The Bespoke Shoes Thread

[LThomsen]

My first two pairs of bespoke/custom made shoes. Made by a local "unknown" shoemaker in my city. The first two pairs I got made are classic black Oxfords which I can wear to office regularly. Workmanship is quite good though obviously not comparable in any way to the high end bespoke makers around the world - frankly, I do not have and do not see myself having the budget for that level of bespoke shoes ever. Price brackets are thus completely different. This is a local maker who makes entry level bespoke shoes, but with honest craftsmanship. What I really love is the glove-like fit and everything being made to personal specifications. In many ways, better than much more expensive ready to wear stuff. Some suede penny loafers with well defined chisel toes are next on the agenda - yes, I dig chisel toes !

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Who is the local unknown shoe maker?

 

[basu13]

Who is the local unknown shoe maker?

Well I live in the city of Bangalore in India. There is a guy here called Sunil, who does bespoke shoes customised to your preferences. Definitely not a globally known name of any kind, and has a very small setup - but he does good work at reasonable prices.

 

[Concordia]

Very nice. The length of caps is a matter of taste (Poles seem to prefer long ones, English shorter ones), but the overall shape is very lovely.

The only thing I'd investigate next would be having the quarters lace up a little more closely. Now that he's got your pattern down, that shouldn't be hard to arrange, a few millimeters at a time.

 

[basu13]

Very nice. The length of caps is a matter of taste (Poles seem to prefer long ones, English shorter ones), but the overall shape is very lovely.

The only thing I'd investigate next would be having the quarters lace up a little more closely. Now that he's got your pattern down, that shouldn't be hard to arrange, a few millimeters at a time.

Good point, thank you.

Perhaps because I prefer a very snug fit over the vamp, the quarters have that prominent V opening when laced up. He can probably address that in the next shoe I commission.

 

[dauster]

Well I live in the city of Bangalore in India. There is a guy here called Sunil, who does bespoke shoes customised to your preferences. Definitely not a globally known name of any kind, and has a very small setup - but he does good work at reasonable prices.

would be curious to see some pics actually

 

[henryxiao]

May I know approximately what is the price?

 

[comrade]

I do not recall any discussion of Marini in Rome.
I've lusted after one of their models for years but
have neither the time nor the money to indulge.
Comments about them?

Marini Calzature - Bespoke Shoes - Marini Calzature

marinicalzature.it

The shoes:

 

[dauster]

I do not recall any discussion of Marini in Rome.
I've lusted after one of their models for years but
have neither the time nor the money to indulge.
Comments about them?

Marini Calzature - Bespoke Shoes - Marini Calzature

marinicalzature.it

The shoes:



View attachment 1672324

can't speak to the quality or anything but would you mind elaborating why you like this particular shoe? looks like an ordinary and "ok" looking derby to me.

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

I do not recall any discussion of Marini in Rome.
I've lusted after one of their models for years but
have neither the time nor the money to indulge.
Comments about them?

Marini Calzature - Bespoke Shoes - Marini Calzature

marinicalzature.it

The shoes:



View attachment 1672324

I visited the shop back in 2017. Met with Daniele (Marini). Sounds like they prefer a Blake stitch but can do a standard handwelt.
I didn't think too much of them at the time. I wanted more details concerning their leathers and overall craftsmanship, and was told about the famous people that Maestro Marini had made for instead.

If you are based out in Rome, which I imagine you would be based on your comment, did you look into Francesco Masci? He makes shoes resembling the Marini's pictured while utilizing a similar construction. Prices are reasonable as well.

There's also Francesco's old partner Florin Ardelean who runs Calzoleria Artigiana Di Ardelean. He makes reasonably priced Bespoke shoes.

 

[dieworkwear]

I like those derbies.

I believe the last for those shoes may have been made by Masahito Furuhata. He's a Japanese shoemaker who trained at Messina, and then closed his Japanese bespoke operation to work for Marini. I think he's now independent again. He has his own IG page.

A friend of mine introduced me to his work some years ago and I remember really liking the last shapes. They feel very "old school." Some of the lasts are a bit too square for my taste but when they're right, they're really good. Very elegant and tasteful.

He's the only other shoemaker I've wanted to try.

 

[clee1982]

that is definitely very squared, though feels short vs. say GC (which to me the old school ones are also quite squared but in a different way)

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

I like those derbies.

I believe the last for those shoes may have been made by Masahito Furuhata. He's a Japanese shoemaker who trained at Messina, and then closed his Japanese bespoke operation to work for Marini. I think he's now independent again. He has his own IG page.

A friend of mine introduced me to his work some years ago and I remember really liking the last shapes. They feel very "old school" to me. Some of the lasts are a bit too square for my taste but when they're right, they're really good. Very elegant and tasteful.

He's the only other shoemaker I've wanted to try.



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I thought he predominantly worked out of Milan.

I could be confusing him with someone else, of course, but I thought he worked out of the Gatto store (ie. Silvano Lattanzi) not with Marini.

 

[dieworkwear]

I thought he predominantly worked out of Milan.

I could be confusing him with someone else, of course, but I thought he worked out of the Gatto store (ie. Silvano Lattanzi) not with Marini.

Hm, nutcracker mentioned the Marini connection here, but maybe that's not correct?

Japanese Shoes: Bespoke & RTW Super Thread

Good! Please continue your work, nutcracker. more Spigola... http://bespoke-makers.tumblr.com/tagged/Spigola-by-Koji-Suzuki BespokeMakers, you have quite a collection of Spigola pics. If you don't mind, I'm posting this from your blog :) Spigola by Koji Suzuki Bespoke Elephant Leather Double...

www.styleforum.net

 

[marlinspike]

The shoes:
View attachment 1672324

I quite like them, a great casual shoe to my eye. Any idea what his bespoke prices are like?

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

Hm, nutcracker mentioned the Marini connection here, but maybe that's not correct?

Japanese Shoes: Bespoke & RTW Super Thread

Good! Please continue your work, nutcracker. more Spigola... http://bespoke-makers.tumblr.com/tagged/Spigola-by-Koji-Suzuki BespokeMakers, you have quite a collection of Spigola pics. If you don't mind, I'm posting this from your blog :) Spigola by Koji Suzuki Bespoke Elephant Leather Double...

www.styleforum.net

May or may not be accurate ??‍♂️. I just had not heard the name associated with Marini while I was there.

Regardless and based on pictures, Furuhata does produce nice looking shoes. I'd wager they might be more than what Comrade wants to spend.

If memory serves, Marini's shoes were approaching ~3000€ about 5 years ago. Any idea what the Furuhata's sell for?