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  • marc1975
    Member
    • Dec 2010
    • 77

    Designing one's own boots - photo story

    Hi,

    it's not really "DIY", but it's also not ready to wear, so I am posting it into the DIY-section. This is the story of how I "designed" my own boots, with a strong influence by Rick Owens, and got them made by a local shoemaker.

    I've been following the famous Rick Owens heels for a while now, but wasn't really sure whether I liked them that much. The RO boots are based on the platform boots that were common in the 70s, with a little less platform, but still very visible. They have a 10 cm heel, which is quite high, and depending on the model, the toe can be more squarish than round.
    I had tried to find RO boots in a certain leather and with a certain seam placement for 1 1/2 years now, but they were always sold out in my size.

    When I visited my local cobbler to get some boots resoled, he started talking about how bad my Christian Dior shoes were made from a quality perspective, and that he would do this, and this... and this... different, pointing to the different areas of the shoes. I can't really repeat what he said, but he obviously knew what he was talking about, as he could explain to me how these were built, and where the weaknesses of the design were.
    You could feel that he likes what he does for a living, and that the custom made shoes he makes are built with a high quality standard - even surpassing those of the designers we know and love.

    In his store, he got a shelf with all the wooden lasts he has made for customers - that's when I got the idea to design my own boot and let him make it.

    I based my initial design on the Rick Owens heels, but with a little less plateau, less heel height, to achieve a more refined, less clunky-type of look.

    I put together some charts that showed how I wanted the boots to look like, what I liked (with green arrows) and what I didn't like (with red arrows).

    Then I went to said shoemaker and showed him my designs:





    He was quite surprised to get such a request, as he normally only makes standard men's shoes, like Derbys or Oxfords. Still, he liked that I came up with the design - he seldomly has customers that have a very clear idea of what they want.

    We discussed my design, and he explained to me the changes he would recommend to make it easier to walk in the boot, add stability and make it more durable.

    As a first step, he took a "print" and measurements of my feet:



    That was back early October. It took around four weeks, till he had made a wooden last and a pair of test boots (made from some plastic material, sorry - forgot to make a photo) that could be used to try on and see whether the measurements fit.



    We had to change one of the measurements, as the instep was too narrow and definitely wouldn't have fit well if we kept it that way.

    At this point, we selected the leather, the type of leather lining, how much heel I exactly wanted to have in the end (height), and how tall the final boot should be.

    Then for another 4 1/2 weeks, he worked on the boots till he called and asked to come in for a first try-on. The upper half of the boots was nearly finished, just the soles were missing.



    Although the fit was perfect (better than any boot I've ever worn), at this point I wasn't sure whether I really liked the outcome. The boots looked rather feminine, and I couldn't imagine how the sole alone would change that. With the boots being much more expensive than Rick Owens RTW, I thought I had wasted my money.
    When I mentioned this to my shoemaker, he asked me not to judge the boots yet, as the sole would change the whole boot quite a bit.

    We discussed how thick the sole should be, what type of sole I would like, how the connection between the heel and the sole should look like, and whether I wanted him to finish the work or leave it in a state so we would be able to add more layers to the sole, giving it a thicker appearance. I opted for the first option, as I was pretty sure how thick the sole should be.

    Today, about 2 1/2 months after the initial sketch, he called again to tell me that my boots were ready.

    Well... he was right. The sole did change the boot quite a bit, and I am quite pleased with the result. The boots come with their own custom made shoe-tree, that is based on the wooden last. This way, creases will be reduced to a minimum.

    The outcome is superior to what one can buy from a designer. Simply because even designers will use (albeit in low volumes) mass-production technologies to get their shoes produced. Some of the things that are sewn together by a traditional shoemaker are simply glued together in mass production, and according to the shoemaker, he has seen lots of designer shoes that looked nice, but weren't worth the markup once he saw how they were constructed. "You are paying for the design, not for the quality". I guess I got both with his boots. "If anything breaks or needs replacement because of wear&tear, it's replaceable. The whole boot can be dis- and reassembled." He looked at me, smiling, "I hope you don't want to take it apart right-away, but if you want to, you know where to find me."

    I had considered pre-ordering the RO that are available on luisaviaroma.com right now, but with the boots I got today, I think Rick has lost a customer for his boots.

    Here are a couple of pictures of the finished boots:







  • marc1975
    Member
    • Dec 2010
    • 77

    #2




    So... that's my story.
    Would I do it again?

    Well.. considering the outcome, yes.
    BUT I had points were I seriously doubted whether the outcome would be like I imagined it. Even with the current outcome, I would have a couple of things that I would probably change in the "next" model. Truth is: Designers normally do 4 - 5 test designs (finalized boots) before they have a model that is ready for mass production. If you consider getting your own design done, remember that the shoemaker only has one try to make exactly what you imagine. And you are paying for this try.

    Even if you communicate exactly what you want, the shoemaker can still understand it differently or add some of his own flavours to the design.

    Still - you will probably get something that is way closer to what you like than anything you can buy RTW. And one thing that is definitely true: It will fit far superior than anything you have had before.

    Cheers,
    Marc

    Comment


    • #3
      I applaud your dedication and i hope the result will bring you joy for many many years to come.

      I hate to nitpick though, and i will probably regret mentioning it later, but i feel for the price you pay, you shouldn't get this
      the seam looks off center.




      or is it just a thing with this photo?

      Comment

      • Yan
        Senior Member
        • Mar 2008
        • 386

        #4
        Out of interest what was the cost involved in developing your own perfect boot?

        Comment


        • #5
          also, what's your shoe size? Did they have to construct a new last for you to accomodate the heel height? I find finding lasts for size 43 higher than 5 cm heel height is impossible.

          Comment

          • delirium
            Senior Member
            • Sep 2008
            • 164

            #6
            definitely an interesting process.

            i am under the impression a lot of shoe makers do not make custom lasts themselves and will outsource it, so i found that interesting that he did that.

            would also be interested in hearing how much it cost
            i expect over a thousand? which isn't too bad compared to Rick's prices for the lack of quality control that he seems to give...

            final product isn't perfect, but as you said, it's the first try.

            are you going to give this another go?

            Comment

            • marc1975
              Member
              • Dec 2010
              • 77

              #7
              Originally posted by Heirloom
              I hate to nitpick though, and i will probably regret mentioning it later, but i feel for the price you pay, you shouldn't get this the seam looks off center.
              No, you are right. And you really don't have to regret pointing that out :)
              *sigh* Oh well... I didn't notice that while I was at my shoemaker, and I started noticing it only when I did the photos. Honestly, one doesn't notice that the seam is off-center when walking in the boots, and most won't even notice that it is off-center.

              On the other hand, you are right. Am I going back to my shoemaker because of this? Probably not. In case I let him make a second pair, I would point out that the seam has to be centered. Trying to get a price reduction because of that wouldn't be fair (in my opinion), as the craftmanship overall is top notch.

              Originally posted by Yan
              Out of interest what was the cost involved in developing your own perfect boot?
              Taking the measurements of the foot including the print were 25 Euros.
              The wooden last: 299 Euros.
              The test shoes (plastic mold): 138 Euros
              The leather bootleg incl. zipper: 649 Euros
              The sole / heel: 430 Euros
              ===============================================
              Total amount is 1541 Euros

              Design-wise, the boot is at 90% where I wanted it to be.
              • I would have made the botleg even a little narrower in the middle, but this was difficult to judge upfront based on the measurements alone.
              • I would have done the decorative stitches in a yarn that is a little thicker, so they are more visible from the outside. The shoemaker didn't recommend that, as he said that every (larger) hole that is punched in leather decreases its stability, and also makes it easier for water to get through. Still... the next boot would be with more visible seams.
              • Speaking of seams... the seam just above the heel would have to be centered.
              • I am currently undecided whether I would make the heels a little wider. My Christian Dior boots have a wider heel. This is something one can only judge once the heel is mounted onto the boot, which then makes it more difficult to change it again.


              Even with this list of items, I feel quite happy with the boots. This is not only because I paid lots of Euros for them and have to somehow justify the purchase for myself , but also because I reached 90% where I wanted them to be, whereas the RO original boots maybe reach 60 - 70 %.

              Originally posted by delirium
              are you going to give this another go?
              Hmm...let's see. Just did the Xmas shopping for 2.5K, probably going to buy a 10K Euro watch in January as a friend of mine knows a guy that gets 25% employee discount at a local jeweler, and the air-conditioning in my car seems to be dying, as it recently started making a strange buzzing sound. Probably not in the next few months . (yes, I think I have a shopping addiction, but so far I am not broke and do ok financially)

              Financials aside, I've walked about 50 meters in total with these boots so far, so I first would like to see whether it's possible to survive a whole evening or even day wearing them. They are my first heels with 8cm height, so finding out how comfortable they are in the long run makes sense before I start working on the next model.

              With all the mud and snow outside, it might take till January or even February till I give them a longer test run. Unfortunate, but I don't want to ruin the leather right-away.

              Cheers,
              Marc
              Last edited by marc1975; 12-18-2010, 05:54 AM.

              Comment

              • MoFiya
                Senior Member
                • Sep 2007
                • 1438

                #8
                Excellent thread. Thanks for sharing
                I have dreams of orca whales and owls
                But I wake up in fear

                BBS for sale (Sz 48-52)

                Comment

                • theblackpalette
                  Member
                  • Aug 2010
                  • 59

                  #9
                  this is very inspiring!

                  Comment

                  • Yan
                    Senior Member
                    • Mar 2008
                    • 386

                    #10
                    Thanks for answering those questions with us. I guess its a scalable thing as with clothing, in that the prototype may cost considerably more than a limited production run. Maybe you should offer your design to others and if enough people buy them, then it helps clear your development costs. The initial outlay though is borderline scary though.

                    Comment

                    • marc1975
                      Member
                      • Dec 2010
                      • 77

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Heirloom View Post
                      also, what's your shoe size? Did they have to construct a new last for you to accomodate the heel height? I find finding lasts for size 43 higher than 5 cm heel height is impossible.
                      Sorry... forgot to answer your question. My shoe size is 42.
                      As far as I understood my shoemaker, the wooden last is always done for new customers. But I guess that the initial cost might be lower when he can build on a standard last (e.g. for an Oxford shoe) and just change a couple of measurements. With the heel height of this boot, finding a last (even in size 42) might be difficut, as men do have wider feet than women, so a new last has to be made anyway.

                      Originally posted by Yan
                      Maybe you should offer your design to others and if enough people buy them, then it helps clear your development costs.
                      Neat idea, but as I am not working in the fashion industry, it's quite hard finding someone who wants to produce something like this in larger volumes. Have you ever seen boots like these at your local shoe store? Probably not... there is not that much demand for these boots.
                      Besides, I asked my shoemaker why he still doesn't have any internet website for his store. He answered: "Well, I've got enough work here (he looked around in his small store), and I get most new customers through word of mouth. I don't need an internet website. Quite to the contrary: If I advertise that I make custom-made shoes and get even more customers, I wouldn't have the time to do it right, and the quality would suffer."
                      So I guess using him for mass production won't be feasible...

                      On the other hand, having designed / owning a single piece that nobody else has is not so bad after all

                      Cheers,
                      Marc

                      Comment

                      • ImaPro
                        Member
                        • Oct 2010
                        • 57

                        #12
                        Nice work and the pics are also nice :D
                        Originally posted by merz
                        ...which the wealthy attempt to buy taste by way of ballin' outta control & inflating values for everyone.

                        Comment

                        • michael_kard
                          Senior Member
                          • Oct 2010
                          • 2152

                          #13
                          I keep coming back to this thread... What can I say, these might be the coolest mens boots I've ever seen, they look spectacular.
                          ENDYMA / Archival fashion & Consignment
                          Helmut Lang 1986-2005 | Ann Demeulemeester | Raf Simons | Burberry Prorsum | and more...

                          Comment

                          • old
                            Senior Member
                            • Jul 2009
                            • 132

                            #14
                            The sole and heel is so wonderfully made with all the flowing curves, it's just beautiful. but perhaps the upper leather could be improved?
                            Tradition ist Bewahrung des Feuers und nicht Anbetung der Asche.

                            Comment

                            • lost53
                              Senior Member
                              • Dec 2010
                              • 658

                              #15
                              Wow, truly wonderful. A great story well told, and with great pictures!
                              Thanks so much for sharing.
                              I would be most interested to see images of the shoes, after you have clocked up some millage on them.
                              To be honest not to see how they wear, but when they have become more yours.. if that makes sense?!
                              And now I have to ask... where in the EU is this shoemaker?

                              Comment

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