Wayman Bespoke Appreciation Thread

[vriche]

What's up, guys? I wanted to bring some attention to a new shoemaker that some of you have probably already heard of called Wayman Bespoke. My friend @Kangnamstyles told me about them a couple of months ago and I ended up reaching out to Simon, the man behind the brand.

For those that don't know, WB is a Semi-Bespoke operation. Basically, you send Simon your measurements after watching his measuring guide video, select your shoe style, and go from there. The shoes start at $775 USD and are hand-clicked, hand-lasted, and hand-welted. Features like lasted shoe trees, metal toe taps, etc. will cost extra.

You can also work with Simon to create a new pattern from scratch starting at $935. Simon is based in Germany and has been a delight to work with, the workshop is located in Shanghai, China.

I commissioned a pair back in early June on a custom pattern influenced by the Celeste from Yohei Fukuda. For color, I went with a crust calf hand patina in Burgundy. Attached is a picture of my shoes in progress. I will do a full unboxing and review on my YouTube channel once I get the shoes. I'll also post more pictures here if Simon sends me any prior to receiving the shoes.

You can find out more about Wayman Bespoke from this post from The Shoe Snob Blog and this one from Smartorial. You can also find Wayman Bespoke on Instagram where Simon posted pictures of the first few pairs of shoes from their soft launch. Let me know if you have any questions that I can help answer for you and also @Kangnamstyles can also chime in since he actually just received his first pair this week.

 

[Viatu]

Great. I'm now following this thread.

 

[clee1982]

very interesting, so the semi-bespoke is basically

1. your measurement, your last (not just last modification, though done remotely)

2. pick from existing model (though can do a completely new pattern with up charge)

correct?

 

[vriche]

That sounds accurate, yes. My understanding is the last is built from scratch using your measurements.

 

[aj2603]

Wayman has some amazing designs. Have u ordered a pair from the @vriche ?

 

[sinequanon]

very interesting, so the semi-bespoke is basically

1. your measurement, your last (not just last modification, though done remotely)

2. pick from existing model (though can do a completely new pattern with up charge)

correct?

That's pretty accurate. They were giving out hinged lasted shoetree and brass peg initial for free back in early June when they just began to take orders. I ordered a pair and look forward to getting my hands on it (hopefully in Sep?)

 

[vriche]

Wayman has some amazing designs. Have u ordered a pair from the @vriche ?

Yup! That's my pair in the first post.

 

[vriche]

Here’s a shot of the soles.

 

[Encore]

I think they are made by Xibao.

 

[Kangnamstyles]

I’ll do a proper write up later of my experience.

For now, I’ll say I am very pleased with the results and post the unboxing photos.

 

[vriche]

Shanghai, China as stated in the first post.

 

[shoesforever]

Must admit that I'm a bit intrigued. Mostly because Jan Kielman in Warzawa, Poland has been doing it this way for some years now. What with the customer measuring themselves that is. Really wonder how well they fit and what they do to make sure the fit is good.

Edit: The shoes look really good,though.

 

[clee1982]

I’ll do a proper write up later of my experience.

For now, I’ll say I am very pleased with the results and post the unboxing photos.

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that looks good, quite a unique make up

 

[Kangnamstyles]

Post about the process with some photos attached.

I don't remember exactly how I discovered Wayman bespoke, but it was through other shoe aficionados on Instagram. It was probably through the hashtag wbsole tied to a specific IG pose showing off the sole, that led me to his account.

I wanted to be part of the 1st test/pilot group, but ended up joining too late, so I had to wait a few weeks to be part of the 2nd group. It ended up being a blessing in disguise as he switched makers and refined the measurement process and etc. during that time.

I think I exchanged over 100 emails and dms with Simon during this entire process and he was extremely easy to work with in terms of English fluency, timeliness, pleasant nature, and professionalism.

This was my first semi-bespoke experience. I have done MTM with Zeb shoes previously. To me, Wayman Bespoke was a level above that since you get your own personal last created for you, and not a brand specific rtw last that is modified for your measurements.

I knew that I wanted a custom pattern involving an austerity brogue design as I had none in my collection. I browsed many IG posts to inspire my custom pattern and eventually landed on a design that married St.C's austerity pattern with Atelier Zakarian's v point facing.

I printed out a generic shoe template and drew my idea by hand and sent it via DM to Simon along with the 2 photos. My initial sketch was very wild and he wisely reined me in to 3 different options that a pattern maker could achieve more feasibly.

Once the design was set, I printed out his pdf to do the feet measurements. During that time, his paper template setting was set for European standards as opposed to the US 8.5 x 11, so I had to find a Fedex to properly print out the correct size. I printed 2 copies just in case.

I wore my normal dress socks and had my wife assist me in following the measurement instructions. I think it took about 3 attempts to get it to a point where Simon and I felt assured that we got it right. It was the instep measurement that was tricky to obtain. I also tend to prefer a snug fit so I made sure that there wasn't any wiggle room in the measuring tape when wrapping around my foot.

I also sent Simon photos of my feet from multiple angles for him to pass on to the maker. I have nearly symmetrical feet when it comes to length and width, but the arches are slightly different but still in the 'medium high' range.

Once the pattern and measurements were set, it was time to choose all of the options that you’ve seen in my unboxing post.

These shoes were an anniversary gift from my wife, so I made a special request to Simon to see if I could have her initials on the left sole and mine on the right. Whenever we walk together she walks on my left. Thankfully it was possible and I kept it as a surprise to reveal when the shoes arrived.

After all the options were selected and payment was sent, it became a waiting game. Simon sent me periodic updates with photos during the waiting period.

I was expecting to receive the shoes in May. But Covid happened and it impacted the shipping routes and availability tremendously. But, I also won’t be going back to the office anytime soon, so I wasn’t in any rush to receive them.


Initial sketch

Simon’s renderings


Measurements

Wife in action

On the last

 

[clee1982]

great write up, thanks