Posted on April 1st, 2022

EVERYTHING IS HANDMADE IN 2020

These days, everything qualifies as “Handmade” or “Handcrafted“. This is especially true in the shoe industry but also extends to virtually everything. Everybody and their grandma in 2020 can make a pair of shoes and say it is Handmade or Bespoke. Today we are looking at a few very important and different things. First of all we will discuss the difference of “Handmade Vs Handcrafted Leather Shoes“.

Then the idea is to educate ourselves about these common buzzwords whose sole purpose is to create enthusiasm and credibility and drive sales. Because businesses are definitely counting on those emotions and associations with some words to sell you something not so accurate.

Let’s dive into this hot topic. Or better say hot potato!

SHOES ARE A REFINED EXPRESSION

One of the most important parts of a man’s wardrobe is his shoes. In this age where we walk and run all the time, it is important to do that in a good, comfortable pair of shoes. Good shoes support your feet and essentially your whole body weight and become better with time.

As we grow up and try out new things we evolve and so does our taste in shoes. Luckily, men have a wide variety to choose from with Brogues, Classic Oxfords, Chelsea Boots and Loafers among others. Many famous quotes associate shoes with success and class and even more say that women will always look at a man’s shoes first.

HANDMADE VS HANDCRAFTED SHOES – TERMINOLOGY

Terminology is often one of the most misunderstood or misinterpreted things in the world. For a good reason too. Both Handmade and Handcrafted sound extremely similar. However, the definitions are pretty clear when you think about it.

The word “Handmade” implies that something has been made by hand. Completely. Entirely. This is a shoe (or item for that matter) that is 100% made by hand without any use of machinery.

On the other hand, we call “Handcrafted” something that is a mixture of the above and hand-operated machinery.

According to a very fascinating scientific article from the Technology Innovation Management Review (Source):

“Luxuries that are handmade using only traditional tools and techniques or that involve personal delivery by highly skilled individuals persist in their capacity to command high prices beyond the reach of the general population. Moreover, they might even become rarer as the skills required in their production become increasingly scarce.”

TIM Review, July 2015

This should already hint at the fact that real Handmade Shoes are extremely rare, laborious experiences that command the highest prices possible. Thinking about that, how could a shoe that costs a mere few hundred Dollars (say like Carmina) be Handmade? This is because they are Handcrafted instead.

Now, there is of course a reason for all of this. Time, effort and efficiency. With the advancements and precision of machinery it is now much easier and faster to make a decent shoe. Few people have the luxury to pay thousands of dollars for a bespoke shoe. Machinery allows you to still create a very high quality Handcrafted product which is the case for 99.9% of the shoes out there.

Original article: https://www.misiuacademy.com/handmade-vs-handcrafted-leather-shoes-guide/