Sunday, 23 June 2013

Attention to Detail

All About A/W13 RTW Collections

3.1 Phillip Lim

Type: Mule (with open toe).
Materials: elastic for functional/on trend aesthetic, Pony skin, woven textile.
Heel: knock-on and covered.

Type: Boot.
Materials: Full-grain leather (aniline/semi-aniline)scratch hide (heavyweight and natural markings),
upper part - top-grain calfskin leather (suppleness allows slouch).
Tannage: Vegetable.
Heel: Knock-on and covered.
Seams along vamp and counter line will have been individually cut and sewn.

Type: Boot ('sandal boot' due to straps and visible toes).
Materials: Full-grain hide leather (aniline), corrected-grain printed leather straps (metallic).
Tannage: Vegetable tanned upper, chrome tanned toe straps.
Heel: Knock-on and covered.


more to come..

Sunday, 19 May 2013

Construction

The Toe Shape 

To achieve a structured toe shape you will need to include a toe puff - as mentioned previously. YSL are infamous for their sleek and harsh shaping.



Bottega Veneta
Penelope Chilvers 
Opening Ceremony
The next important part of construction, in terms of maintaining a shape, is the stiffener - mentioned earlier and used for the back part of the upper.  


Saint Laurent - for aesthetic structure
Altuzarra - to maintain shape of fruit design
Toga Pulla - used in order to prevent slouching at the ankle when using strap detail
Alexander McQueen - used for simple flat shoes also to maintain general shape for long term wear

Saturday, 18 May 2013

You Gotta Have Sole

Soles




Men's insole process - cut, bevel, mould, then fit shank


Knock-on sole process - cut, trim the edge, ink the edge, machine/hand application

 
Bound insole for strip sandal, without toe piece
&
Bound insole for closed toe/open back shoe

 
The same binding process for court shoe


 
The same process can be carried out for many styles of shoe, except for most sportswear which require a unit made in by experts.

 

Heels

Types of Heels


Heels are the most expensive component of the entire shoe and are one of the first things you will need to think about before making. You will need to select your last once determining the height you want your heel.

There are three basic types of heels:

Louis Heel - Characterised by the curved heel breast and is normally recognised by the fact that the sole extends down the front of the heel.


Cuban Heel - Characterised by the straight front and the sole does not extend down the front of it but on to the top. Technically known as a knock on heel.

Wedge Heel - Characterised by its triangular shape
All these types of heels can have different  that enable a different process of application to the shoe. A heel tab - is an open hook on the back of the heel collar to ensure secure fit and prevent irritation. A heel counter - is a plastic cup that is encased in the upper and around the heel for better shoe fit and rear foot control. 

In order to apply either tab or counter, the structure of the heel must accomodate.




 
Heels can be stacked, have a genuine spray, or galvanised, and can be covered afterwards with desired fabric.
 
Stacked leather heel
Genuine sprayed heel

 
 

 

 

Wednesday, 15 May 2013

The Trade Terms


Upper Materials

Aniline - Leather dyed but not finished with pigment.



Antique/Burnished - A buffing process that resembles natural ageing.


Suede Pigskin - Pigskin that has a nap surface
Calf - From small Bovine hides

Gluvskin/Gluvside - Soft, lightweight, from Bovine hides
Gluvsoft - Full substance leather that is tanned to give a glove like feel 

Print - Embossed to represent the look of leather
Hardness/Saddle - Leather with a high gloss surface

Kid - Leather from the skin of a young goat
Oil Stuffed Hide - Heavyweight leather with high oil content (used in heavyweight boots or bags)
Rub-off/Two-tone - Two shades mixed together (ombre effect)
Scratch Hide  - Heavyweight leather, minimum finishing so natural scratches are visible
Suede - velvet-like finish/napped surface. Produced by an abrasive process. Often lambskin leather.
Nappa Leather - Supple version of sheepskin
Grain - The inherent surface pattern of leather, differentiated by the animal from which it came.
Scotch Grain - A pebble look create by embossing leather.
Nubuck - Lightweight, supple, suede-like
Patent - From cattle hide, made to have a shiny and glossy appearance 

Other materials that have potential for shoes are all sorts of textiles (both synthetic and natural - canvas, hemp, etc), and non-leather materials. Materials must be appropriate for footwear manufacturing. Textiles often have a backing applied to make sure they are durable for wear and production.