Bexley Shoes Technologies: Constructions, Leather and Sizes

THE CONSTRUCTIONS

The Goodyear Welted

The Goodyear Welted was invented in United States at the end of the XIX^th century by Charles Goodyear Junior, son of Charles Goodyear, the inventor of the vulcanization. The Goodyear welted, except with its origins, is completely different of the vulcanization.

At the end of the XIX^th century, the greatest names of the fine shoes for men industry, in wide majority English and French shoes maker fascinated by the qualities and the fame of this new way of construction, came to America to learn and acquire with the American master bookmakers the methods of this revolutionary construction.

To sum up, the sewing machine called “Goodyear” uses the same technology than the one used by the craftsmen of the hand made shoes industry. It is just adapted to the industrial fabrication of shoes by mechanizing several steps of sewing.

About the technology?
A Goodyear welted shoe is made with two stitchings:
- The first one called “Goodyear” is realised with the Goodyear machine. It joins the welt, the upper and the insole.
- The second one is made with a “Little Points” machine. This stitching links the sole with the welt.

With this construction, as soon as the outsole is timeworn, it is really easy to remove it and make a new “little points” stitching without any damage for the shoe and the rest of the Goodyear construction.

This construction is very long-lasting. Other benefit: the foot is lying on a leather insole which is on a thickness of natural cork. The natural cork has the particularity to take bit by bit the shape of the foot. As a result, you have the feeling that your shoe is made-to-measure and you can not give up it.

The Goodyear construction has also another advantage: its keeping and its special design. Due to its construction, a Goodyear welted shoe is higher than a classical one and its lower part near the welt goes lightly inside. Those elements give to Goodyear shoes for men a distinguished and esthetical line. An uninitiated person will not notice these details, he only sees a fine and formal shoes that perfectly goes through the time.

Today, all the great names of the luxury industry: Paraboot, Weston, Church, Edward Green, Crocket and Jones… still respect this tradition of Goodyear Construction. The Goodyear welted is the must of the smart shoes for men. In current language, Goodyear welted is synonymous of luxury English shoes for men.

The Blake Welted is also called through and through construction. Blake is the name of the inventor who realised, at the end of the 19th century, a machine which allows to mechanize the through and through stitch.

The Blake welted is a simple and solid construction. It allows to have at the same time a welted and light shoe. This method is perfectly adapted to the smart dress shoes with a leather outsole: loafers, mocassins, styles with buckles, oxford shoes. The upper is first lasted on a plastic production shoe last. Then the outsole is put in position. After that the shoe last is withdrawn and the Blake stitching is realised from the inside to the outside in order to join the upper with the welt and the sole. The Blake welted, as well as the Goodyear welted, can also be easily removed to put a new sole as often as necessary. If all the components used in this type of construction are good ones, with a great level of quality, Blake welted is synonymous of luxury shoes.

Today, several famous brands offer quite only Blake welted shoes: Berlutti, Santoni, Stefanobi, Testoni...At the beginning, just after the purchase of a Blake welted shoe, you are more comfortable. After some days of use, the Goodyear construction is more comfortable. It is up to you to choose the construction you feel better.
Although Bexley is specialized in the Goodyear welted, we also have Blake welted styles with always the same standards and levels of quality.

The Blake Welted by Bexley ®
After the upper has been lasted, the sole put in position, the shoe last is withdrawn and the Blake stitch comes to join the upper with the welt and the sole.

The Bologna construction is the best for elegant and comfortable shoes. This method is quite expensive and until today, there were just few famous Italian shoemakers who proposed it.

Technically, the Bologna construction is a Blake one without insole for lasting. This one is replaced by a tubular lining which goes all around the foot. To give more comfort, the tubular lining is made with a two-ply leather reinforced with an extra soft pad positioned where the foot will rest.

The Bologna construction is definitely the solution to take advantage of a great comfort without saying goodbye to the elegance and the smart touch of formal shoes for men.

The Bologna Construction by Bexley ®
The Bologna construction is like the Blake welted but with a tubular lining instead of an insole for lasting.

This is a shoe made from a single piece of leather, passing around the front part of the foot and under the sole. The apron is then sewn on the top to give a firm but comfortable grip on the foot.

The Real Mocassin by Bexley ®
The upper is passing all around the foot. It is linked to the sole by a Blake stitching.

Back to the Summary

THE STYLES

The Oxford

A low shoe for men or women in which the vamp is welted on the quarters. So these ones can only lightly move when the foot enters in the shoe. As soon as the shoe is laced, the quarters come to meet edge to edge.
The perforations, the punching or wing cap and other gimping, are then used to personalize and give to each oxford shoe its proper style.

A high or low shoe with laces in which the quarters are stitched on the vamp to allow the front part of the quarters (also called "nose") to open. This construction makes easier the insertion of the foot in the shoe. When the shoe is laced, the quarters go perfectly on the tongue and take the lasts of the instep girth. This kind of shoes is more adapted to the people who have an instep girth quite important.
Among the Derby styles, you will find some classical and famous designs with for example straight toe cap or wing cap with a decorative punching.

Kind of shoe characterized by a vamp that enveloped the foot from underneath. The vamp is then joined to the apron at the top and on the sides of the shoe by a system of pad or edge to edge. The upper can be made with a single piece of leather; it is called a real mocassin (see above). The classical loafer has no laces. To finish the shoe, depends of the style and design, a saddle can be applied at the top of the apron.

Bexley is currently using different kinds of leathers. Each leather need to suit perfectly the construction method, the esthetic and the precise use of the model. In any case, we only use leathers from the best tanneries.

Aniline finish calf leather:

We exclusively supply French calf widely considered as the best quality leather in the world. Both Tannerie Du Puy and Tannerie d’Annonay are our suppliers. They’re world references, supplying renowned names and high street brands in luxury leather goods for years. The Aniline finish calf leather is a full grain calf without any grain treatment. This can only be possible with the best skins available. Thanks to its natural origin, aniline finish calf leather provides soft shades and transparency that make it so particular. This kind of leather deserves a careful attention. Nourish the skin regularly to magnify its brilliancy and protect your shoes from the bad weather. You can even try your own recipes using our leather creams and creating your perfect Bexley look: be proud of your shoes.

Aniline finish calf leather with patina:
Adding patina bring an elegant finish and distinguished look. This soft brush handmade treatment makes each shoe a unique piece. The patina is mostly done on cap and last joints, making darker rendering parts and bringing out subtle contrast.

Brush Off finish:
Brush off leather is a slightly leveled skin, and the result is smooth leather. At Bexley we prefer the glazed finish, not too dull, not too brilliant. Brush off leather is highly appreciated by American and British famous brands. It is regular, easy to care and have a good resistance to raw weather. This is why we recommend it with rubber sole models.

Calf skin suede leather:
Suede leather is a calf skin without grain. The touch is very soft and smooth and no other material catches the light like it does. It is incredibly pliable and comfortable, with easy care. It works particularly well with rainy conditions, according that our suede calf leather is 3M scotchguard treated.

American oiled leather:
American oiled leather is thick, round and smooth. Raw skins come from American cows or from North of Spain. This wild farming ensures quality texture and steadiness to those skins. The oil added during tanning magnifies this natural effect and offers transparence and depth to the skin.

This leather is totally adapted to raw weather; this is why we suggest it on our rubber sole models.

Our Components


Leather Lining:
Our styles are fully leather lined, which means up to the top of the foot, this is essential for long-lasting comfort. Most of our linings are in calf and some are in cow hide.

Whole length sock:
It is the piece of leather you find under your heel. It is realized with the same leather than the one of the leather lining to offer you harmony and homogeneity.

Leather Insole:
The insole is the piece on which your foot rest. Of course our insoles are in leather, with a vegetable tanning process to avoid allergy problems.

Leather Welt:
The welt is a leather ribbon going round the shoe, its purpose is to attach the shoe to the outsole. Goodyear welted shoes can thus be resoled.

Cork:
In our Goodyear welted shoes, the space between the insole and the outsole is filled with natural cork. More you wear your shoes, more you made your footprint in the cork. The shoe becomes as "made-t-measure".

Leather Outsole:
The Bexley vegetable tanning process gives a combination of both flexibility and abrasion resistance. There is also a fine leather channel running around the outsole to protect the stitching.

Rubber Outsole:
Our rubber outsole are rich in natural rubber. It is necessary to bring comfort, abrasion and give a pleasant sensation of natural. The style of our rubber outsoles is made in adequation with the different uses of our shoes.

Plain vamp
The vamp is the part of the upper which covers the forepart of the foot : Plain vamp means that the vamp has been made with only one piece of leather, without any stitch. A plain vamp shoe is smart and refined, and is also a guarantee of the best quality - only the best skins cut from the heart of the leather are used.

Leather made in USA
These are skins that have not only been produced, but also tanned and processed in the United States respecting old and traditional methods. These top-quality skins come from cows bred on the open range, where the wide variety of natural foodstuffs, and the almost total absence of barbed wire, produce superbly healthy cows and thus the very best skins which we offer under the label "Leather made in USA ".

If you have an hesitation between two sizes or half sizes, select the larger one, except for loafers.

INCHES	CENTIMETRES
30	75
31	80
33	85
35	90
37	95
39	100
41	105
43	110

SHOES TECHNOLOGIES: CONSTRUCTIONS, LEATHER AND SIZES