From the first precision cut to the final polish, cordwaining – the heritage craft of handsewn shoemaking – demands a courageous heart and strong hands. As shoemakers or (to be more accurate) cordwainers, we are the modern guardians of this extraordinary craft, creating masterpieces tailored to each individual’s feet.
In our world, shoemaking is also known as the ‘gentle craft’, because it is quiet, steady work at a bench, using hand tools. The only sounds you might hear are the tap of a hammer, the thrum of thread making a stitch or the rasp of a knife being sharpened.
The Enduring Art of Handsewn Shoemaking
The name ‘gentle craft’ always makes me smile. It’s misleading; handsewn shoemaking is actually intensely physical work and for that reason has traditionally been a man’s world. But like many heritage crafts, the number of makers has shrunk over the past century, impacted by globalisation and mechanisation.
Our craft must evolve and adapt to attract fresh talent and new customers keen to invest in beautiful footwear, which is why a new maker award will be presented next month at the Cordwainers’ Footwear Awards. The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers, a historic City of London livery company, has been dedicated to the craft of shoemaking for more than 750 years and today, the focus of their charitable giving is in support of the British footwear trade in all its guises.
Women in the Workshop – Four Cordwainers Share Their Stories
I sat down with three fellow cordwainers – Caroline Groves, Emiko Matsuda and Adele Williamson of Trickers – to chat about how we became shoemakers. Although we are different ages and have pursued our own distinct paths, what resonated most with each of us was how welcomed we were made to feel by the trade and the generosity of the people in it.
For Caroline, her passion for leather came first. “When I left school at 16, I learned handsewing skills from a local saddler and then spent time with leather artisans MacGregor Michael who were my mentors and are now dear friends. Shoemaking came later, and it was shoemaker Jim McCormack who really gave me an insight into the world of the handsewn craft”.
As a fashion design student, a glimpse inside the world of Trickers in Northampton in 1992 first set me on my course, as it did for Adele some 24 years later. “I’d never been in a factory before and I loved it; the smells and sounds, the heritage, the contrast of the fast-paced factory and the steady rhythm of the bespoke room, I knew it was where I wanted to be.” After she graduated from De Montfort University, Adele apprenticed with Trickers under renowned shoemaker Scott McKee and now heads up their bespoke team.
In 1997, Emiko knocked on the door of one of London’s oldest shoemaking firms, Foster & Son, “The idea of making something entirely by hand attracted me. It was a truly special experience being apprenticed with Terry Moore who was passionate about the craft, kind, gentle, generous with his time and knowledge and with a wonderful sense of humour.”
Paul Wilson, who I trained with, had that in spades too – fun to learn alongside, incredibly knowledgeable and patient. I retrained in my early 30s as a QEST scholar with no prior experience, but plenty of determination, even learning to ride a motorbike so I could commute to north London to train with him.
The Importance of Mentorship and Community in Modern Shoemaking
Just as a master shoemaker would have guided a journeyman or apprentice shoemaker 200 years ago, these amazing mentors not only honed our skills but helped to shape our approach to the craft and to the business of handsewn shoemaking.
We’re mindful to pay that generosity back, and support and encourage aspiring makers where we can, and alongside our shoemaking school, we devised and are sponsoring the new Craft of Shoemaking Award with the Cordwainers, the first award to recognise makers.
We all now run our own studios. James Ducker and I founded Carréducker over 20 years ago and have a workshop in Oxo Tower Wharf on the South Bank; after 20 years with Fosters, Emiko founded her eponymous bespoke label, based just outside London; as Tricker’s head of bespoke, Adele spends much of her week at the bench in her Cotswold’s workshop; and Caroline has settled her business into a light-filled studio in her Cotswolds garden.
Geographically we might be a small community of makers here in the UK, often sharing the same network of suppliers and highly skilled outworkers in this niche of niche crafts, but thanks to the internet our actual shoemaking community is global with friends and fellow shoemakers around the world.
Craft with Purpose and Evolution
I think that it’s fair to say that we love the craft for itself, the rhythm of making, its creativity and complexity (200 steps in the making process alone). It’s a living heritage that gradually evolves and adapts to the world around it and as women shoemakers, we’re taking steps to see it continues to flourish.
At Carréducker, we’ve launched bespoke leather sneakers that are fully repairable and where appropriate, we encourage clients to choose vegetable tanned leathers for their bespoke shoes – a leather that is more environmentally friendly and develops a beautiful patina over time; as well as expanding our shoemaking courses to include shoe renovation and re-make classes.
Adele has enhanced Trickers’ bespoke service by being hands-on throughout the process from seeing the client at their Jermyn Street store to conducting fittings and delivering the finished footwear. Gently managing clients’ expectations is part of that service, as unfortunately the elegant, narrow shoes that fill our Instagram feeds aren’t a style that suits everyone.
Emiko is skilled in all aspects of handsewn shoemaking, from carving lasts and making patterns to shoemaking; she enjoys the variety that brings her. She also enjoys the autonomy of working for herself and to her own schedule, finding mornings best for pattern cutting and afternoons for last making or shoe making.
Uniquely among us, Caroline makes almost exclusively for women. It’s a specialist area, particularly complex when considering heel heights and pitch. She has honed her technique inspired by the handsewn heels and decorative uppers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, allowing her to focus on what she and her clients love most, her artistry.
With attention to detail and craftsmanship undiminished, perhaps it’s our creativity, energy and dynamism that may be the biggest draw for a new generation of client, ushering the ‘gentle craft’ into an exciting future.
“It’s a living heritage that gradually evolves and adapts to the world around it”
Quickfire Q&A – Life Behind the Bench
Q Shoemaking is physically demanding, what do you do to stay fit?
Adele – I go to the gym for strength training and balance work and blow the cobwebs away on long distance bike rides
Caroline – I’ve had operations on both shoulders so I’m much more careful about my posture and how I work now, especially the repetitive jobs
Deborah – I combine pilates for flexibility with rowing for strength training and miles of dog walking for decompressing!
Emiko – When I was young, I thought it would keep me strong, but I’ve adjusted my way of working and go to the gym 4-5 times a week
Q Broken nails and rough skin are part for the course as a shoemaker, so how do you look after your hands?
Adele – O’Keeffe’s Working Hands cream
Caroline – A manicure before every trunk show
Deborah – O’Keeffe’s Working Hands lotion at work and Sanct Bernhard “Back of the hand” Care Cream at home
Emiko – It’s impossible!
Q What’s your go-to workshop style?
Adele – I’m a boots, jeans and work shirt person, but dial it up for client meetings with Trickers Grasmere kudu boots, Dawson Japanese selvedge jeans and a smart work shirt
Caroline – Handsewn ankle boots, jeans and a t-shirt or flannel shirt (I’m a 70s girl)
Deborah – Clogs or William Lennon boots, Hiut jeans, a patterned work shirt and a Carréducker x Blackhorse Lane work apron
Emiko – Full brogue burgundy Derbys, leather patched work trousers, a t-shirt or work shirt and a leather apron
Jargon Buster – A Shoemaker’s Glossary
Apprentice – a shoemaker in training
Clicking – cutting out the leather
Closing – sewing the upper part of the shoe
Foster & Son (Fosters) – traditional bespoke shoemaker founded in 1840
Journeyman – a shoemaker in training travelling from one master to another
Last – the shaped block of wood that a shoe is made on
Lasting – pulling the upper over the last
Making – sewing all of the components of the shoe together
Outworker – working from home making different parts of the shoe
Trickers – Northampton boot and shoe manufacturer founded in 1829
Upper – the part of the shoe that covers the foot
For those who love fashion with soul and substance, the world of handmade shoes is just the beginning—step further into the craft of style.
