Goodyear Welted Shoe Construction

The 'Goodyear Welted' construction is a traditional method of manufacture taking its name from the inventor who mechanised the original hand sewn method.

The essence of this construction is that the upper is shaped over the last and secured by sewing a strip of leather or 'welt' to the upper and inner sole. The cavity formed by the welt is then filled with a cork compound known as 'Flexofil' which is highly flexible and resilient giving a welted shoe its unique comfort. The process is then completed by attaching a sole to the welt.

The stitched construction allows the shoe to be repaired many times by replacing the sole.

The very nature of this method of shoemaking takes many weeks and can involve up to two hundred highly skilled operators creating a shoe of comfort, strength and durability.