Austro-Hungarian school of shoemaking

[Mike147]

I will definitely attend this trunk show and would encourage others to do so as well.

I have one pair of shoes from Maftei that I had made earlier this year - I worked with Lucian and found him to be very flexible and responsive. I have very big problems with fit and comfort given the medical issues I have with my feet and knees and Lucian has gone the extra mile to accommodate. I am in the final stage of getting an excellent fit with Maftei and ready to order a second pair.

The price-point to quality ratio here is extremely high when compared to competitors in the UK and you won't have to wait 6-12 months to have your shoes completed. In terms of styling, it doesn't matter much if you don't like the traditional AH lasts as Maftei offers styles outside of this contingent (I've seen them in his shop in Vienna). In addition, if you have a style you really like that you don't think is in Maftei's repertoire, bring a RTW pair or some detailed photos of the style(s) you like and see if they can make it happen for you.

For this system to work well for US-based customers, it's critical to have Maftei visit New York once or twice a year. This requires a growing AH customer base in the United States - we need to get to critical mass.

Comments and questions are welcome..

Thanks,

Mike147

*I am in no way affiliated with Maftei

 

[Brickbone]

anyone own work by Roznyai shoes? Budapest based, just around the corner from Vass.
Leathers are inferior Italian acc to De Pied en Cap (French StyFo) but prices are competitive and acc to their site they're flexible on MTO

 

[bengal-stripe]



anyone own work by Roznyai shoes?  Budapest based, just around the corner from Vass.  

Forum member Ville has a pair of their shoes. He seems to be quite pleased:

http://www.keikari.com/english/anatomy-of-rozsnyai-shoes/

 

[sdolina]

Have got my seamless wholecuts from Maftei (Alexandro), really pleased with the result.


























Quick pic on the feet, haven't wear them really.

 

[laufer]



Have got my seamless wholecuts from Maftei (Alexandro), really pleased with the result.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Quick pic on the feet, haven't wear them really.

Wonderful. I considered these but I hesitated and ordered a pair cap toes. The seamless whole-cut will probably be my next order. I see that you have opted to have Thomas heel. Do you notice any difference when you walk? I was unsure about that heel, in the end I decide to leave it to the Maftei (Alexandru) to decide whether to put regular or Thomas heel. I see that you opted for a fully pegged sole or I might be mistaken. One more thing does Maftei now provide hollowed trees or did you have to request it. When I ordered my first pair three years ago I got regular trees. Thank you for keeping us updated.

 

[sdolina]

Thanks laufer,
seamless wholecuts are Maftei speciality, so you should go for these!

yes, I specially asked for Thomas heels because already got it on the another pair. It kinda works as an arch support I believe, at least it feels like this.
And again yes, I asked for the full wood pegged sole, but for the opposite reason - because I never had it before

I also opted for the elongated last, bevelled waist, medallion, three-nails heel design and six eyelets.

I asked Alexandro to make a sort of "JL museum-calf" finish, you can decide how he succeed with this.

The hollowed shoetrees were nice surprise (or Alexandro gift maybe), as I asked the regular ones.

 

[laufer]

Yes the finish looks spectacular I forgot to mention that. My first pair was with the fully wood pegged soles. My second pair will be hand-sewn and yes I went for beveled waist too.
Of course the seamless whole-cut is in the plans for the future. Your pictures have certainly helped to steer me in that direction.

 

[Burton]



Wonderful. I considered these but I hesitated and ordered a pair cap toes. The seamless whole-cut will probably be my next order. I see that you have opted to have Thomas heel. Do you notice any difference when you walk? I was unsure about that heel, in the end I decide to leave it to the Maftei (Alexandru) to decide whether to put regular or Thomas heel.
I see that you opted for a fully pegged sole or I might be mistaken.
One more thing does Maftei now provide hollowed trees or did you have to request it. When I ordered my first pair three years ago I got regular trees.
Thank you for keeping us updated.

That is a really nice shoe.

 

[NYDRH]

Have got my seamless wholecuts from Maftei (Alexandro), really pleased with the result.

Quick pic on the feet, haven't wear them really.

Thank you for sharing the final result of your experience. The shoes look great in the photos. Is the fit as good as you had hoped?

 

[Burton]



Thanks laufer,
seamless wholecuts are Maftei speciality, so you should go for these!

yes, I specially asked for Thomas heels because already got it on the another pair. It kinda works as an arch support I believe, at least it feels like this.
And again yes, I asked for the full wood pegged sole, but for the opposite reason - because I never had it before 
I also opted for the elongated last, bevelled waist, medallion, three-nails heel design and six eyelets.

I asked Alexandro to make a sort of "JL museum-calf" finish, you can decide how he succeed with this.

The hollowed shoetrees were nice surprise (or Alexandro gift maybe), as I asked the regular ones.

Sdolina, I have done some reading on Maftei and I am curious about their connection to the Austo-Hungarian school of shoe making. They are lovely shoes but Maftei isn't really part of this tradition is he? Not a criticism of the shoes --quite nice--but certainly a blurring of the lines of to say the least, no?

 

[Mike147]



Sdolina, I have done some reading on Maftei and I am curious about their connection to the Austo-Hungarian school of shoe making. They are lovely shoes but Maftei isn't really part of this tradition is he? Not a criticism of the shoes --quite nice--but certainly a blurring of the lines of to say the least, no?

Alexandru Maftei was trained and worked for many years at Rudolf Scheer. Most of the men and women in the Maftei workshops have apprenticed at Scheer and some family members continue to work there. Check out the article below - If you check out Maftei's workshops in Vienna, I can assure you that he is part of the AH tradition.

http://www.theshoesnobblog.com/2012/02/maftei-interviewpost-by-claymoor.html

 

[Burton]



Alexandru Maftei was trained and worked for many years at Rudolf Scheer. Most of the men and women in the Maftei workshops have apprenticed at Scheer and some family members continue to work there. Check out the article below - If you check out Maftei's workshops in Vienna, I can assure you that he is part of the AH tradition.

http://www.theshoesnobblog.com/2012/02/maftei-interviewpost-by-claymoor.html

When i read the article, I get the perspective that they are Romanian and there is a uniqueness due to that heritage. I get that he was trained in the A&H school, but I see something different in the shoes. Having been to Budapest, and visiting the shops there, they are different to me. They are more angular and triangular in shape. This is not bad-- just a difference. I see less A&H than you do. This is ok. Just making an observation.

 

[Pliny]

Have got my seamless wholecuts from Maftei (Alexandro), really pleased with the result.

wow, those rok. A true wholecut's such rare gem. Nice curves and the finish is great too.

 

[Mike147]



When i read the article, I get the perspective that they are Romanian and there is a uniqueness due to that heritage. I get that he was trained in the A&H school, but I see something different in the shoes. Having been to Budapest, and visiting the shops there, they are different to me. They are more angular and triangular in shape. This is not bad-- just a difference. I see less A&H than you do. This is ok. Just making an observation.

I get where you're coming from but I think that as a bespoke maker, Maftei is going to build what his clientele wants (within the realm of Maftei's philosophy and flexibility). So shoes out of Vienna may look quite different in last/style than what someone will want out of Bucharest or New York. Many of Vass' newer lasts are built to appeal to an expanded audience outside of their traditional shapes / lasts but they still maintain their traditional lasts.

What I saw in Maftei Vienna was very traditional AH - what I saw at Maftei NY was a combination of AH and also very modern/sleek, with a lot of wholecuts on display. Different strokes (shoes) for different folks - I think Maftei will prove that the core of their quality, construction, finish and customer service are a step above many of their global competitors in the Bespoke space (and at a much lower price point).

 

[VRaivio]

Re-invigorating this nice thread: a MTM austerity oxford in orange-brown Italian buffalo leather with round but chiseled toe, natural welt with white stitching, dark purple lining, flush steel toe guards and single oak bark leather soles with beveled waist.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!