This is the second part of the substantial review of all competition shoes in the Bespoke Shoemaking World Championship 2024. Here positions 11 to 25 are gone through with comments and pictures.
Bespoke Shoemaking World Championship 2024: Contestants 11-25
The Results
- Bespoke Shoemaking World Championship 2024: Contestants 11-25
- 11. Paul B D N
- 12. Rozsnyai Shoes
- 13. Taewook Hwang
- 14. Zainutdin Islamov
- 15. Kaspar Paas
- 16. Reid Elrod
- 17. Three Shoes
- 18. H.T. Liao
- 18. The Last Shoemaker
- 20. Kim Junghwan
- 21. Fausto Ripani Shoes
- 22. Shota Iwasaki
- 23. Hudsons / Rui Murakami
- 24. Wataru Nagai
- 25. Lisa Teng
For the Top Ten list, please read here
11. Paul B D N
Paul Bogdan Bietanau with the brand Paul.B.d.n. continues with his very specially designed shoes with bulky round shapes. Also without a waist, and with the sole being basically just a strip around the forefoot. Well-made, and quite difficult, but low points on the aesthetics. Paul Bogdan Bietanau is based in Italy’s Marche region, where he focus on bespoke shoemaking. Paul has made all himself.
12. Rozsnyai Shoes
Rozsnyai specializes in fully handmade, completely customizable, and bespoke shoes manufactured in Hungary. Here we have yet another shoe without a waist and also with only a sole around the edges. The heel is a bit more special though, with a ladder design, and a lot of other nifty design elements. Sándor Rozsnyai made the design, upper making, and lasting, and Sándor Blaskó did the bottoming and finishing.
13. Taewook Hwang
One of the shoes whose strap was used to make the entirety of the design, in a lovely way. Taewook Hwang is a South Korean shoemaker who started learning shoemaking in 2018, the first year of the contest, and to enter has been a big inspiration in the progress to become a better maker. The shoe has some difficult parts like the very high stitch density of the sole stitch and the thin layers of the heel, execution is a bit behind but still good. Tawook Hwang made all of the shoe.
14. Zainutdin Islamov
Zainutdin Islamov from Russia has made a highly ambitious shoe. A lot of hand-stitched parts, some great metal work in brass and silver, and to top things off it has actual diamonds decorating the screws in the toe and heel plates. The very narrow waist is neatly done. He learned shoemaking as a kid from his father but didn’t make shoes for over 40 years. About six years ago Zainutdin Islamov picked up the craft and enjoys shoemaking again. He made the shoe all himself.
There was a 5% deduction due to the vamp not being a separate part.
15. Kaspar Paas
A very petite, neat, and special-looking shoe. Made entirely by Kaspar Paas from Estonia, who a number of years ago worked as a bottom maker at John Lobb in London, and who has worked as an outworker for West End firms for many years. One of several shoes that highlights that it’s the year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with a lovely embroidery. The super sleek waist and round-shaped heel are a treat to look at, and hard to make this well.
The shoe received a 5% deduction due to not following the specifications set out on shoe size.
16. Reid Elrod
Reid Elrod, USA, has used stitching with thick decorative contrasting thread in a nice way, both with Norwegian stitching and for the apron seam. The heel is hollowed out in the middle and well-built. Reid Elrod is based in Portland, he learned shoemaking in Europe, and he runs his own bespoke brand, connecting the European and American shoemaking traditions in a nice way. He made it all himself.
17. Three Shoes
Three Shoes is a brand based in Thailand, started by a Chinese immigrant 50 years ago. It’s run by Kongdej Sittisuporn. Their shoe celebrates the Year of the Dragon with its very dramatic vamp decoration. It has a very distinctly marked welt and includes the popular horseshoe heel. Many have been part of making the shoe: Kongdej Sittisuporn, Teerayut Sittisuporn, Arun Sittisuporn, Ornanong Sittisuporn, Sujin Chainpradit, Winit Sirimanatorn and Aniwat Phapui.
Received a 5% deduction of points due to the vamp not being a separate piece.
18. H.T. Liao
H.T Liao from Taiwan, but based in the UK, has made a shoe that obviously draws attention. The giant pink bow is a treat, matched with the pink Norwegian stitching and other nicely designed and made details. We were deliberately a bit more liberal with the design that shoemakers could create. Even if in a way it makes it more complicated to judge, it does result in more diverse entries which likely makes it more interesting in many people’s eyes. H.T. “Emi” Liao trained in shoemaking at Accademia Ricai in Italy and currently is a piece worker at John Lobb in London.
The shoe received a 5% deduction of points due to the vamp not being a separate piece.
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18. The Last Shoemaker
Another year of the dragon tribute, this time by the UK / Thailand company The Last Shoemaker. It received the same amount of points as H.T. Liao’s shoe, so they shared the 18th place. The shoe works with contrasts, not only with the clever yin-yang built heel but with thick contrasting sole stitching and the black and white embroidered dragons facing each other. Scored higher on difficulty than on execution. The last and the pattern were made by company owner Allan Donnelly, embroidered by Jib Blouin, and the bottom-making by Tannin Pinta.
20. Kim Junghwan
Kim Junghwan is from South Korea, he has worked with shoemaking for 12 years and runs a shoe factory that produces the brand Kyle Shoemaker, as well as private labels for other brands. His entry has a special design with a high and very bulky heel and elongated pointy last. Well-executed overall, certainly high standard even here at 20th position. Kim Junghwan made it all himself.
The shoe received a 5% deduction of points due to the vamp not being a separate piece.
21. Fausto Ripani Shoes
We were also glad to see these very classically designed full-strap loafers, with a wide round toe box. This shoe by the Italian manufacturer Fausto Ripani Shoes is quite well-made, and it has some tricky parts like the intricate heel with “supportive” metal bars in the open spaces. Fausto Ripani Shoes was founded in the 1970s in Montegranaro, in Italy’s main shoemaking region Marche. Fausto Ripani made the upper, his son Andrea Ripani did the making, and his wife Rosanna did the finishing.
22. Shota Iwasaki
Shota Iwasaki from Japan does outwork for various Japanese companies, mainly patterns and uppers. It’s evident that he’s a good upper maker, with some fine hand-stitched details and a clean closing overall. Bottom making is a bit more basic, but still rather good. Quite a minimalistic shoe. Shota Iwasaki is preparing to launch his own brand. He made it all himself.
23. Hudsons / Rui Murakami
Rui Murakami runs the repair shop Hudson’s in Yokohama, Japan, and is looking to start making shoes under the name as well. The shoe stands out with its feminine touch with a high heel and low cut. The strap disappears into the heel in a cool way, and although stitched the sole is also fully brass pegged. The last was made by Etsuo Tomita, and designed by Yohei Koyama and Rui Murakami, the latter did all the rest.
Received a 5% deduction due to being made of only 2 pieces of leather, not 3-5 as stated in the guidelines.
24. Wataru Nagai
From the North of Japan and the Hokkaido island comes Wataru Nagai. He’s an independent maker, and the shoe with the “Phantom of the Opera”-theme has many interesting things going for it. A busy sole with lots of nails, a mask-shaped heel plate, and the “quilted” vamp is quite cool. He made it all himself.
25. Lisa Teng
Lisa Teng is from Singapore, and normally she does a lot of creative and specially designed footwear, but also does fully handmade shoes like these here. It’s rather rough around the edges, and quite basic in make, even if sole stitch is rather dense. Has an interesting flap over the heel and some handmade decorative stitches.
We hope that you enjoyed seeing all of the shoes from the Bespoke Shoemaking World Championship 2024.
For the Top Ten, please read here.
—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob
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