Sole Welting

[FlyingMonkey]

Just to add something to counter the possibly negative trends identified by DWFII and others - if you pop over to the Japanese shoe thread, you will probably be struck by how many younger Japanese makers there are - there is an increasing interest in bespoke shoemaking amongst young Japanese men and women. They seem to have a very strong work ethic and understanding of the necessity of learning one's craft from traditional makers, and a desire for perfection. Shoemaking course and classes are also highly subscribed in Japan. Indeed you will find more than a few young Japanese shoemakers now as apprentices and shoemakers, both for traditional European makers and independently in Europe, as well as in Japan. Some of the young Japanese makers are true inheritors and communicators of various French, Italian and British styles. @nutcracker and @BespokeMakers can say much more about the specific craftspeople.

So, whilst there may be decline in interest in the USA, in global terms, I am not sure the same is true. It is just that the centre of gravity of the shoemaking world is shifting to the Far East (and also South-East Asia - there are some very good Malaysian and Indonesian shoemakers, for example, but I know less about them).

 

[RogerP]

^^^ Interesting. And worthwhile keeping a more global perspective in mind.

 

[TheWraith]



^^^ Interesting.  And worthwhile keeping a more global perspective in mind.

+1

 

[thelonius]



Apparently (information from the French forums, I can't vouch for it) Devos is the half-brother of Anthony Delos. When he wanted to enter the business a few years after Delos, Delos objected to another shoemaker by the same name, so Eric Delos changed one letter in his name and became Devos.

That's very interesting, thanks.

 

[DWFII]

About forty years ago +/- there was a great interest in "returning to the land" that swept across the US. And a lot of people got interested in the history of the American West.

Suddenly all across states like Oregon, Nevada, Utah--the Great Basin--young men (and some women) were showing up looking for work as cowboys. They came from all over but many came from California and were white, privileged and fundamentally dilettantes.

Some of the most recognizable "buckaroos" in the ensuing years...and they all loved the limelight and talking about the "cowboy" life--books were written, coffee table books... had been "professional" beach bums and surfers before they decided to live out their cowboy dreams.

Most of these guys really got into it. They became as good as their grandfathers might have been if they had chosen that lifestyle. And fortunately there were just enough old hands around to pass on / revive the traditions.

Some of those guys are still out there...despite broken marriages as a result of the hard, hard work / lifestyle and poor pay... but not many. The bloom is off the rose, the romance gone, the story written. Nowadays most "cowboys" are illegal immigrants...of various races--as it had been before this glorified re-enactment / movement / conceit began. The work is too hard (see Nick's post), the pay too low (see Bengal Stripe's post).

I might add that about the same time there was a similar craze in Europe for re-enacting the American Old West. Might be you can still find traces of it...esp. in Germany.

I sincerely hope FlyingMonkey and others are correct. I'll feel a tiny bit justified and virtuous if it's true--albeit a very tiny bit. I know I've been doing my part--actual work, not just idle speculation--over a lot of years to make a resurgence of interest in real, objective quality (not just hyped "quality") and Traditional shoemaking possible. Again, that's the "Mission Statement" of the Crispin Colloquy and The HCC.

But until someone like Bengal Stripe comes along with a chart or graph showing the number of bespoke makers...in some place where you would expect and hope to see it, like London...resurgent, or even holding steady, over the last 50-75 years, I doubt I'll be holding my breath.

PS...(on edit)....I think the Japanese makers are astounding. A little too flash for me but the workmanship is probably unsurpassed anywhere.

But if I were to speculate, I would suspect that, like the example above (including the note about its European counterpart) one of these days the Japanese will rediscover their own history and then it will be all kimonos and tea ceremonies.

...

 

[thelonius]



...

"I might add that in similar fashion about the same time there was a similar craze in Europe for re-enacting the American Old West.Might be you can still find traces of it."
I was born in 1954 and have lived my life in Europe and I don't recall a craze of re-enacting the American Old West, at least nothing that went as far as to deserve the term "craze".

"But if I were to speculate, I would suspect that, like the example above (including the note about its European counterpart) one of these days the Japanese will rediscover their own history and then it will be all kimonos and tea ceremonies."
Don't think the Japanese have been generally dressing like that for a long time. Western-influenced dress standards were in place in the late 19th c.

But I do agree you seem to have done far more than your "bit". What the readers, non-professional, but buyers ("users") of SF can contribute is to learn to appreciate, then search out and be exigent about that fabrication quality, too. After all, no buyers, no jobs for the craftsmen.

 

[DWFII]



I was born in 1954 and have lived my life in Europe and I don't recall a craze of re-enacting the American Old West, at least nothing that went as far as to deserve the term "craze".

Any time an obscure bootmaker in the outback of Oregon (not even Texas) gets a dozen or so letters, over the course of approximately five years, from Europe asking about having period boots made, along with photos of "gatherings" and club outings, if it's not a craze, it's near enough for government work

And BTW, I was astonished...and, frankly, I thought it was silly.

So there's another for the "usual suspects" to challenge the truth of.

Join the club...oh, yeah, no need.

...

 

[RogerP]



After all, no buyers, no jobs for the craftsmen.

Now there's a point worth making.

 

[dopey]



"I might add that in similar fashion about the same time there was a similar craze in Europe for re-enacting the American Old West.Might be you can still find traces of it."
I was born in 1954 and have lived my life in Europe and I don't recall a craze of re-enacting the American Old West, at least nothing that went as far as to deserve the term "craze".

"But if I were to speculate, I would suspect that, like the example above (including the note about its European counterpart) one of these days the Japanese will rediscover their own history and then it will be all kimonos and tea ceremonies."
Don't think the Japanese have been generally dressing like that for a long time. Western-influenced dress standards were in place in the late 19th c.

But I do agree you seem to have done far more than your "bit". What the readers, non-professional, but buyers ("users") of SF can contribute is to learn to appreciate, then search out and be exigent about that fabrication quality, too. After all, no buyers, no jobs for the craftsmen.

The NYTimes magazine used to write a sneering feature piece every three or four years about the weird Germans going into the woods for a weekend to play dress-up cowboys and indians. But I haven't seen one in about ten years.

 

[DWFII]



The NYTimes magazine used to write a sneering feature piece every three or four years about the weird Germans going into the woods for a weekend to play dress-up cowboys and indians. But I haven't seen one in about ten years.

Really! Thanks for that!.

But wait for it...the usual suspects will dismiss that source too. It doesn't support their fantasies and conflicts with their own personal experiences / feelings.

And the sneering is all of a piece.

...

 

[dopey]

I was mistaken. They have run these stories as recently as 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/arts/design/12karl.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

The Times really does have a fetish for this story. Here it is again from 2004, and I recall reading it even before that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/11/travel/deep-in-the-heart-of-bavaria.html
But still not as repetitive as Tom Friedman, I guess.

 

[bengal-stripe]

There are always people re-enacting something or other: Romans, Vikings, English or American Civil War, Nazis and of course Cowboys and Indians.

http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/reinactment

But is this a 'craze' (appears suddenly and achieves widespread but short-lived popularity) or is it just some 'fringe activity' of a few like-minded people? Nobody doubts that there are groups in Europe enacting the Wild West (just as there are groups re-enacting many other things), but it was your use of the word 'craze' that was questioned. Twelve letters over five years does not support a 'craze' = widespread.

I suppose, the last proper craze were the Hippies and the 'Summer of Love' (1967) or the Rubik cube (1980s).

 

[DWFII]

Maybe one part of Europe doesn't know what goes on in other parts of Europe; maybe the experiences of a single Frenchman don't speak for the experience of all Europeans / Frenchmen?

One wonders if there isn't a larger lesson to be taken from all that? Maybe one person's isolated, singular experiences are just one person's isolated singular experiences.

 

[DWFII]



But is this a 'craze' (appears suddenly and achieves widespread but short-lived popularity) or is it just some 'fringe activity' of a few like-minded people? Nobody doubts that there are group in Europe enacting the Wild West (just as there are groups re-enacting many other things), but it was your use of the word 'craze' that was put into question. Twelve letters over five years does not support a 'craze' = widespread..

In context...which is being conveniently ignored...12 letters is more than an aberration the likes of a 100 year drought.

And I think those letters began in about 1988 or thereabouts...and it's still going on, according to the links above, in 2007. Maybe "craze" is the wrong word. I suspect "movement" might be more appropriate. :tounge:

That said, the Mirriam Webster dictionary defines "craze' as :

an exaggerated and often transient enthusiasm,
​

And the Collins English Dictionary--British word set has "craze" :

a short-lived current fashion
a wild or exaggerated enthusiasm ​

As I said, I thought it was silly...and that despite my admiration and enjoyment of re-enactments. But Cowboys and Indians in Europe?!! Who's kidding who? If it's not a craze it's still crazy.

...

 

[RogerP]

Quote:
Entirely correct. Most overstatements, by definition, have a basis in fact. But consistently overstating is not a path to credibility. It is one of THE most common ways that witnesses who are otherwise honest and attempting to be truthful trip themselves up on the stand. Some just can't resist the temptation to embellish. And as a consequence, it becomes difficult to rely on any aspect of their testimony.