World Championship in Shoe Making

April 19, 2018
Posted by John Chung

The first World Championship in Shoe Making took place at the London Super Trunk Show two weeks ago. Since hundreds of years ago, there were already prestigious shoe making compeititions around. These competitions or exhibitions pushed the boundaries of shoe making and gave the shoe makers an opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind piece of art work. As mentioned by Justin Fitzpatrick and the other organizers of this event, they want to bring some of these competitions back.

Winner of the compeition receives 3000 pounds, 2nd place 2000 pounds and 3rd place 1000 pounds. They will also be exhibited at Isetan Men's in Tokyo, Japan and also in various places around the world.

Criteria for shoe:

Plain cap toe oxford model
One left shoe, size UK8 (or corresponding size)
Black box calf upper
Single leather sole
Hand welted, handmade sole stitch
Black sole and heel edges, natural colored bottom
No branding
Shoes will be displayed without last or shoe tree for the jury, but if shoe tree is provided it shall be displayed in the shoe

"Competitors can enter both as a company or as a person. All persons that have been part in the making of the shoe should be stated, and which process(es) each person has made

Criteria that will be judged: Degree of difficulty (maximum 10 points) Jury look at how complicated construction methods that have been used, how advanced they have been built both in large and in smaller details, etc. Execution (maximum 10 points) Jury look at how well the various parts of the shoe construction have been made, how neat and clean the work is, how well executed the level of finishing is, etc. Design / Aesthetics (maximum 5 points) Jury look at the overall aesthetics of the shoe, proportions, etc."

The World Championship is in fact a fantastic platform for shoe makers to showcase their work and also pit their skills against one another in a friendly competition. Less well-known makers producing amazing work can now show the rest of the world what they offer. This helps to inject a fresh and positive perspective for the brands/makers, hopefully paving the way for more business or better outreach to different markets.

Winners of the championship

1st - Patrick Frei / 2nd Daniel Wegan (GnG) and 3rd Philipe Atienza