Hand-stitched shoes require a lot of work that we might not often appreciate. It is one of those art forms that is slowly fading as machine work increases. Although I dare say there is a resurgence of handcraft work in the shoe industry, this is one that often gets overlooked. We are now focused on everything ‘hand welted’. And when I say hand-stitched shoes, I am referring to the upper leather for the sake of this post. It is a painstaking process that requires a very steady hand, attention to detail, and the utmost precision. And when done right, can create a very unique and distinguished piece of art, such as the shoes shown here.
Paolo Scafora is one of the shoemakers that aims to keep this artwork alive and thriving. There is no brand that creates more hand-stitched uppers in unique designs than Paolo Scafora does. While many brands will offer you a hand-stitched apron, which is commonplace in the industry, to hand stitch the heel counter, the facing, the quarter line and any other lines that might fall on the pattern is far more unique and less prevalent. Yet, Paolo makes it his specialty!
Above you can see how they create these unique patterns through hand stitching the upper on a flat, iron board looking platform. It is very delicate and precise work. One wrong move can ruin the entire upper whereby you need to start fresh as you cannot punch twice and potentially cause weakness in the upper. Paolo also takes it up a notch by giving a Norwegian braided stitch on the upper, as well. That feature is even rarer.
It is impressive to see what can be achieved when the mind is put to the test and Paolo Scafora continues to push the limits of creativity in his collection.
Learn more: https://www.paoloscaforanapoli.com/us/
Great work
indeed