SHOEMAKING : A Traditional Process
Man started making leather shoes 5000 years ago out of deer and bearskin, but we’ve come a long ways since then. The shoes have definitely evolved and newer styles are considered classic these days. They all share one common characteristic however: the core style remains largely the same. There is not much evolution from a 100 year old Oxford shoe and today’s versions. The Older The Classic.
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It is the most important building block of each shoe, and its production is a process that requires masterful skill. And this comes, naturally, at a price. Roughly 47 percent of the production costs involved in making a men's shoe are due to the costly raw material.
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Back in the day, shoemakers were solely responsible for each stage of the shoemaking process. Today, quality shoes are made using a nesting manufacturing process. This involves dividing tasks among several departments within the factory.
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A high quality, all leather, shoe uses leather in the following places:
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The outsole of the shoe (the part that touches the ground)
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The insole of the shoe (the part your foot rests on)
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The lining of the shoe (between your foot and the upper)
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The heel of the shoe (as in stacked layers of leather to create the heel)
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The shoe upper (the rest of the shoe, excluding the items above)
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The Traditional Nesting Process
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Today, specialized departments within the shoe factory handle the various stages of production. This method of division of labour is known as nesting. As soon as each division is done with its respective tasks, the men's shoe is sent on to the next step in the production process.
The Shoe making process starts at the Product Development Section of a Shoe Industry. It is generally known as the designing section. The success of an industry depends mainly on the designs produced In that factory. Normally the design should look good, aesthetically, cost reasonably low and should be easy in the process of production.
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Market Research Team alongwith the designers collect the fashion trends in terms of colors,toe shapes, materials being developed for the next seasons. Based on this information the designer team will develop some conceptual shoe designs (LASTS) and present these to the respective committee of the industry which includes the marketing team member, production team member, procurement team member and sales team member.
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Once the design concept is approved, the prototype is developed and submit for approval from the committee. In case of the export oriented shoes, the approval is sought from the buyer himself. Once it is freezed, the following phases are carried out before it reaches to the cutting department for material cutting for bulk production.
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Model size trial
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Grading
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Extreme size trial
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Alternate size trial
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Costing
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Final pattern engineering, putting on chamfers, fillets, nicks, notches etc.
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Size run trial in the production conditions
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Tooling
Then, as per the graded pattern of various sizes, the components are cut and supplied to closing and making sections. In the closing sections, the edges of the skived uppers are pasted and folded, the inner linings are pasted with the upper and stitched.
After the completion of the stitching operation, decorative treatment of the upper i.e. punching, burnishing, fixing of bottoms, metal fittings etc is done.
The upper is further lasted by hand or by a machine and then after the buffing on the sides, the bottom is attached to the upper by various processes like stuck on, vulcanising or injection process.
The shoes are then finished by machine, stamped and packed.
All this being said, even the finest manufacturing process is not worth much if the materials being processed are insufficient in quality. Good leather is indispensable to making a premium shoe.
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In fact, shoes in general are deeply rooted in tradition. Most of the types of men's shoes on the market today hearken back to the 19th century, and their construction has hardly changed since that time. To a lesser extent, this also applies to reigning dress code. A shoe that is truly high in quality deserves to be treated with care. After all, quality shoes lend their wearer an elegant appearance and support fit by providing an ideal foot health. By regularly practicing careful shoe care, you will be sure to enjoy your shoes for many years to come.
