The process behind Bespoke: Basting - Vol.3

Before a bespoke shoe can be completed, there is a process that embodies a feeling that cannot be measured numerically. Yuki Shirahama Bottier places great importance on the key step of this process, the "trial shoe." After checking the interior with transparent resin, the shoe moves on to the final stage, the "leather trial shoe."

Following on from our previous report on transparent resin basting, this time we will report on leather basting.
We created a leather fitting shoe using a wooden last that was adjusted based on the fitting results of the transparent resin fitting introduced last time.

When fitting leather shoes, we generally use the same material as the final product, so that customers can easily imagine what the shoes will look like when delivered.
The shoes featured this time are hand-sewn mocha slip-ons, so only one shoe has hand-sewn mocha. (Normally, during a basting, the mocha line is checked using a machine stitch. Hand-sewn mocha basting requires an additional charge.)

During the leather fitting stage, we check the fit and also discuss with the customer to find any adjustments that need to be made to the design lines.

⚫︎Fitting confirmation process

・Visual confirmation while standing

- Check the tension and gaps in the leather by touching it with your hands while standing.

・Hearing about the customer's wearing comfort when standing

・Hearing about the customer's comfort when walking

Additionally, when designing lasts, it is a prerequisite that leather shoes of any design will stretch in the heel of the opening by a few millimeters when you insert a shoehorn when putting on or taking off your shoes. For this reason, our workshop suggests a slightly tighter fit around the instep as a design aim, so that you can enjoy wearing your shoes for a long time.

First, we had the customer try on the trial shoes while standing, and when we looked at them, we found that there was no gap at the top line and the balance of the design was close to what we had imagined.
We consult with customers about the mocha lines and detailed design, but in the case of slip-ons, the area from the base of the tongue to the top line is a particularly important part that affects comfort, so we make our decisions taking into consideration both aesthetics and ease of walking.

Next, I touched the front of the shoe to check for any areas where there was too much pressure or too much space, but there were no problems there either.
This time, we intentionally aimed for a tight fit, with enough pressure to cause slight wrinkles on the instep below the tassel.
Although they are all called "slip-ons," tassel slip-ons, in particular, have a shallower opening than other designs such as penny loafers, which means that the heel tends to slip out easily, so the design takes this into consideration.Of course, it is also possible to design them so that the tassel lower instep does not wrinkle.

Check the fit from the side as well.
After the previous fitting using clear resin, we made some adjustments to the padding on the sides of the wooden last, so we will check whether any further adjustments are necessary by asking the customer about how the garment feels when worn.

As for the top line, thanks to the effect of the previous correction, the shoes were able to be worn without any floating.
If there is an opening in the top line or a discrepancy between the shape of the bottom of the foot and the insole, it can cause a "push-push" sound every time you walk while wearing the shoes and can also impair the aesthetic look, so it is important to make sure the shape of the last fits the customer's foot perfectly.

Check from the heel side as well.
When it comes to slip-ons' ease of wearing, it's important that they don't slip off when you walk, so we carefully check that they have good grip on the heel.
The heels on both the left and right shoes appeared to be in good contact when standing, but there was some floating in the left foot when walking, so we decided to slightly shave off the heel part of the wooden shoe tree on the left foot only when delivering the product.

In the case of the shoes shown here, the foot and shoe fit almost perfectly, and since we had already checked the inside of the shoe using the previous transparent resin trial shoe, we did not go through the process of cutting the upper.

The fitting of this slip-on required almost no additional adjustments, and the fit was excellent.
From here, we will finally begin the process of producing the product using wooden lasts and patterns that have been further refined based on the results of the fitting.

We have introduced the fitting process of Yuki Shirahama Bottier in three articles so far. We hope that we have been able to convey to you at least a little of the background to the production of bespoke shoes and the unique fitting philosophy of Yuki Shirahama Bottier.
You can order slip-ons from just one pair at the atelier, so please feel free to contact us if you are interested.

Finally, thank you very much for your continued cooperation, Mr. I.