The "Gold Standard" for Footwear
If you’re new to the world of quality footwear, Goodyear Welt
Construction is one of the first major upgrades separating Luxury shoes from
disposable footwear. Though expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to master,
Goodyear Welt Construction creates a tightly-crafted shoe that is
water-resistant and wearable for years to come. It’s a better way to build a
shoe that combines centuries of human ingenuity with skilled craftsmanship.
It’s first important to understand how most
footwear around the world is built today. The most common way of making shoes
today is called cement construction, which
usually means taking the upper leather gluing it directly to the outsole.
Nearly all of the sneakers you own will use this method and it’s used because
it is quick, simple, and effective. However, once the outsoles are worn down,
it’s very difficult to resole a cement-constructed shoe — cement construction
is not ideal if you are interested in longevity.
Welted construction solves
the resoleability dilemma by adding an additional third element — the welt — to
completely transform the functionality and longevity of a shoe. The welt is a
long strip of leather, about one centimeter wide that sits between the upper
and the outsole. By adhering the welt first to the upper (via a stitch to the
canvas plyrib on the bottom of the insole) and then stitching the welt to the
outsole, we make the shoe easily resoleable and virtually waterproof. Welt
construction leaves a telltale line of stitching between the outsole and the
welt around the perimeter of the boot that can be seen from even a few feet
away.
Today, Goodyear Welt Construction shoes are a luxury good,
accounting for less than 1% of shoe production today. This method remains
costly and time-consuming, meaning they usually come with a premium price tag.
These shoes are a little bit heavier and more rigid, because of the extra
weight of the leather welt.
However, it’s still one of the best ways to make durable
footwear. A worn outsole can be replaced by a cobbler. The welt acts as an
additional layer to prevent water intrusion into the shoe. The additional heft
of a leather welt means you can abuse your boots without concern. The tight
construction makes many pairs wearable for decades to come.
Comfort is another understated advantage of Goodyear Welt
Construction. This is because the addition of the welt creates a small cavity
underneath the insoles. This is filled with granulated cork that will cushion
your stride and mold to your feet over time.
The upper – This is the leather or canvas that is seen above the sole when a shoe is worn. While the upper itself can be broken down into many key points (the vamp, the heel, the eyelets, etc.), as a whole it is everything which actually covers the foot when wearing the shoe.
The insole – This is the material on the inside of the shoe with which the foot is in contact when the shoe is being worn.
The outsole – This is the material on the bottom and exterior of the sole and is what comes in contact with the ground while walking.
The welt – On better-constructed shoes, the welt is a strip of leather which runs along the perimeter of the outsole. Its primary function is for attaching the upper to the outsole.
The last – A three-dimensional model of a foot, the last is what gives a shoe its shape. Lasts are used for both design and construction.
With that basic terminology in mind, we are ready to describe the three basic methods of shoe construction. They are cementing, blake welting, and goodyear welting. All three have their strengths and their weaknesses and no option is objectively superior to any of the others.
Goodyear Welting
Goodyear welting is the oldest, most labor intensive, and most durable of the three methods of construction. It can be done by machine or by hand and involves multiple steps.
The first part of the process is preparing the insole for stitching. This is done by creating a perpendicular “rib” that runs across the insole. Some shoemakers create the rib by cutting and sculpting the insole, while others will do so by using a supplementary material like linen tape.
The second step is to last the shoe. This is done by stretching the outsole over the last and attaching it, along with the insole, to the last.
Part three is the actual welting. At this point shoe-specific thread is sewn through the welt, the upper, and the insole rib. Through a separate stitch, the welt is attached to the outsole. For both of these stitching points, a lockstitch is used – meaning the chain won’t unravel if it breaks down at any particular point in the shoe.
The two-level stitching makes it incredibly easy to resole a goodyear welted shoe. Because the welt acts as a buffer between the insole and the outsole, removing the old sole and attaching a new one can be done by machine or by hand and without a specific machine. The extra layers make the shoe more water resistant and supportive.