SHOES TECHNOLOGIES: CONSTRUCTIONS, LEATHER AND SIZES

1. The Constructions
The Goodyear Welted
The Blake Welted
The Bologna Welted
The Real Mocassin

2. The Styles
The Oxford
The Derby
The Loafer

3. The Leather
Components Describe

4. The Sizes
Sizes for Shoes
Sizes for Belts 
   
  
5. To lear more: Tour of Factories
Tour of a Goodyear Factory 
Tour of a Bologna Factory 
Your Bexley shoes in 28 mini clips 
Hand Made Goodyear Welted 
The Hand Sewn 
Technical Centre of Leather -  EC Components Table 
SATRA International Technical Centre of Leather - Outsole Abrasion Test 
Tour of a French Tannerie (Leather Factory) 

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 Goodyear Welted by Bexley ®
The upper, insole and welt are joined. Then, a lock stiched seam connects the welt with the outsole.
   
To learn more about the Goodyear fabric: Tour of a Goodyear Factory 
    
      

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The Blake Welted

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.

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The Bologna Welted

The Real Mocassin

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.


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The Oxford Shoe

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. 

 

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The Derby

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.

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The Loafer

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.

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Leather : Components Describe

FULL GRAIN LEATHER

This is very high quality leather, the grain (external part of the skin) is in its natural, untreated state.

CALF

All the biggest names in luxury and tailored goods use full-grain calfskin, the only high-quality leather that stays extremely durable over time. France being the world's number-one producer of the finest rawhide, it's no surprise that the best veal leathers come from French tanneries. The veal leathers Bexley uses to craft its shoes come from the two finest Tanneries in France, which are also the best in the world: The Tanneries d'Annonay and the Tanneries du Puy. These Tanneries are geographically close to us. It allows us to verify ourselves the pieces of leather before sending them around the world in different fabrics. 
The thickness usually used is about 12 to 14 tenth of millimeters to which we always have to add a lining with a thickness of 8 to 10 tenth of millimeters.

SUEDE

Suede is made by buffing the underside (flesh side) of leather. Bexley orders only the best suede calf leather on the market from British tanner Stead All our suede leathers are "scotchguard" treated to give them a relly appreciable waterproof protection.
The thickness usually used is about 14 to 16 tenth of millimeters to which we always have to add a lining with a thickness of 8 to 10 tenth of millimeters.

COW

The calfskin is a thicker and very pliable leather. It is a very good one for casual and boat shoes as well as for some rubber outsole styles when we need to give shoes a great thickness and a waterproof protection. We use the best quality of calfskin in the world. Our leathers are from the USA, the North and Spain.  
The thickness usually used is about 22 to 24 tenth of millimeters to which we sometimes add a lining with a thickness of 8 to 10 tenth of millimeters.

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.

LEATHER INSOLE

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.

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.

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Shoes Sizes

Bexley fitting is wide and have a generous instep, it is a EE width.

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

Belts Sizes

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

You have to measure from the beginning of the buckle up to the central hole.

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