Sustainable Good Year welted shoes directly from the manufacturer
Read here about the most sophisticated manufacturing style in terms of quality, durability and longevity as well as the excellent components
Manufacturing of our Good Year welted shoes
Good Year shoes are regarded as the most challenging to produce, which represents the highest quality of manufacture. Previously made exclusively by hand by the master shoemaker, it has been possible since the invention of the Good Year sewing machine to produce Good Year shoes faster and therefore more cost-effectively despite the fact that they are still handcrafted. Even today, bespoke welt-sewn shoe classics are still offered, the price range goes usually from€ 1,500 to € 3,500. For this purpose, an individual wooden last is usually made according to the customer's foot size and the components, such as soles and heels, are built up by hand. The welted shoe is offered in addition to made-to-measure production and the machine-aided Good Year lasting in a further version of the double-stitched welt-sewn shoe; this variant was traditionally used for stronger models, such as crampons and solid mountain boots.
The Good Year shoes are sewn twice; the first seam connects the upper leather upper with the leather insole, the second the upper leather upper with the frame and the outsole. This type of production is particularly stable, durable and can best be resole without affecting the leg. From this point of view alone, this kind of lasting is therefore particularly sustainable, which, as with all our products, also and especially applies to the materials we use. The two different seams of the Good Year shoe optimally distribute the tensile and compressive forces of the foot in the rolling movement and let the feet tire significantly less than with other constructions.
Traditional shoecraft of our Good Year welted shoes
Nowadays we work in our manufactory with suppliers for the individual components, which means that, for example, the base of the particularly light Vibram outsoles we use for Good Year shoe production are being prepared for mounting by fixing the heel in advance. Comparable to the sewing process by using the machine for the Good Year shoes, we save valuable production time despite the manual work in manufacturing and can therefore offer our product at an extremely favorable price / performance ratio. The quality requirements remain just as high, of course, or by manufacturing small series we even achieve a further reduction in tolerances that can occur with custom-made shoes.
Components used in our Good Year welted shoes
For the production of our Good Year shoes we only use materials and components of the highest quality and of European provenance. This of course applies to the upper and lining leather, the leather insoles, the footbeds, midsoles and outsoles from Vibram, to heel materials and small items such as nickel-free eyelets and waxed cotton laces. For the bulging of the Good Year shoes, we traditionally use the locally produced cork meal from the Portuguese cork oak. The real Vibram outsoles are extremely light, very flexible, cushion the step and have an excellent abrasion value. Our Goodyear shoes are delivered with an exchangeable soft footbed, which eliminates the need to break in good Year welted shoes. Right from the start, the customer has an incomparable comfort experience that characterizes all of our shoes. Of course, our Good Year shoes can optionally also be worn without the soft bedding, like all other welted shoes, with an individual footbed breaking the leather insole and the cork filler underneath in, which marks an exact imprint of the customer's foot. Our Goodyear shoes can be used as well with customized orthopedic insoles instead of our replaceable soft footbeds.
The shape of the last is worked out by us in our development studios in Munich and Aveiro. For production, these are made from dimensionally stable and temperature-stable polystyrene in all sizes. We also develop the soles and patterns in-house to ensure our quality standards. Thanks to the combination of materials, the welted design and the extremely comfortable shape of the last, we achieve the incomparable comfort of our shoes.
Variety of our Good Year welted shoes
We offer the classic styles of the PlainDerby and the FullBrogue in the colors black and cognac. The design of the details are adjusted to actual styles, their classic orientation is timelessly elegant and perfectly suited as business and occasion shoes. We have specifically designed our Good Year shoes to be particularly light and comfortable, so that even those who wear sports shoes do not have to make any compromises. This represents a significant difference to the rest of the offer and gives our product its unique selling point in the market. The Vibram outsoles we use are suitable for all weathers and without visual restrictions for any occasion, as the polishing of the welts and outsoles offers a uniquely elegant shine.
Care of our Good Year welted shoes
Natural leather requires regular care; to do this, it should be carefully wiped off with a slightly damp cloth. If it is completely dry, it should be greased to keep it supple, water-repellent and temperature-regulating. This should be done before wearing so that the natural leather is protected. If it gets wet, it is essential that it dries slowly in the air and that it never comes into contact with heat sources. For this purpose, the shoes should be stuffed with newspaper, which should be changed several times until the drying process is complete. Shoes have to rest for at least 24 hours after being worn, 48 hours are better. During this time, they should be stretched on cedar wood spanners in order to keep their shape as long as possible. Our replaceable soft footbed should be removed from our Good Year shoes to dry and rest.
