In a breathtaking showcase of unparalleled artistry, the world recently witnessed the crowning glory of shoemaking expertise at the World Championship in Shoemaking. From a selection of 29 black Balmoral boots that were submitted in this year’s competition, the winners were crowned at the London Super Trunk Show in May 2023.
Organised by Shoegazing and The Show Snob, world-renowned shoe connoisseurs, critics, and reviewers, in collaboration with Kirby Allison and the Master Shoemakers book project, the top three
winning boots are touring around the world, and are being showcased before as many shoe lovers as possible. Bridlen, a world renowned shoe brand hailing from Chennai, is hosting the winning shoes of the World Championship in Shoemaking, in the city, where the top three shoes are being showcased for the first time in India.
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“The boots are true works of art. And we are glad to be hosting an event featuring these in Chennai,” says K Mohamed Affan, co-founder and also the Shoemaker-in-Chief, Bridlen, a brand that primarily deals with the finest of leathers and other components, which are paired with age-old, time-tested techniques in shoemaking. They operate primarily online through their website, and have recently opened their first store in Chennai.
Criteria for selection
Degree of difficulty: How complicated and advanced the construction methods used are.
Execution: How neat and clean the shoe construction work is, and how well executed the level of finishing is.
Design/aesthetics: The overall aesthetics of the shoe, proportions, and balance.
The winners
The winning shoe (First Prize) this year is made by Frenchman Athanase Sephocle, who works for Berluti. A fairly traditional old-school balmoral boot, but with seamless vamp piece, and hand-braided top-line stitch. The heels show high level of execution. You have braided decorative stitching with brass thread inside the heel, and a lovely brass plate toe tap.
“I like the emotions the boot creates, with the simplicity of the model and the surprise effect of the outsole,” says Athanase Sephocle who started his journey in shoemaking with orthopedic shoes and show shoes. “I realised that to win this contest, I had to relearn everything. I built up a workshop at home to be able to spend more time making shoes, and worked on my technique extensively during these three years,” says Athanase, who spent around 200 hours on making this contest shoe. Lyse Simon stitched the upper, while the rest was made by Athanase. “This contest is like the Champions League, and I have won my first star. I hope this is not my last,” he adds.
Victor Vulpe
Romanian Victor Vulpe’s boot is perhaps the most spectacular entry in this year’s contest, showcasing many great features and techniques. He made everything himself. It received the highest points on difficulty of all shoes in the contest, but the jury gave it a bit lower on execution and design compared to Sephocle’s boot. Perhaps, the most eye-catching thing of the whole boot is that the top piece covering the opening is actually the tongue of the boot.
The shoe is made with “full-close construction”. The tongue goes up and covers the entire opening, and it’s also stitched to the upper! “It took me a long time to figure out how to make this, and to make it well. The championship is a perfect place to showcase this strange thing; not many people have seen something similar,” says Victor.
Louis Lampertsdörfer
Louis Lampertsdörfer from Germany, who runs the brand, Mogada, has made the most classic and toned-down shoe in the top three, but is clean and well-made. When asked about what he’s most pleased with about the shoes, Louis says, “I was very pleased how the curves of the pattern pick up the last shape and everything just looks balanced.” The upper was made by Raz Maftei in Vienna, the rest by Louis. Around 150 hours was spent in the making of the boot.
The top three winning shoes will be on display at The Folly, Amethyst, on December 8, and at Bridlen Gallery/Store, Harrington Road, from December 9 to 18, 2023.
— manuvipin@newindianexpress.com