacha Marro, Imagine, Elite Heels

Be careful with any of the fake Louboutin Sellers. I don't care about the 'they're fakes' element but I do care about getting what I pay for.

Absolutly, I have read reports of people ordering shoes and getting a purse (the type you put money in not a hand bad) and not getting much/any support or comeback.

Cant help but think the way Mark Hayes behaves in that clip is reminiscent of "Spud" from Trainspotting.