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Trace feet and select shoe style and fabric.
Feet, like fingerprints, are unique. We trace each person's feet to ensure that the shoes are precisely fit to the unique shape of YOUR feet...and in most cases that means even your own two feet are not exactly the same size! Custom shoes ensure the best possible fit for your unique feet.
Our fabrics come in a huge variety of colors and textures, so there is something for everyone, from tradiotional to fashion-forward to quirky.
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Hand cut uppers and soles from pattern pieces.
Our patterns have stood the test of time and are themselves pieces of shop history. Covering the last, the pattern maker sketches a silhouette of the designer shoe, to reveal a precise paper pattern to work from. Each part of the pattern is then overlaid onto the hand-finished leather to be intricately carved into soft and supple pieces, ready to be stitched. Special attention to design principles ensures shoes have a classical construction with a modern edge.
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The art of closing.
Our artisans stitch the fabric pieces together with a durable and strong yarn, to form the upper part of the shoe. This process of closing is what gives Marlschuz shoes their refined design.
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Stitch uppers and soles together.
The cobblers attach the insole to the underside of the beech wood last, before hand-moulding the leather upper over the top and securing it using small nails. The shoe begins to take on its final elegant form. Hand sole lacing (once you get the hang of it) is very relaxing and rewarding as the shoes really begin to take form. Uppers and soles are stitched together by hand using waxed cotton lacing.
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Lasting, curing, finishing.
Lasting is the process by which shoes are shaped around a wooden form, called a last. The last is slipped into the assembled shoe (hence the name "slip lasting" given to our shoe making style) and then placed into a warm oven overnight to allow the leather to tighten around the form, or cure, and take the final shape of the wearer.
Once the curing process is complete, we make the heels and taps, trim the soles, and wax and burnish the sole edges, creating a very sleek finished product. The shoes can then be laced, if applicable, and the shoes are ready to wear.
Depending on the style of the shoe or particular fitting challenges, the process may take more or less time. Creating each pair of shoes is an extremely rewarding labor of love that preserves decades-old techniques and shoemaking traditions!