How our Shoes Are Made

INTRODUCTION

The handmade footwear, high quality shoes, are made using a network manufacturing process. In the network manufacturing each artisan performs a different step of the production process. When every artisan has completed his task, the shoes are forwarded to the next one.

Step 1: The Design Team

The retailer provides:
feet measurement by hand or measurement by 3D scanner or standard shoes size;
the chosen model;
customization choices, such as:
• leather (calfskin, suede, deer, eel, ostrich, elaphe snake or kangaroo)
• colors
• name or monogram
• other requests

According to customer’s requests, the designer set up the specifications for the last (a brand new one or a modification made on the existing last) [A shoe last is a 3-dimensional wooden or plastic mold upon which a shoe is constructed] and realize a drawing of the shoe following the requests of the customer.

Step 2: The construction of the Shoe Last

Now the artisan will produce a new shoe-last or alternatively the existing one will be amended. The shoe last is the physical basis from where we start making your shoes. A shoe last is a mold that emulates a foot to give the shoe its proper shape.

Step 3: Leather

The artisan selects the leather and paints it as required, if necessary.

Step 4: Leather. Cutting and Sewing

Partly due to the number of pieces used to make one shoe, constructing footwear is a true craft. The pieces needed to make the shoe are cut from high quality leather then in the next shoes manufacturing step the parts are sewn together.

Step 5: Assembling the Shoe

The shoe is stitched by the master shoemaker by hand. This is a fundamental phase to determine how your shoes are made. If the footwear is a classic Derby or an Oxford, a technique called Goodyear welting may be used or Blake or Blake/Rapid. For Sneaker or Loafer we have specific sewing technique.

Step 6: Insoles and Decoration

Now the pins that were placed in the heel will be removed and the holes they’ve left in the leather sealed. Any ornamental perforation is taken care of at this stage. Or if the finish of the shoe is smooth, seam holes are carefully hidden through a procedure of ironing, dyeing and polishing. Next, the edge of the heel and its outsole are abraded and the visible part of the welt is decorated. The double seam is compacted next and the heel and tips of the sole are dyed. Last but not least, a half-insole with the brand’s logo is inserted and the shoe is carefully cleaned

Step7: The Shoe Room

This is the finishing department where bespoke shoes receive the finishing touches that set them apart from their cheaper cousins. The shoes are polished until gleaming and, if the style requires it, they are laced up

Step 8 and 9: Quality control, packaged and shipping

Each and every shoe then undergoes a thorough final quality check. Then they are packaged and shipped to the retailer.

Get in the fashion business with your own brand.

Private Label and White Label Shoe Manufacturing.

The most footwear retailers outsource the production of their products to third parties. There are only two possible choices: white label and private label manufacturing.

PRIVATE LABEL

Private labelling occurs when a retailer sources its finished product from a manufacturer together with the right to sell the product exclusively. In this case the brand determines the designs, materials, shape and other features of the shoe.
Retailers adopt this method of production to easily get a collection with the desired style, it’s cost-saving, allows for brand visibility, it offers better profit mark-up, and the production process is easily adjustable to their needs.

Over the years, Conintecom srl and his development team have helped new shoes companies to get into the shoes business from scratch, flanking them all the way along, from the initial idea until making the new collections real.

WHITE LABEL

Instead a slightly different nuance is represented by the White Label production which is an already existing product, designed and created by the Conintecom srl for sale to retailers without an exclusive right granted to any retailer. The shoes styles are already settled, but the shoes are rebranded using the retailer name and logo.
Retailers adopt this method of production to leverage the work of industry specialists, saves time and cost, to have a lot of choice from the extensive catalogs, and of course to selling shoes with their own brand.
Conintecom srl has designed and realized hundreds of different styles, all available as white label products. Every year according with the fashion drives, we develop new styles that improve and enlarge our catalog.

FREE CONSULTING SERVICE

Start off on the right foot by scheduling a consultation with our team of shoe manufacturers and footwear development experts with the technical know-how to bring your ideas to life.
Whether you have a sketch, detailed tech-pack or simply a creative vision, we will work closely with you to best understand your expectations, budget and timeline so that we can hit the ground running.

Located in the Italian footwear district, Conintecom strenght points are the expert shoemakers and designers that create custom molds and patterns. As soon as your designs are transferred into prototypes and then into real samples, you will be ready to head into production, pitch your Made in Italy shoes to retail buyers, exhibit at trade shows or offer pre-orders on your website.