Berluti Paris: Part II – Bespoke Workshop Tour | The Most Creative Bespoke Shoes in the World?

So here we are in the bespoke showroom At the ataye and we're surrounded by These beautiful models and examples and We developed also a different type of Medicine rule I mean the same model with Different type of construction So based On the discussion on the first meeting With the customer We propose some variation I think it's Very important when you do bespoke to Pay attention on conclusion and the the Goal is too much the expectation of the Customer to to have a happy customer so We always have to sometimes forget Yourself and speak about the project so Let me show you maybe um how we start The process like uh by uh carving the Wooden yeah [Music] Foreign [Music] Foreign [Music] So this is where it all begins yes so When when we are back in the workshop The first step is to build the wooden Nest okay so for that we so I have the Measurement of the customer It's the measurements basically is the Shape of the feet With the curve of the arch some Perimeter at specific point which are The junction the articulation the low in Step doing step I cross the incept with

The back of the heel Which is what we call a big entrance the Entrance which is where the tongue Arrives okay and uh the anchor yeah okay The customer order in the future like Sugar boots if the customer goes for Boots riding boots I will have to take Four more measurements okay uh one two Five five more measurements okay yeah Then we do also the print of the Pressure points of the customer This is very helpful because that will Help us to understand the natural Mechanic of the feet okay so like that We will show we will be sure that we'll Create a good support And then for example here you see that She has a strong Stronger pressure on the on the heel Just a little on the on the toe so that Means the two are a little bit High okay So we have to to pay attention to avoid Catching the catching the toe and Creating some pressure points pressure Points yeah and I mean again at the end Of the day it's a bespoke shoe and so it Has to be comfortable it has to fit Exactly now also being beautiful so how Do you how do you balance those two Sometimes conflicting Objectives the thing is for us the Difficulty for Shoemaker Is to understand the exploitation of the Customer to understand what he wants

Um the taste Is not objective you have your own test I have my own tests so even we when we Were talking about the beauty of design Some customer doesn't like that they Want something very wrong very like what We call bulky yeah so we need to Understand and to be sure that we we get The the equation of the customer same Thing for the comfort yeah Some other like to be very roomy so we Have to adapt we have to forget Ourselves we need to focus on the on the Wishes of the customer otherwise it's a Failure the you know for example two Same exact measurements For two different customers I will not Use the same glass I will make two Different classes of course and I will Have to adapt the the last to the to the The expectation the customer so at the End the last can be very different very Different Yeah and as you were saying you know in The showroom that even the design of the Shoe is impacting the design of the last Yes of course so if you do a Lust For Loofer On Oxford it's a bit different it should Do uh last for a long run or classic Loafer it's also different yeah if you Do a loss for Chelsea boots or it's Different again yeah so we need to Integrate all of all of those things and

On top of that there she has a big range Of uh Tour line okay so you have to Remember always at the last is not the Copy of the foot the last is is the Entire volume of the shoe so the last Has to integrate the fit and the city so In a way the comfort and the proportion Okay so we need to find the good balance For each customer each customer as Different wishes So you take the measurements and then You know where does your work really Begin here in this room so the beginning Will be uh to build the Wilderness to Cover the wooden dust let me show you How we work so based on the measurements I will have to start So when I start uh carving the wooden Last I first choose the block which will Uh be easier for me to uh to achieve the Volume so the last is made in two parts What we call the feed part and the the Aesthetic Parts especially ability Because again we are a lot a big range Of of two line of possibility whatever The the shape of the shoe the fit has to Be comfortable so we always focus on the Feet first okay so for that I choose the block And I will start by taking the Articulation position natural mechanic Position and build the last to follow The morphology of the fruit so it should Look I always take the measurement with

The same pen and all the Volume here Is extra volume okay So you start from the last that is Larger and then you work it down yeah so Even though this is a you know it Already has a shape Right that just gives you it's not for Your shape actually because of the the Arch is very flat uh for the lungs you Have very very big volume the shape is Not Square not run it's I just kind of Yeah yeah so this isn't even a last that You would even use ready to wear I mean This is literally just a blank yeah a Blank a blanket that is designed and Turned exclusively as a starting point Of the bespoke process exactly so I Developed this Uh because by experience I know that all My customers have this type of teeth you Know when I travel in Asia I take Another uh block and for very skinny Feet I have also another one but the the Results is uh always the same the last Will be definitely totally made for the Customer so in some ways it's like a Tailored block pattern yes it's just a Starting point to help in the past we Will celebrate the process yeah yeah Definitely in the past we are using this Really but it took like two days to make It last today it's around like Three to five hours yeah for one foot so

I mean look at the amount of work to Just get this to where this is right and It's a lot of huge work so we used to no We didn't do it with this huh we did With uh so either I don't know the name In English but yeah yeah or uh like just So yeah um Jerusalem yeah You you start by you know taking like Um A rough are there any clients for which You have to start with this they've just Got such Um It's you know it's still a still an Exercise yeah when you learn how to make Shoes To be sure that you understand well the Balance you know to avoid having Twisted Last to uh to be sure that you you Integrate the the volume uh the arch the Version of the arch when you sit the Heel at the right height so the Twisted Last isn't a feature and that's not no Uh Actually I don't do orthopedic shoes Okay So I don't want to ruin the knees of my Customers Yeah so actually you know I I don't try To make a twisty last except if the Customer for me look I have a Orthotics Uh designed by orthopedic guy whatever So I do a copy of the Orthotics and I

Integrate in the last so in that case I Can do like a very curved But it's a different work because we Need to We need to anticipate to create like the Same volume of the Orthotics on the last Then we put leather cork so we do the The the the the the copy of the Orthotics for the customer and those Copy will be integrated in the shoe so It's much much more work but uh Only in that condition I will compensate Yeah and create some movement for the For the body otherwise I'm not a big fan Of that yeah so here we're shaving it Down right yes so you're marking you're Marking with your pencil exactly access That that needs to be removed so we use This this tool which is a very Traditional tool in France Mostly known for the clock maker [Music] Maybe you don't know but French was a Big producer of Claudia not only a Netherlands yeah durable shoes yeah And so how much of the process is these Large refinements done with this machine Versus the more kind of nuanced Refinements that you're doing or shaping That you're doing with the files oh it's Much much quicker much quicker so it's a Kind of rough way of approaching okay And then once I'm not far so I'm gonna Stop here you see I'm gonna stop and

Then I will create a clear a clean line With a file yeah with a big rain at the Beginning and I finish with some pepper Okay then how much is you know taking Off the front versus taking off the back You were saying that you know the really The majority of the shortening is done From the heel yes because I want to be Sure that the the most important part For the feet is to have the feet Well seated in the shoe so the portion Of the the heat is very important the Heel the arch and the articulation are The three major important parts when you Do a wooden masks okay so we start by Shorten the back to be sure that the Mechanic is we is well um is well Balanced then you gonna work on the Shape of the heel so the shape of the Heel has to integrate the natural shape The natural morphology but also you need To think that one guy will make a shoe After you so if the the heel of the Customer is a bit twisted you will not Totally follow the heel because Otherwise you're gonna have a shoe a bit Uh not well balanced so some parts in Some parts of the last you can you can Cheat a little bit because you have like Empty space you know being too close Uh to the feet can be uncomfortable if You have a little space right here you Don't feel it but that helps to make a Beautiful line for the soul okay

So we need to to to to do to do to find This balance the most important part is The Shape of the calculator here and this Line if the customer is very curved or More straight you need to anticipate Here the base will be more geostatic for The profile of the of the Soul Once the heat is made We will build the The footprints okay so a bit like I Would say not to Birkenstock but a bit Like when you walk on the beach on the Sand you see the the volume we try to do Something like that not that much but a Little bit to be sure that the the the Heel will be well seated again To be sure that we give a good support For the arch which is comfortable for Most of the customer Uh and then the the wrongness here can Be a way of giving volume so it can also Be interested to avoid having too much Creases on the on the upper part Uh uh some of them some have customers Like to be a little bit curved like that To for example if you have like the toe On the front it's a bit too much like This you know pushing up is falling down The the toe So All those parameters are very important And I I took a lot of notes when I took The measurements for example I can say

That and these notes right here I mean They all I mean there's a lot of Scribbling this is all shorthand for Different characteristics of the foot That you want to integrate into the last Exactly yeah yeah It's amazing and then so how I neared Constantly checking the measurements Always yeah with a measuring tape not Yet my measuring tape because so far I'm Creating the volume so I'm just focusing On the morphology and the prints [Music] Oh Foreign [Music] [Music] So this is where you start to refine That shape yeah so the file has two side One flat one ROM the flat will help me To to create the line [Music] Then I will switch to the room to avoid Having faces yeah Foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Thank you [Music] So how many hours of filing do you think I mean how long would you say it takes My library to last

We've been doing this 30 years right 20 20 okay for a wooden nurse I spend on The rate of three to five hours okay Yeah uh and that's just for one foot Yeah so what we do I'll do a cookie okay So usually I I I skip this this step but usually what I Do I compare the measurements so I start By measuring the length Measuring the widths And controlling the measurements between Both they always start by working on the Bigger foot okay so if it's the right I'm gonna cut the the right if it's left I'm gonna look at the left Then I'll do the copy so I if if the Difference is not big I will do an Average And then I do a copy of the rest Like that I'm sure that left and right Will be exactly the same in terms of Aesthetic yeah and based on that I will do a mock-up first I will control The last one it's back from the From the copy to be sure that for Example if I did the left to be sure That the right we came is matching well The proportion And then we do a mock-up and then after The mock-up after the trial the trail Session we will adjust fit and fit the The volume okay so the first trial we've Got all the trials behind us right here You haven't really made the the foot

Specific adjustments yet Um for let's say 95 percent of the Customer no because the difference is Not big I do a an average Uh Uh so I do the mocha the customer will Wear the pair a few minutes to give me Is feeding the feeling in terms of Comfort but also the static I pay a lot Of attention on this city as I explain You because I feel that Each customer is allowed to have his own Taste and it's not coming uh to Sears to With I mean each customer we design his Own shoes so if he has specific taste we Need to make it Then uh once I'm fine with all the Detail I open I cut to see the position Of the toe in the front Because we have a tokanta a two cup The back because the back counter and The arch like that the idea is to to Adjust the last to fit the foot like a Glove okay not to snag not too roomy but At least everything at the right Position yeah for the articulation and So on and that's what creates the Comfort but it also would create a shoe That doesn't have unnecessary wrinkling Exactly yeah so this you're cutting it Out on the inside of the arch yeah the Toes and then anything you need to see This it's I open mouth yeah when I Edge The last section for this specific

Example what is it based off of your Markings you're adjusting so that this Question mark is A very unusual type of wrinkle okay After modifying the the last I want it To have the same effect so that's why I Modified the last to be sure that we Could have the same uh the same wrinkle That I I saw on the on the feet of the Customer okay uh let me show you if you See things so for example Uh All right this one was very a bit short Because you know like something more Sharp okay A bit sharper and here you're You've got the toe shape worked into the Shoes that the customer can yeah so yeah We switch a step when we come back to The left later on but uh so for example This mock-up was very interesting Because the booker was perfect Everything was good but he had this Feeling of you know being too much like Uh in a cage yeah So when I opened it for me it was a Initially super nice and when I open I Just create an incision here to to open This a bit and to ease you know the Volume so actually this stitching here Is creating a tension So if I do another style of shoe like uh Let's say a sleeper because the customer Will not mention anything would be Comfortable but twist this line you

Create your tension which make it Uncomfortable so by opening here if I Mean if I want to do this model or some Classic Oxford I need to open it a bit More to to give extra volume here okay And you'll work that into the last Adjustment you're making yeah It was a bit too curve here but the base Of the here was perfect and so slightly Short so I will add extra volume at the Toe to to to keep the the shape do you Feel that it's possible to go straight To finish or yeah yeah it's a minor Adjustment for me okay From this point but from measurements Straight to finish you feel like that's Something that you can do most of the Time I have nothing uh not big issues to Not big adjustment but Again uh Uh I want to be sure that the customer Likes issues not only your comfort the Comfort is always okay it's a bit snug We can't stretch it no we modify the Last we put back the rest in the shoe we Make it comfortable like a tailor would Alterate the lengths of the sleeves this Is it's not a major problem for me As we don't we again as we have a lot of Uh range of a big range of Tour line Uh the possibility are of creating Things is huge so you have a lot of way Of mistake so very complex the level of Work that you're doing here at berluti

Right yeah all these things have to come Together that's what makes it very Exciting yes yeah no no no two days are The same I'm sure there's no two shoes That are the same in a given month Exactly yeah yeah yeah And the So talking uh getting back to uh to the Aesthetic let me show you how [Music] So after working on the on the shape the Morphology Making the footprints so roughly we do We create you know the the line like This the Arts we we keep like roomness For the hearings one I will start by taking my mirroring tape To fit The measuring the the measurements so The entrance The big entrance Which is the exact position of the InStep Um And that's three measurements Uh one two three then the low in step And the Uh At creation yeah So I will again work with the power so This is the big knife Like this So back and forth I will Um

Narrow narrow the the last and control With the measurements then I finish with The file the filing once I'm here okay I Consider the fit finished okay then it's A question of proportion and aesthetic If the customer for example is very tall And not that and and without having big Feet I will cheat it a bit and give Extra lengths on the front So at that part I need to remember with The customer what you want to wear To be sure to match again is expectation So the toe will be again something A car with this So I try to To match the the cell of the shoe the Again the the the morphology the body of The customer and so on so when do you Really begin to see all this come Together I mean in your eye I mean in Tailoring they call it the rock of I Where the Taylor is kind of able to Visualize that aesthetic that the drape That he wants at what point are you Really visualizing the shape of the shoe I know what I want to do for the Customer so at very beginning when I Choose the blog I know that I will need Maybe to give a trend so it takes Something long Uh but then little by Italian everything Is logical yeah uh you know the the Curve Has to be logical so this is a a lot of

Shortcuts unfortunately so it's not easy To for you to to explain you but okay Let me take this so on this it's a last I made from the block And if you look well so of course the Base is um uh is not flat like the block At the beginning the shape is quite Balanced for to match the the machine of The customer And you know we create some Some curved Parts at the back this guy Didn't have like very skinny ankle so it Could be sometimes even more curved yeah But the most important thing to to say That Wherever you have a look The file passes through the through Through the list everywhere yeah and so That's the level of detail You're really going over the last to Create that it's really bespoke shape Yes it's very important because we're Going to to reply to you when you were Mentioning the tailor uh very easily Visually I see if something is wrong It will not maybe be perfect but I know That this last will fit the customer Probably Uh so So do we do we do uh Uh do we do shoe without mock-up again No for question of aesthetic of Proportion but in terms of heat uh I'm Not very scared about doing this yeah

And that comes with skill and practice Yeah it's a lot of uh years and years Yeah for practicing of course but You know since I I transmit the the work To different people Uh so recently uh this is a popular Joint company uh almost four years ago Uh That push you to understand what you do What you naturally do So it's very interesting uh very Interesting exercise because you have to Explain it properly what she has to do And why When you understand why that means You're totally mastered it yeah but I I Well I guess I say teaching is the Highest level of knowledge right and Teaching is really a really good you Know so how different so you've done the The foot part right the fit you know all Of the anatomy of the foot is kind of Taken to the back and then this forward Part really is a function of the toe Shape yes how much variation can you Have with one customer I mean so you Have one customer having different toe Shapes and he's got several different Lasts yeah could be 10 12 even more Really different different tests so Usually if that's a good example I have A customer here thank you who is the Three different Tour line one is quite Classy like this brandish

One which is very close to what our Emblematic the demolition has her Square I'm going a bit more sharp what we call We used to do that a lot the piercing we Don't do it that much anymore but it's Uh it's something very sharp Whatever the style the customer will Have the same feeling so usually what we Do is that we start by uh making one Pair of shoe to be sure that everything Is perfect and then we do a copy of the Last And we ask to the To give extra room on the front Okay Okay so it doesn't copy but it stop the Copy here okay so again we have a big Block of food here so that we have all The feet exactly the same and we can With this tool create a new a new Scripture a new line So it's a mixer it's uh this this job is Uh is not easy because One part is really technical one part is More in a way Um artistic artistic sculpture for sure What do you find is the most difficult Part of the last making process I mean What challenges you the most Uh Uh to get into the head of the customer Really it's not the work it's to be sure That I understand yeah and for me that's Why I do mock-up I want to be sure Because when you spend hours and hours

You know we do a perforatories around 50 Hours of work So when you at the end you develop our Shoe is tough For everybody it's tough for you because It's in terms of uh self-confidence yeah Uh but also it is good for all the team Because we spend 50 hours to work on Something which is a failure so which is Uh we yeah we we just which is not good So at the end it's frustrating yeah and Without all the work that goes into the Actual making of the shoe I mean again Your uppers are very complex in terms of The design yeah and then just the Technical work that goes into the making Of a handmade bespoke pair of shoes You know there's so much investment There of time that this intermediate Stage of the fitting is just one Additional touch point to ensure that Everything's correct that the customer And you are on the same page So that whenever you move to finish that It's exactly as the customer has Imagined this is kind of your insurance Oh you're ensure that everything is as The customer imagined in his head yeah Right which you're spending this time Trying to get into but you never really Can fully understand what the customer Is seeing and so he's able to see it He's able to wear it and say you know What that's exactly what I wanted is it

And then you spend the 50 hours yeah you Know making the shoes that's my Approach Uh you know this world is a It's a difficult word because every Single day you are judged about what you Do yeah it's not like you do you go in a Higher University you have your diploma And that's done yeah here even after 20 30 40 years of work a failure is a Filler yeah so it's it's tough yeah and Uh so we have to stay humble and we have To always Take take time to to be sure that uh Customer is treated as is supposed to be Reality It's amazing it's beautiful one of the Other things that you were talking about Is how here at berluti because again Just the complexity of the design of the Shoes in terms of the models and even Some of the nuanced techniques that go Into the creation of those models that You're involved and really overseeing Every step of the creation of the shoe So not just the last making but also Directly involved and the pattern making You know the uppers being closed and Sewn together and the actual bottom Making is that correct yes because uh And that's why we like to have all the Worker in the same same place because The more you have possibility the more You have way for mistakes yeah And even sometimes just talking the the

The the meaning of what I say is as Maybe a different uh Understanding yeah from my or whatever So I want to be sure to to control the Line of the the design and also they Don't they didn't need the customer I Met the customer so I want to be sure That what I have in mind is understood So for that I control the line I'm not Doing I'm not saying that I do Everything you still have specialization But yeah you know you're able to um and There are better there are better than Me at that stage so uh they are very Professional just I want to be sure that They understand everything so I control All the steps yeah So uh maybe you can if you want I can Show you how we do the pattern yeah how We will draw the design and the and the Do the upper yeah thank you okay let's Go [Music] Okay so here we have uh tsunami is when You're doing your pattern so this is at The pattern making then right yeah the Pattern making them so in the first in The first time she will wrap All the wooden nests with the paper tape Uh like that she can draw Directly in 3D the design of the shoe Okay that's a good way to Um to see easily the beauty of the Pattern yeah no when you do bespoke you

Have um you have to deal with the fit of The customers sometimes the last has a Bit shorter so so sometime a bit longer So the proportions are not always easy To to find yeah so this technique is Very uh helpful for us Because we save a lot of time actually Yeah so very easily we will uh we will Find the best line uh for a specific Model and on a specific tasks yeah so You're literally designing the pattern To the specific glass to the customers Last it's Unique and you couldn't use a You know a template because every single Last is so different exactly yeah yeah The last is different so and we don't Know from where it's different yeah Sometimes we could maybe use a Template as you said or existing pattern But We we should for that we need to control That the the lens is the same you know The balance is the same I mean the Amount of work that goes into the Creation of the upper is uh is really Fascinating to see but the the Difficulty when you do zipper is to uh Be the same when we do the rest You have to find the best line for a Specific order so sometimes you need to Forget yourself I told you a bit earlier And to focus on who is the customer so For that we need we need to know if the Customer is very tall if he's a stout

Yes or a skinny guy because all those All those lines are very important in Terms of promotion yeah uh so that's why We share a lot when we do uh when we at This stage When they grow over there we see Together with me or with polar yeah if The if the customer What is the most Uh Uh what what are the best lines for the Casino and so this goes back to the Collaboration the oversight that you Exercise is that you know is the one That's really in charge of ensuring that The customer's creation is realized You're of course making the last right As we just saw but then coming in here And checking on this progress to ensure That it continues to follow along again It's important because of We we put so much uh attention so much Love in what we do that if it's uh If at the end the the the pair doesn't Match uh the customer yeah it's Frustrating yeah how many hours do you Do you allocate or do you budget for This process For the upper making for the upper we Are talking about around the 18 hour wow For something like that okay if we do a Classical row it's a bit quicker okay But if we go deep into detail uh like a Lot of blogging a lot of embroidery

Uh high boots uh hand stitching it could Be a four days of work really well it's Incredible so uh talking about Embroidery I'm going to show you a Little bit or so what what barity uh Is a is good for uh I mean we like to Play We like to to try new techniques so I show you a little bit earlier this Hidden Um Uh layer I would say relief yeah Um We like to do like uh How can you say Trump if this was exist Right from Play We like to give illusion On something or to give so for example Visual detail visual detail for example The classic candy is a roofer like that Even if this shop is specific we have Like a classic technique uh sometimes we Create illusion of this classic Stitching by using embroidery technique Okay so no immediate test a different Type of embroidery We have this option we have this option This is something all also different so We always want to keep this in mind Because I'm on fire because Uh Uh when she does something We don't do daily right yeah so she Spent hours to develop a new uh new Technique and then uh If a customer reorder it we want to know

How we do this yeah So this is Just an interesting again additional Layer of visual detail exactly how did I Do the pass Did I pass the test it yeah yeah but so You didn't start yeah that's right you Had the easy part you you've got a Second career here you you need to Practice but we will be blessed to have You with your knowledge of shoemaking Yeah so this is again just one more kind Of nuanced detail yeah that can make a Shoe like this which you know is a Beautiful shoe but can make it all that More special and to spoke to the Customer Yeah a lot of customers are looking for Unicity when they do it they go into Bespoke So we try to yeah to get to feed them a Little bit yeah it's like an addiction Here yeah like you slowly get the Customers I cannot show every single Voice But a little bit later yeah and you know Once you're on your 15th or 16th pair It's like oh well let me show you this This pattern exactly yeah yeah so then This is traced out and then the the Masking tape would be cut off of the Shoe laid flat and then that's when You're are you developing a paper Pattern then at that point it's just

Used to cut the levers out yeah so she As you said she will unwrap the last put The paper tape on the cardboard and cut The different pieces Uh a different element of the Opera Which which is called the pattern okay Then we have to do the Selecting the the skin the best part Cutting the different elements And then Start to get those elements prepared to Be stitched together so for that uh but Emanuel is doing the embroidery if you Want to see yeah So let's go to see Emmanuel we're doing An embroidery so he's working on the High parts of the boots Uh so it's quite uh very structured yeah So you have a lot of detail as you can See So at the end of course with the patina It will be much more Sceptile because It's um the patina will be a grayish uh Yeah great yeah so this you would Lighten it Right actually it would be almost Everything black but you will see you Know a little relief so kind of Highlight it yeah and then we do we're Gonna do the light test a lighter Contrast in between the stitching the Stitching so it would be yeah not simple Yet interesting yeah and so manual would Be the one that if there's any type of

Hand embroidery or stitching along the Upper like the Casual like we saw over Here he would be the one doing this uh Yes uh no I mean it can be a manure it Can be no me okay both are doing pattern Clicking and the stitching yeah and in Between they do all the preparation yeah So they are able to do all the steps From the from the beginning to the end Of the of the upper part Yeah so it depends uh some week they Prefer you know some this kind of work You need to be focused yeah otherwise if You stop The way you will go back to the Stitching you could have a Twist in the Thread so usually they focus a lot they Don't they don't stop the yeah this this Step So they need to prepare the schedule Make sure that there will be uh finished By Friday yeah Friday yeah yeah and you Have a sure version That's right then uh after doing this it Will uh to prepare the different Elements to be stitched together as I Said so the lining it will Skype the Lining uh prepare the piping Beros is preparing the piping right now Actually no it's not a piping it's a Very investment for the for the back Okay In English we call it the Thai like that Is that what's kind of folded over and

Then sounds Yeah Interesting and so this is an actual Finished upper right no no tree so this Part will be here okay like that I don't Do it because yeah already but this show This is an example of Crest leather Right that'll be sewn together and then The Tina at the end of the process yeah And then of course the kind of iconic Scruto you know iconic yeah So this is very uh it's a bit busy Is a kind of Patchwork so it will have a Mix of uh scritto plain leather Uh with uh so this would be the yeah the Front so this is a great example of kind Of the asymmetric pattern and then on Top of that we'll have elastic oh really So the front I think This one could be Like that okay okay And in the middle here elastic who is Wrapping wrapping leather Like that yeah So the hidden elastic exactly so it's What what you call it in uh English is Lazy man lazy man yeah it's a lazy man Is a very Stitch beautiful and so how Much time is spent you know sewing all This together Uh uh it should be one day yeah one day Of stitching huh so four days in this Room one to two days with the pattern

Yeah for this type of model I would say Uh maybe two days and a half okay Because the pattern is not that Complicated yeah but you either you need To manage well the different locations For the scritto the different pieces The the elastic so you need to prepare This let's see the sickness prepare the Different skins so you have to skive a Lot of parts you need to put a lot of Friends everywhere So you you have more preparation of code Than the classic show yeah And it's all done here right yeah on Premises and even this so is preparing The The kids skin for the piping okay so Then we cut a Stripe Right In You will Skype the the kid with his Knife uh Definitely If it's not too much trouble [Laughter] Uh Uh and even the piping you know we could Buy Like uh 50 meter of thinking already Made but we would prefer to do it so we Select the skin It's not a It's not uh [Music] That long to do Just one more element of you know the

Total control that you guys have over The entire process Species Like piping with a specific color to Highlight reter Beach you know the the Quarter the the Border We we can do it Amazing Foreign Makes it look so easy One smooth A lot of practice Yeah Dominic Casey has that story he tells of His first day he's with this old polish Shoemaker that goes and skies the soul Around the last and one smooth You know movement Dominic what's Happening try that I can do that takes With this guy to go do that slips the Knife shoves it into his wrist wow And the Shoemaker says I don't mind if You cut yourself just don't get blood on The shoes [Laughter] We cannot say that today [Music] In France we said [Music] Meaning Um It's a The job is getting to be new you know Yeah And you have to pass by that to

Moisturize the job So it's rolling like that To keep the Voila the full sickness here And then as it's very seen you will not Feel it so you you will not be able to See the the layer yeah Brilliant wow amazing And how long has he been here 32 years Um Almost 33 years of working with Verity So when I joined the company 20 years Ago it was already here yeah The time it was a very small Workshop When we were Maybe eight or nine yeah this is of Course before or now purchase the Company yeah well I mean yes foreign Because uh when I joined the company uh It was in 2002 and the Verity were Bought by uh lvnage in 1993 93. So what's been your favorite pair of Shoes you've made or the most difficult It was a But it was for a special occasion it was A shoe made for an exhibition with a Uh flag your European flight so uh it Was uh very complicated because a lot of Pieces to stitch together with a Specific colors and so on so it was a Very very long work How long did that take It

One week one week wow Yeah yeah just a stitching yeah just a Sitting there incredible huh but true Master wow thank you yeah uh should we Go to the to see the bottoming yes yes Okay it not only gets better right Mercy Mercy Mercy Mercy madam [Music] Thank you [Music] Foreign [Music] Thank you [Music] [Music] Foreign [Music] Foreign [Music] Foreign So we have colors Antoine our princess And Kevin we are four in this room okay And again all the making is down here You're not utilized yeah we have one Homework here okay uh Alicia but two Colors uh is uh throwing him every every Friday we communicate we communicate we Receive the work and uh we share a lot Yeah So this is where it all comes together Lasting making the bottom making We always prefer to do that again for The for the consistency and the the Better communication here Carlos is uh

Working on the top path with finishing The to send it and does he have References I mean because there's so Many different toe shapes will he will He take a reference just his job is to When you receive the rest to analyze the Last okay before putting the upper the The lining sorry before putting the Lining and risking to lose the shape so Uh of course they all have a good Knowledge of the different variety of of Tool line we have and they will Reproduce that line of course using the The stiff material so keeping the the Sickness yeah on the front yeah and how Many hours do you think go into then Yeah 30. yeah [Music] Is quicker because he's a is a he has a More than 20 25 years of of experience So quicker is like 25 versus 30. it's Not like it takes half the amount of Time So then if we do a Norwegian it's a bit Longer because also we we do our own Thread so even only doing the thread is Uh take takes quite a long time yeah uh Preparing cutting the different uh yeah That's a lot of thread yes preparing the Words preparing the the topper preparing The back Hunter preparing the insole the First install all those those things Takes time yeah and so what do you think That I mean all this time that's being

Invested into the making you know what Is the outcome I mean what is the goal Uh I think the the the it's a good way to Keep the tradition yeah to uh To control so everything the material You know when you when you cut your back Hunter from a big piece of leather you Choose the best parts yeah Uh the bad part of going for the mock-up For example okay So in terms of timing it's everything Takes time yeah but everything is also Under control for example you know when Kevin will use the the iron You know to Virgin yeah Uh and all those things takes time yeah But that the beauty of a power bespoke Shoe actually we could walk in the Streets with shoe uh just a roughly Stitch yeah you put if you have a good Sharing you Stitch quickly you do the Heel and the bus stop yeah but no we Want to spend time we want to make it Beautiful yeah so it depends also the Each Shoemaker has a certain way to Express himself some of them will put so Much attention of the finishing you know The like uh polishing the the Hedge the Heel the small willing tool for the for The for the heel of course we have Signature of the for the Um for the house to to to to control but It's also a good way for them to express

What they like yeah uh some of them we Spend more time on the two uh topaf so Then so yeah it's uh depending Who is the customer what is expecting The customer It could be one guy or one guy who would Be more Um qualified yeah qualified to do this Yeah I mean it's amazing just I mean the Work that goes into bespoke shoe I mean It's not just handwork for the sake of Handwork I mean it's creating more Comfortable shoe a more durable shoe a Longer lasting shoe but there's another Component that's kind of hard to put Your thumb on and that is just the Intrinsic Beauty Of a bespoke shoe I mean the way that it All comes together it's crispness it's Cleanliness Um it's sculpture I mean it's you know There's something really beautiful and Inspiring about that you should write The book yes well one of these days I'm Going to work on it but you know I mean That's one of the things that I've Always loved about shoes is that it's Sculpture you know it's art it's Craftsmanship at the highest level but At the end of the day and this is what I Think I love most about is something That you can wear and live in yes right And so it's not merely a sculpture You're going to put in the corner of

Your home or a painting you're going to Hang on the wall you know but it's all This incredible work and craftsmanship It's your entire career you know the Career of you know the people doing the Pattern making the cutting the clicking And then here we have the makers you Know 20 plus years just the aggregate Amount of knowledge that goes into Bespoke shoe really to me is astounding Thank you yeah thank you very much yeah Well I mean thank you for sharing this With us and this isn't even close to Being done right no no no no no Yeah uh Have to uh to finish the top the the Proper glue which is the glue will Prepare ourselves uh then uh putting Back the the front and do the stitching Yeah so this one is not worth teaching Right colors now this one is inside Outside the construction okay so we have To take out the last to do the stitching Inside oh really yeah so of course first Uh doing the the so this would be like a Bespoke equivalent to a um Blake Stitch Like yeah exactly so you still have to Put cork the shank to keep everything The sole to engrave the the sole take Out the last do the stitching put back The last finish the the heel and so on Yeah so a lot still a lot of work yeah And all the finishing can takes hours And hours yeah you see so Kevin now is

Uh yeah they received the wood owners so This is the upper and they do the shoes From A to Z okay uh So is at the stage of is um making the Fiber you know of the Soul And more regular yes we have a very Smooth Um yeah so another element of a bespoke Shoe is just how beautifully finished The edges and heels are something that's Overlooked yeah and I'm ready to wear Yeah so let me show you a few a few Finished then Um yeah There's something quite uh Bright Wow graphic So based on classic ND we need a twist With a white stitching white piping to Make to make it more casual with very Strong contrast and the fake monk okay At the bar To sway the new book alligator Yeah quite interesting but the Finish is Really nice We still need to clean it but you see This look at it You know how well this hill Black sits underneath the heel I mean The beautiful edges you know it's a Great example of reluti I mean how Really Anything Can Be Imagined I mean This is a completely unique One-of-a-kind shoe you'd never see this

Yeah for sure you know ready to wear And then just how perfectly it's Executed I mean just this piping here is the Detail is amazing Of course so the shoot trees are made Outside of the workshop we made the Sushi with a Two guys in France were the the Probably the last one to do the surgery Like that And the the match the lining right as Much as I need yes kind of the plum Purple Wow So and the Beast boxer tree has to Feel totally empty space but without Pulling on the back you just perfectly Seated but not pulling yeah So that's why we put a hip hinge in Brass Uh we have also maybe we can it's a good Moment to show you the patina which is The final step the moment in a way where We give birth to the show you know we Like to say that Olga was saying your shoes have a soul Uh so of course as well but S-o-u-l yeah means a lot uh and uh That's the moment where we we uh we Deliver the shoes and we say that the Shoes has already a life is Yeah yeah let's see it that's yep Last but not least right last but notice

Yes [Music] Foreign [Music] Because we have an incision Uh inspired by uh this artist named Fontana was doing a big Kind of scars in a fabric you know if You are familiar with this So this is very popular actually a lot Of customers order this uh this style And uh It's quite kind of twist from a classic Lookup okay Is a rich and dark burgundy Quite easy to wear with all the formals Shoot color like blue gray charcoal And this mother will be very light Because it's made with this rubber very Light rubber yeah wow but the look is It's amazing how lightweight that is And so this starts as a black leather so It was top it was black yeah Creamy tomato to make it later to to Wash it So we start by washing a little bit the Leather to create some contrast some Fitting Uh once we have like uh those light part Like that Uh she will put pigments okay To make the to approach to the final Patina yeah and so this red was put on Top of that just one coat or a few coats

Of the red and that's what gives it the Rich yeah kind of uh Bordeaux exactly And then she's burnishing it or Antiquing it you can with the the black Polish and this is every pair goes Through here every bit yeah wow even if We if we work with suede uh we will Clean this way you know Protect it if we do a boxcar for we will Cream it and box it so all the pair pass Through the end of Sunita yeah and this Is I mean again just one part of the Entire process but whenever I think of Berluti I mean the patina is is a core To yeah you know I think really the Identity that berluti has developed you Know in the shoemaking world I mean Berludi is synonymous with these Incredible one-of-a-kind custom patinas It's true that even if today everybody Do those but you know uh That's something very uh very strong for Birdie DNA well Olga was the first Yeah yeah for sure I remember when I was Originally interested with shoes uh all The brand were shooting on the white [Music] Back skin and that's the stream with no Cats thing Yeah but she was uh already at that time Very unique yeah And then it comes in a matching box so We deliver the shoes with a matching box So the box is is in Wood wrapped with

Leather We have uh let me show you We have magnets here like that So we can we can you know build or do Lego okay for this kind of toy yeah and Then we deliver the shoes we also have Like something to let the shoe Breeze Okay Like the shoe Foreign And a picture of the shoe wow and so the Shoe the patina of the box is meant to Match yeah the patina of the shoes Yeah it's possible yeah that's amazing And this is again all done right here Yes Then we do the quality control yeah here And we ship to a logistic Department Yeah take care of all the financial Things yeah amazing wow I mean how incredible what a privilege To be invited in and I have to say I Mean I've had a profound respect for Berluti of course since I've fallen in Love with shoes but to see the work that Goes into these first hand and to really To see the diversity of bespoke models Is just magnified my appreciation of Just the quality craftsmanship and Tradition that you guys have here at Prelude even more so Sean Michelle thank You so much thank you it was a real Honor to two of you today well the honor Is ours you know speaking for everyone

On the channel and you know for taking Time out of your day a busy day A busy Friday here in Paris and really showing Us you know all the different steps has Really been something I've I've enjoyed Thank you very much yeah yeah thank you So much Okay yeah thank you wow what a privilege To be invited inside reludi's bespoke Workshop here in Paris I mean this is Truly one of the most important one of The greatest bespoke shoemaking Workshops in all of Europe which Certainly puts it as one of the most Important in all of the world whenever I Think of berluti I think of just how Iconic of a French shoemaking company That this has become I mean in so many Ways berluti invented the Parisian style Of French Footwear of being very Striking a very Cutting Edge with the Patina and the super creative designs And coming inside and having Jean-Michel Walk us through their entire Archive of Models and their history and the bespoke Shoemaking process has given me an even Greater appreciation for these Absolutely incredible shoes I hope You've enjoyed this video I hope you've Enjoyed learning a little bit about what Makes French shoemaking so special and Of course I hope that you've come away With the greater appreciation of the Quality craftsmanship and tradition

Behind a pair of bespoke shoes from Burludi of course if you're watching This video for the first time make sure You hit that thumbs up subscribe to the Channel and take a moment to visit Kirby Allison.com of course you'll find the Largest collection of luxury Garment Care and luxury shoe care accessories in The world as well as other great Clothing accessories for the Well-dressed like this Sovereign grade Necktie pocket square socks and so much More and if you enjoy this content truly One of the other great ways that you can Support our filming is by subscribing to Our patreon page where 100 of the Proceeds go to support our ability to Travel the world in search of this Incredible quality craftsmanship and Tradition of course I'm Kirby Allison And I love to help the well-dressed Acquire and care for their wardrobe While exploring the world of quality Craftsmanship and tradition thanks for Watching Thank you [Music]