Custom Made Shoes By Foot Shape

Detailed Description of our 10 Step Custom Shoemaking Process

1

A custom shoe or boot order may be placed through our website, by phone, or email.

Once your order is placed, on the next business day, we will ship to you a box with our Bio-Foam® precision foot impression foam blocks engineered by Smithers Bio-Medical Systems,
and an email with your tracking number. Delivery will take 2 to 4 business days through UPS if you live inside the US or Canada, or 7-10 business days through DHL if you live outside the US or Canada.

Once you receive our Bio-Foam® foot impression blocks, you may follow the manual included in the box on how to take your foot imprints or you may book a Zoom or Google video conference call with one of our measurement specialists using this link, which we will also email to your inbox.

During the video call, which lasts anywhere between 30 to 60 minutes depending on the complexity of your fitting requirements, we will cover the following items:

• Guide you on how to step into our Bio-Foam® blocks.
• Ask you about all the fitting issues that you have experienced in the past when wearing dress shoes so we may make specific adjustments to those areas when carving your shoe lasts.
• Go over the customizations related to the design of your shoes or boots. 

After our video call is completed, we will ask you to use the prepaid sticker return label included in the box to ship back to us the box with your foot molds.

Once we receive your foot molds, we will email you within 2 business days a blueprint of your shoe lasts for your approval. A shoe last is the block of wood in the shape of a shoe used by the shoemaker to craft your shoes. The goal is to make sure that you are fully satisfied with how the toe box of your shoes will look. You may request as many revisions as you need. Each revision takes 1 business day for us to produce. The toe box holds 80% of the stylistic character of your shoes and we want to make sure you are fully pleased since a bespoke shoe is meant to provide comfort and an aesthetically pleasing shape.

Once you have approved the blueprint of your shoe lasts, our last maker will proceed with the physical carving of your lasts, which takes approximately 10 business days.

Now that your lasts are completed, our shoemaker will use your personal lasts to begin the crafting of your shoes. The shoemaking process takes a total of 12 weeks. A big portion of this time is spent allowing the leather upper to be stretched on top of your bespoke lasts so that your shoes will keep the shape of your lasts once they are removed from your shoes. To learn about each step of the shoemaking process, please visit our craftsmanship page.

Your shoes, now fully completed, will be shipped to your home using insured and trackable UPS or DHL shipping and take anywhere between 3 to 10 business days depending on the country you live in. Your tracking number will be sent to you by email and text message.

Once your receive your shoes, please try them on. We believe you will experience something truly amazing if you have never tried bespoke shoes before. If you have any questions or concerns after you receive your bespoke shoes, please reach out to us so we may help.

 

Our shoes are custom made from scratch from a pair of bespoke shoe lasts carved using your exact foot imprint, dimensions and fitting preferences so you are able to experience a true custom fit as well as having an unlimited range of design options. We never make adjustments to numbered stock lasts. Every set of lasts are individually created specifically for each client. 

Our custom shoes and boots are priced at $870 and $970 per pair respectively. These prices include the custom carving of a set of bespoke lasts that are stored at our warehouse in Italy and can be reused for future orders.

A shoe last is the block of wood in the shape of a shoe on which the leather is stretched to craft the shoe. “Made-to-measure” shoemakers will use a stock shoe last and make slight modifications to try and match the shape and measurements of your feet. This is not true custom. A true custom bespoke last is made from scratch. At Bondeno, we sculpt and carve the left and right lasts from scratch using the left and right foot's individual measurements, shape, and volume because no two feet are the same. We also understand that each foot's center line/axis is unique and it rarely matches the center line/axis of an adjusted or modified stock shoe last. Carving a set of lasts with a beautiful toe shape that also provides the right fit is the standard of excellence our last makers in Italy have delivered for over 3 generations.

When it comes to toe shapes, we offer the classic round and the classic square, or the client may commission a completely new toe shape.

Our feet get wider and our arches begin to slowly fall as we age. We offer free adjustments to your personal lasts if needed every time you place a new order with us so that each new pair of shoes fit you as well as the last.

During the customization process for the upper of the shoe, the client may choose one of our house styles, have us replicate a design, or commission an entire new design, within the oxford, loafer, derby, monk strap, and boot categories. The final pattern selected by the client will be custom designed using the client's custom carved lasts.

For our shoes made in calf leather, we use "Sicalf", a 1.6 mm A-Grade full-grain calfskin produced by Tanneries du Puy, stablished in 1946 in the South of France, and currently owned by the Hermès Group. We chose Sicalf for its suppleness, durability, and overall quality, not to mention that it is also one of the most expensive calf hides available for sale on the open market. Sicalf and suede come standard with our starting price of $770 for shoes and $870 for boots. We also offer a range of exotic leathers upon request including cowhide, cordovan, suede, deer, bull, shark, elephant, crocodile, alligator, sting-ray, python, lizard, and ostrich. All of our hides are licensed by Fish and Wildlife offices worldwide for trade and export.

Other than black, we offer a range of solid colors in different shades of brown, oxblood, and tan. For hand-painted patinas, other than the colors on display from our house collection, we are able to replicate any color commissioned by the client.

In terms of sole constructions, we offer a single leather Blake construction known for its thin profile, weightlessness, and flexibility. A double leather Blake Rapid construction known for its thicker profile, durability and waterproofness. A full Vibram rubber Blake Rapid construction known for its flexibility and water resistance, and a Goodyear welted leather sole, known for its cork filled foot-bed that molds to your feet overtime and is also the most waterproof leather sole with a double stitched out-sole.

A standard heel for a pair of classic dress shoes is around 1 inch in height, depending on the size of the shoe, but you are given the option to commission taller or shorter heel heights according to your personal preferences.

We use a high density memory foam heel piece that never goes flat and provides the most comfortable cushioning of all heel pieces we have come across over the years. This feature comes standard in all of our shoes.