The customer first came to us wearing a pair of Hoka sneakers which were totally fine in and of themselves. But they didn’t really suit his personal style. Subsequently, the reason became clear. He had an arthritic big toe in his left foot which made wearing anythig other than the Hokas extremely painful. The Hokas work for him because they have a built in rocker sole which isolated his big toe joint and made walking alll day possible for him. The rocker sole alters your gait by preventing the foot from flexing and helps in these circumstances.

But what he really wanted was a pair stitchdown style work boots. Previously every pair he had tried was impossibly painful for him so he came to us hoping to find a solution. And the Blackfriars hybrid boot is the result.

We designed a very simple derby style with a straight cap and a counter. But the real work was in developing the rocker sole. We made it with a lightweight EVA and spent many hours fine tuning the profile to get just the right amount of rock, in just the right place.

Also, we played with the heel strike as well and gave it a Kickers style slope (if you remember those!)

This pair will find a home in New York and we hope they will be very happy there. The customer had struggled to find work boots to fit so these free him from his sneaker hell.

We think they look pretty cool.

UPPERS: chestnut veg tanned calf leather by Badalassi carlo; straight cap with brougue punching; counter with brogue punching

LINING: burgundy kid quarters and straw veg tanned calf vamps

MAKING: hand welted; Bakers leather through; hand crafted EVA rocker sole; Vibram sheeting sole

If you like the idea of bespoke, please get in touch with us – bespoke@carreducker.com and we will happily talk you through the process.

And maybe take a look at this boot for inspiration.

The post Blackfriars Hybrid Boot appeared first on Carreducker.

We styled them based on the Buckland, our first bespoke sneaker. So they have the same retro lines and long facings, inspired by bowling shoes. We felt we had to play to our making strengths, so the foxing is stitched by hand to a Bakers’ insole . As a result, the inside is as cushioned and comfortable as the outside. From day one.

The customer wanted a simple white trainer so we chose a super soft calf with a matte finish, specially designed for sneakers.  Also, we padded the top line to create that classic soft feel of bespoke sneakers. We used our classic veg tanned straw lining leather to match the hand stitched foxing.

We hand stitched a double welt to the insole to create the foxing (the strip of leather around the trainers) and filled it with light flexible EVA. Then we finished the construction with a durable Wellen sole which is easily repairable any number of times. So the Sumner will last as long as your other bespoke shoes. As long as you look after them! So a little shoe cream is all you need.

This pair will find a home in the west of Germany and we hope they will be very happy there. The customer had struggled to find shoes to fit so these are a real treat for her.

UPPERS: matte white calf leather; turned, padded top line and tongue

LINING: straw veg tanned leather

MAKING: hand stitched double foxing; lightweight EVA inner sole; white Wellen outer sole

If you fancy a pair of bespoke sneakers, please get in touch with us – bespoke@carreducker.com and we will happily talk you through the process.

And maybe take a look at these bespoke sneakers for inspiration.

The post Sumner Sneaker appeared first on Carreducker.

This customer has a love affair with purple shoes, so when we launched our bespoke trainer service, he ordered a pair without hesitation

Together we chose an Italian veg tanned leather with a natural, tumbled grain and a gloss top finish which makes it unique in our experience as veg tanned leathers often have a more simple finish. He chose the butter soft yellow lining for its comfort which we augmented with a padded top line and tongue. As a result, these trainers cushion your feet from the moment you put them on

We dyed the leather foxing by hand to match the uppers and we also dyed the threads we used to stitch the foxing to match. We hand stitched the foxing which was a strip of Bakers belly

UPPERS: purple veg tanned leather; bronze kid flash detail; turned, padded top line

LINING: yellow veg tanned leather

MAKING: hand lasted; hand stitched double foxing; lightweight EVA inner sole; black Vibram outer sole, cushioned inner with heel cup and arch support

If you fancy a bespoke trainer, please get in touch with us – bespoke@carreducker.com and we will happily talk you through the process.

These bespoke sneakers might also tickle your fancy

The post Miller Trainers appeared first on Carreducker.