(6) Finesse Over Strength
By Simon Brockbank
Our last field trip destination for field trip #8 is the infamous bespoke shoe atelier of Vivian Saskia Wittmer, back in Florence’s medieval city. Bespoke shoemaking is a very difficult craft, as leather is a stubborn material compared to wool or gold. Shoemaking is traditionally done by men since quite a bit of strength is needed to pierce, mold and work the hides and turn them into wearable pieces.
Master Saskia Wittmer did show us otherwise : finesse and proper technique trumps brute force in shoemaking. As she walked us through her process, the club members saw first hand the amount of skill and know-how needed behind making a single shoe, and yet every order requires two almost identical ones.
Simplicity and Skill
Very much like tailoring, shoemaking involves very little raw material or tools : a hide, a needle, a thread, some water, a few key tools and most important of all, knowledge and skill. However, unlike a tailor or typical menswear store, a shoemaker doesn’t need that much space to work : a simple desk, a few places to store the hides and the completed shoes suffice. Master Vivian Saskia Wittmer mentioned that this three room workshop is actually more space than she needs with her two apprentices. After all, most of the work is done on one’s lap in shoemaking.
That doesn’t mean the workshop isn’t impressive, far from it. The club members arrived in the first room : the showroom where shoes are hanging from the ceiling, held by an almost invisible fisherman’s thread. While typical shoe displays are racks on walls, shoes floating in the air have a definitive advantage : the three dimensionality of the shoe is taken advantage of. All can be seen in a glimpse : the upper, the patina, the sole and the sides. Since only a thread holds the shoes, they almost always are in movement, making the display alive. This amazing setting comes from Master Saskia Wittmer’s first ever trade show, an idea she came up with her architect brother that stood the test of time and that is now very much inherent to her brand.
A Journey to Excellence
After Master Saskia Wittmer welcomed the club, she began telling us about her journey from apprentice to master bespoke shoemaker. She first studied in a small German village, learning a mix of Hungarian and English technique. Learning from master like Benjamin Klemann, Her shoes style is simple and effective; comfort trumps all. Unlike Italian shoes, her shoes do not involve cutting off the arch for a sleeker look. Instead, the insole is done in the German way : pulling up the arch of the foot for better comfort. Unlike French shoes, the toe spring is less prominent : one finger under the tip of the shoe and the heel should make the shoe stand completely flat on the ground. Master Saskia Wittmer doesn’t make unlined shoes, she wants the complete all around experience. Yet, her Germain styled shoes still blend in some Italian flair with the added comfort of the German technique.
After leaving Germany, Master Saskia Wittmer studied under the legendary shoemaker Stefano Bemer for three years starting in 1997. Afterwards, starting her own shop, she eventually made her first trade show in 2004. Along with her pristine work, the suspended shoes display made her a well known figure in bespoke shoemaking. Men still could not believe she was making shoes, as the rough nature of leather typically kept it a male only craft. On top of her presence at the fair as one of a few women shoemakers, her feature in the prestigious monsieur magazine cleared any doubt one could have on her ability.
On an anecdotal note, Master Saskia Wittmer was wearing loafers the day the club was visiting. She quickly told us she enjoys loafers most since she was never allowed to make them during our years as an apprentice. She also revealed that whenever she wants to try new materials or techniques, that’s when she will make a new pair for herself, a testament to her dedication to perfection.
A Labor of Love
The best part of the visit was Master Saskia Wittmer walking us (pun very much intended) through her shoemaking process. It was also an exchange, as club members could ask questions at any time and have access to that very niche knowledge only masters have.
Making shoes begins with taking measurements. As Master Saskia Wittmer explained, very limited information can be taken for the length, width and height of a foot. Even to this day, only she takes foot measurements in the workshop before drawing them directly on the shoe. She insists that reading the foot is necessary to get a good fit. She is definitely right since she never cut open a shoe in half to adjust it, a practice still well spread in the trade.
A particular thing to mention are the shoe lasts Master Saskia Wittmer uses, which are made of plastic. One might expect wood for bespoke shoes, but she revealed that plastic is actually better for bespoke shoemaking, since temperature fluctuations would make the wood expand or shrink which is much less consistent. Another unexpected fact she disclosed is her use of broken glass as a tool throughout the process. It needs to be just right to shave away material with finesse, very much like shaving with a straight razor.
The amount of steps and details into making a single shoe is quite overwhelming. Since leather is rough, one cannot just stitch through it, punctures must first be made. That also makes the process unforgiving, as an unnecessary hole ruins the design. When worn, shoes take a lot of punishment, so the thread used must be strong enough to keep everything together. Linen threads with bee wax are used to make the stitching waterproof. It is also not enough to simply stitch the sole to the upper, it must be done in a particular fashion to seal shut the shoe : one needle on each end, which means stitching for both sides through five layers of leather. The pull must be quick and strong enough to seal, but not so much as to make the leather wrinkle. There is no room for mistake and a whole sole to stitch, twice for both shoes. Water is also used extensively to make the leather softer and easier to manipulate, but that also means drying phases are mandatory between different steps of the construction.
The back of the shoe must also be shut and fixed to the welt. Little wooden nails are used instead of metal ones, since they would rust if exposed to water. Moreover, wood expands with humidity, which means the fixed sole will never go loose. The nails must go through with a single hammer hit, otherwise they break; again, precision and finesse are paramount. To finish the shoes, a bronze iron is used to shut the sides of the shoe, which then becomes smooth. Wax is then applied around the sides of the shoe, but never on the sole, as only paint is used for that part.
Finally, Master Saskia Wittmer mentioned that no shoe is complete without proper shining, a fact we could tell just by entering the workshop, since the shoes hanging all displayed a perfect mirror gloss. Fully handmade shoes take a few months to complete with the numerous drying periods needed and precise steps involved, something that makes one appreciate the end product even more. Some members were indeed tempted to get their first bespoke shoes with Master Saskia Wittmer.
Our journey to Florence and Bologna made us appreciate the skills and dedication needed for excellence, from start to finish. Whether it is the research for quality raw materials, the controlled production process or the attention to detail, craftsmanship is a quest for perfection that requires an immense commitment, while also leaving a place for artistic expression. That is what makes it fascinating to pursue and to learn about, endlessly.
The TSC puts together unique experiences in which the members are taken inside the craft right next to the masters, much further than books or videos could ever take you. That desire to preserve the arts and spread the word about the work behind the craft is what keeps enthusiasts coming back for more. That and the exquisite company.